Robo-professionals. It’s an unflattering term, often directed at the world’s best players and rooted in a widespread perception of elite golfers as interchangeable parts. They have all put miles on it. They all have deft hands on the greens. And if you ask what they’re thinking about, you’ll likely get a well-rehearsed answer, in the same measured cadence. Different faces, the same swings and swing thoughts.
That sameness extends, in the popular imagination, to the way tour professionals view golf courses. Honesty. Predictability. Coherence. Set up a bag and they can tie it anywhere – from a tarmac to a Tillinghast – as long as the distance is correct, the ball bounces straight and the checks don’t bounce at all.
Michael Campbell doesn’t fit that picture.
Campbell is best known as the New Zealander who faced Tiger Woods at Pinehurst and won the 2005 US Open. Campbell is no longer on the Tour, but he remains connected to the game through the golf academy he runs in Spain – and through a way of thinking about golf that is refreshingly relatable.
Campbell was a guest on a recent episode of the Destination Golf podcast, recorded on site at the Punta Mita Invitational in Mexico. The event is a three-day pro-am like no other, with rotating teams, relaxed competition and the kind of late-night dinners and conversations that rarely happen at pay-to-plays, where you shake hands with your pro on the first tee and say goodbye on the 18th green.
In his conversation with Destination Golf co-host Simon Holt, Campbell delved into course design using New Zealand’s Te Arai as a lens. While Campbell loves both courses, North and South, he really shines when he talks about North, a Tom Doak design that Campbell praises for its wild greens, quirky contours and endless strategic demands.
“It’s tough and I really enjoyed it. You have to control your ball because the greens are undulating,” Campbell said. “I also played on a windy day and that was tough.”
The episode goes even further, touching on Campbell’s memories of battling Tiger, his experiences dealing with discrimination in a predominantly white sport, and his own ambitions to move into golf design. You can listen to it all here.
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