Q & A: World speed golf champion Jamie Reid reveals tips for the average player, says the game can take off

Jamie Reid - world speed golf ace. Photo / Simon Watts

Scratch golfer Jamie Reid completes a par round of golf in the time it takes most players to unload their gear from the car, have a whirl on the practice green and get to the first tee.

No one in the world can match the New Plymouth maths/PE teacher when it comes to speed golf, where strokes and time are combined to find players’ scores.

The 31-year-old won the world title in Florida this month, where he became only the second competitor to shoot a round under par. With provincial mate Robin Smith, Reid also won the team title.

Reid’s competition numbers are quite staggering, hitting great scores with a handful of clubs in well under 40 minutes.

And a man who can play a full round of golf and get home for breakfast reckons more people should consider playing the game this way.

The big world title question - how does it feel?

Relief after coming so close in 2018…knowing I’ve put so much work in over the past four years and then winning it by quite a big margin. I can wake up every morning and look at that trophy on the shelf, before defending it in Japan.

How much training does it involve?

I run six days a week, up to 80km, including long runs, recovery runs, intervals, speed sessions…plus golf practice on top of that three times a week.

Closer to tournaments I do speed sessions on the course - I might play three holes hard, one hole easy, or nine holes really hard, then nine holes easy. I play 36 or 54 in one go to make sure I’ve got the endurance, so the tournament feels short.

This is a serious sport to you - how do other people view it?

It can be seen as gimmicky and people look at you a bit funny. But when you tell them you shoot even par in 35 to 40 minutes they almost fall over, and they just about pass out when they hear it’s done with only three clubs.

Tell us what’s in your bag, even though you don’t carry a bag.

Most overseas players take five or six clubs to ensure they put a good score on the board.

Three is my optimum - driver or three iron, seven or eight iron, and a gap wedge which I putt with. The world championship course was quite long with tight second shots to the par fives so I took four clubs, using a driver and three iron.

I’m probably a couple of shots better when I walk a round - having a couple of extra clubs in the bag can help. A putter in particular makes a difference but tee to green I hit it the same.

The hardest thing for me is to hit the driver - I hit it off the deck instead of a tee. No one else in the world does that. It saves a few seconds per hole, which can be the difference between winning the title or not. People look at me like I’m silly but I’ve got a high ball flight so can get away with it.

Maybe a lot of us carry too many clubs...

I don’t think the average golfer is good enough to consistently hit the same distances with each club so would shoot the same score with half the set. If you can just stay out of trouble you will save a lot of shots. Speed golf also sorts out the mental side of things because you don’t have time to think about the bad shots.

Real golf is so slow…

If the average golfer took just five golf clubs and removed all the practice swings, talking and mucking around, they’d play in an hour and a half instead of four hours. The amount of time people waste on a golf course is ridiculous - it’s fair for the social side of things I guess.

Do you watch a lot of golf?

Only the majors on TV. I’m hoping a top player gives speed golf a go and realises how hard it is, how good we are, and we get the money and recognition we deserve.

Have you got any tips and tricks for speed golf wannabes?

I’d recommend going out with just one club the first time - a six or seven iron. Just play four or five holes to start off with and I don’t recommend running as fast as you can because after a couple of holes you will have had it.

The more clubs you have the heavier it is, making it harder to run. Running is the hardest part. One club, one ball, four or five holes - that’s my tip.

And maybe try Waitemata rather than Waitakere…

Definitely. You want a flat golf course. Go at 7.30 in the morning, or half an hour before dark, and you will be sweet.

Do people let you through?

The odd person doesn’t but if you run around them they can’t do anything. By the time you finish the hole, they haven’t got to their tee shot. I haven’t had anyone get really angry and we’re very respectful. But some clubs struggle to understand what it is all about.

Who is your typical speed golfer?

People in their 30s with young families who can’t spend all day on the golf course. It’s easy for us to go out at 7 on a Sunday morning, play 18 holes in under an hour, the kids are still sleeping, we do our dad duties and we’ve got our golf and running fix.

Are there any up-and-coming stars in the New Zealand game?

There are a couple of 13-year-olds at Fitzroy who absolutely love it - maybe one of them. I’ve got a 12-week-old son and once I start training him up, once he’s walking, he can be the next big thing, who can take over from me. Might as well keep it in the family.

Your Holy Grail is a shot/time total under 100…

I was 19 seconds away at the New Zealand champs in April when I shot a 69 and finished in 31m18s. Hopefully, I can tick that off - there’s definitely a good round out there to break 100.

Do you have sporting heroes?

I always enjoyed watching Tiger Woods and lately, I’m a big Rickie Fowler fan.

Rafael Nadal has been my biggest idol over the past 20 years. I enjoy his attitude on the tennis court, his mental ability to switch it on when he needs to, and his great determination. When he loses, he never blames anyone but himself and always congratulates the opposition - he’s my role model and hopefully, I put some of those attributes into my sport.

It’s been a great year for New Zealand golf…Ryan Fox, Lydia Ko, Steven Alker.

They are on more of a pedestal as opposed to my little speed golf tour. Maybe when speed golf gets more of a mention I can feel part of them.

I played the odd tournament with Ryan Fox when we were younger. He was pretty sharp, he could be a bit erratic but was a big hitter as he is now. That’s a good thing these days and why he has done so well on the DP World tour.

He has that x-factor because he hits that long ball - you can’t teach that. You either have it or you don’t.

When he gets going he’s pretty hard to beat, even against the best in the world. It’s been great to see him have so much success - he thoroughly deserves to write his own name rather than being known as Grant Fox’s son.

Ryan Fox has won millions - how do you go money-wise?

It’s never cheap to go overseas but Robin and I are lucky to have seven local sponsors who have made a massive difference. My wife Anna has done a great job over the last 10 weeks while I trained and worked full time…I’d come home and try to be a dad for five minutes before the little man falls asleep.

Can speed golf take off?

My club Fitzroy has a twilight series on Wednesday nights and also on Sunday mornings. It’s $5 for as many holes as you like, with raffles and draws, we get up to 20 players. It’s getting quite big. There’s also some stuff happening in Wellington and Auckland.

Overseas they have little tours in America and Finland and events in the UK and Japan, with over 100 players and waiting lists.

It’s like T20 cricket or rugby sevens - being shorter it is good for viewers. No one from the big tours has shown an interest in it yet...it just needs the right person and a lot of money to get the breakthrough, then it will take off.

And it’s actually better for golf clubs - they can get more people on their courses and make more money. I think it could be awesome.