It certainly ain't broke but Josh Geary is thinking about fixing his game anyway by finding himself a coach.
Somehow, in a sport where so many have fallen victim to paralysis by analysis, Geary has established himself as New Zealand's leading amateur with no coach or manager. If he wants
advice he seeks out fellow Bay of Plenty amateur, Bradley Iles, or sends a video to Wellington-based swing guru, Mal Tongue.
It might seem a decidedly amateur approach, but it has helped him shoot scores that professionals would be proud of. He carded four sub-70 rounds at the under-23 championships two weeks ago.
It's not that he's trying to prove he can triumph against the odds. He simply can't find a qualified coach in the Bay of Plenty area.
"I need a coach for sure. I sort of see Mal Tongue every now and again but hardly ever really. Brad Iles has helped me. I get some feedback from him and practice with him. But it is quite hard to find a coach who is really qualified enough in the Bay of Plenty.
"Moving would definitely be an option but we'll have to wait and see. I'll just keep playing and see what happens."
That's the Geary way. Never getting too worked up about what lies ahead. Never letting success go to his head. While other youngsters win one amateur event and start thinking about turning professional, the 20-year-old Geary is in no rush to make the leap.
"I have got to wait until I'm a lot more consistent until I turn professional. It costs a lot of money so I don't want to go out there and waste time and just struggle my way through.
"I've got a big year of amateur golf. I'm going to go to the States with Brad [Iles] for a couple of months and then next year I'm planning to do the same. So at the earliest, I'm not thinking about turning professional until 2006 or even after that."
Geary speaks with a maturity beyond his years. Which may come as a surprise to some as last year he was in the soup for wrecking a sponsor's tent.
But it was that very incident which helped him to knuckle down and focus.
"I'm trying to put that behind me. I guess in a way I treat myself more as a golfer now."
- HERALD ON SUNDAY
