Many weekend hackers are using the Covid-19 lockdown as the chance to practice their golf in the backyard. But what if golf is your job, rather than just a hobby?
That's the situation facing young Wellington professional Daniel Hillier as he waits patiently to hit the fairways again. Like almostevery other sport, golf is suspended globally during the Covid-19 pandemic, forcing players to improvise during the unexpected break.
"(There's been) a lot of short game practice," Hillier says.
"I've taken the first couple of weeks pretty easy because I had a knee problem after my last tournament. I was just walking and fell into a little pot hole and hyper extended it. Every time I trained more than three hours or played more than 18 holes a day it just flared up again.
"It was a blessing in disguise that this lockdown forced me to take a break and to make sure I got that sorted before I really got into anything.
"We've got a home gym and Dad's just set up a net in the backyard so when I'm ready to hit some full swings I can get back into that. It's pretty much back to 100 per cent now."
Hillier enjoyed a prolific amateur career, including winning two New Zealand junior championships, the 2017 Australian junior championship and two New Zealand amateur championships.
Last June, he shot a two-round, eight-under par score at a sectional qualifying tournament in London to be one of just seven players, and the top amateur, to qualify for the 2019 US Open at Pebble Beach. The 21-year-old turned pro in September.
"There was certainly a different feeling in my first couple of events as a pro," Hillier recalls.
"My first was the KLM Open (in Amsterdam) and I think I put a little too much pressure on myself in the first round. I hid back in my shell and didn't really take it on like I should have. I was a bit reserved and worried about performing well in my first outing as a professional.
"But I've played a few events since then and I'm getting more and more comfortable in this environment. It's great to be putting some good numbers up on the board again. It's what I've always wanted to do and I feel ready and really excited to get back out there, whenever that is."
Hillier won his last tournament, the inaugural New Zealand Super Sixes on the Charles Tour, at Manawatu Golf Club in March.
"It's almost certain the first lot of events that pop up again will be in New Zealand. Obviously things aren't looking too good over in Europe or the US at the moment, so I can't imagine we'd be going there any time soon," Hillier says.
Golf has the advantage of having no physical contact and natural social distancing between players, which may mean it can resume quicker than many other sports.
"Obviously it's a non-contact sport and when you're training, a lot of the time you're on your own, so I can imagine we'd be back into it before a lot of other sports.
"There are some pretty strict guidelines around that, but hopefully it gets to a point that we're allowed back out there. We just have to stay patient and continue to do stuff at home for now. Everyone is in the same boat and just because we don't have as much close contact as other sports, we still have to play our part.
