Kobe burns up Blenheim course

It is reported that the great South African golfer Gary Player, when challenged during a practice round by a spectator about playing a “lucky” shot out of a bunker, famously replied, “the more I work and practice, the luckier I seem to get!”

Fourteen-year-old Marlborough golfer Kobe Hart has probably never heard of the nine-time Major winner, but is certainly heeding his advice.

Kobe, a year 11 student at Marlborough Boys’ College, has made a meteoric rise on the local golfing scene.

A former top junior tennis player, Kobe played his first round of golf in November, 2022, and quickly became hooked.

“I came out with a few mates one day for a bit of fun and really enjoyed it, so I just decided to start playing,” he explains.

“I played it secondary to tennis for around six months, but then I decided that I liked golf more so I dropped the tennis.

“It was fun to play a sport where you can easily measure your improvement, always trying to improve. It is also all down to you, you don’t have to rely on anyone else.”

Starting on a handicap of 24, the teen quickly transferred his natural ball-striking ability from tennis to golf and his handicap plummeted. He now plays off a +1.5 (one and a half shots below par).

An early boost to his career came unexpectedly.

In December 2023, Kobe attended a two-day qualifying tournament held at Christchurch’s Russley Golf Course, and won the right to represent New Zealand at the Future Champions Golf Junior World Championship in Palm Desert, California.

Seen as a pathway into a professional golfing career, the 850 players involved were closely watched by North American college golf coaches and recruiters.

Kobe says [the tournament] “put into perspective just how good the other juniors are”.

“So, my goal then became trying to get as good as those guys.”

While certainly not one to blow his own trumpet, Kobe has enjoyed a few highlight moments since returning from the States.

One came at the recent Canterbury age group championships, which he won, earning him selection for the Tasman senior men’s side, a call-up he describes as “a pretty big milestone”.

He followed up with another milestone, on familiar ground. In early March, Kobe underlined his potential with a remarkable round on his home course, at the Blenheim Golf Club. He shot a 63, his best-ever score, to set a new record on the new course lay-out. He equalled the previous best, set by Mike McDonald on the old lay-out, and a mark that had stood for over 30 years.

As he approached the final few holes, Kobe said that he was endeavouring to put the possibility of a new record out of his mind, but admits it was hard.

“I was trying not to think about it to be honest … I was three under on 14 and I knew the record was six or seven under so I knew it was going to be pretty tough.

“But from then on everything just started working.”

It sure did, Kobe birdying the final four holes to earn the club’s kudos and see his scorecard framed and mounted on the clubhouse wall.

His recent form has added fuel to the fire in the young man’s belly, admitting a long-term goal would be a place in the field at the NZ Open.

“That would be a big goal, not at the moment, but maybe in the future.

“A scholarship to the States would also be an option, but first things first.”

And first up is another testing assignment, April’s South Island age group tournament in Christchurch, where he will compete in the under-16 section.

Kobe has shelved his other sports, no surprise given his current golf practice and training regime, often alongside local coach Chas Craig.

He trains seven days a week, freely admitting that if there was eight days in the week he would train on all eight.

Kobe puts in around four to five hours a day in summer, three in winter, often in the company of school mates, but stresses that it is still fun.

As most golfers will freely admit, a big part of the game is the ability to control your emotions, Kobe admitting that, like tennis, it is something that needs to be worked on.

“You have to control your emotions a bit more in golf because you don’t really have anyone else to turn to – it’s just kind of you versus the course. I just tell myself to relax a bit more if I start to feel the pressure.”

Every golfer has parts of their game they need to work on and Kobe admits his iron play “isn’t in the best shape at the moment … but it’ll get better with practice”.

Given his recent results, and work ethic, the country’s top juniors better look out when it does.