‘Transition Camp’ for Australia’s Elite Amateurs

Melbourne, Australia: Australia’s best amateurs and several young up-and-coming professionals have completed an intensive two-day camp run by Golf Australia’s High Performance team at the Australian Golf Centre (AGC).

The 15 players from across the country took part in a ‘Transition Camp’, aimed at helping young athletes through the difficult latter years of their amateur careers and through the first part of professional careers.

The first camp to be held at the AGC in Melbourne since its opening in 2021 included a Q&A session with touring professional Min Woo Lee, who was invited to the camp by Golf Australia and who took the opportunity to do some work with his coach Ritchie Smith before he heads to the United States to resume playing.

Some of the topics covered during the two-day camp included:

· Supplements: What can help with recovery, and what can cause problems because in some countries they are not batch-tested.

· Jet-lag and how to present for golf in the best possible shape after extended travel.

· Media training and what to expect from interviews.

· Nutrition

· Sports science

The athletes also performed skill rotations with some of Australia’s top coaches and were addressed by player managers Tony Bouffler and Matt Cutler.

Tony Meyer, Golf Australia’s High Performance Director, said: “We see it as hugely important. We’re about that transitional phase. If you look at golfers, a lot of them don’t progress in that period. They don’t handle what they come up against. The competition’s harder, they’re lonely, they travel more. All those things impact.

“We know from our experience that the last two years of an amateur career and the first three years of your professional career are the most critical. This camp will help them prepare for the challenges of competing internationally against tougher competition, having to use a caddie, all that stuff. It will help them prepare for that stage of their career.”

High Performance Managers included Matt Ballard (Queensland), Cameron Vincent (Victoria), Adrian Wickstein (South Australia) and Khan Pullen (New South Wales). Coaches included Ritchie Smith (Western Australia) and Dan Whyley (Victoria).

The athletes were: Justice Bosio, Louis Dobbelaar, Quinn Croker (all Queensland); Harrison Crowe, Jeffrey Guan, Belinda Ji, Jye Pickin (all NSW); Keeley Marx, Jasper Stubbs (both Victoria); Caitlin Peirce, Jack Thompson, Jack Buchanan (all South Australia) and Connor Fewkes, Connor McKinney, Josh Greer (Western Australia).

Crowe is the reigning Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship winner, a result which earned him a starting spot in last month’s Masters Tournament at Augusta National. He’s also received an invite to July’s 151st Open Championship at Royal Liverpool, after which he's expected to relinquish his amateur status.

Previously, national camps were held in Houston, Texas, but the Covid-19 pandemic put a stop to that as a venue. “This is a different camp,” said Meyer. “I wouldn’t compare it with a previous camp.”

The camp is slotted to be held annually at the AGC.

“We’ve looked at all aspects of our game, so it’s good to highlight what you do well and what you don’t do well,” said Bosio, the Queenslander who played in the Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific and the Augusta National Women’s Amateur this year.

She added: “It’s cool having Min Woo here as well. Really good insight into how hard it is to get to where he is. It’s been really beneficial.

“Most of us are probably looking to turn (pro) in the next six months to two years’ maximum. It’s such a critical time. I think everyone’s going to take a lot out of it. It’s nice to hang out with everyone as well!”

*Article by Martin Blake, Golf Australia