Double Major winning Martin Kaymer believes he’s found parallels with golf after taking up snow skiing in the Italian Alps.
While Kaymer remembers skiing with his family as a four year old his visit into the Italian Alps over the Christmas break was the first time he’s taken to the snow since his childhood days.
And the competitive side of the current US Open champion clearly was obvious when he spoke of his new sporting adventure ahead of this week’s 10th anniversary Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship.
“The beginning is quite embarrassing because you start on that something where you just go like this all the time (indicating bunny slope),” he smiled.
“But then I was with a small group and all of them they could ski and I just felt like, geez, I don’t want to be alone always, because they didn’t care about the little slope, they wanted to ski properly. But then in the end, we went everywhere. It was like those blue slopes, red and black. It was fine.
Current US Open champion Martin Kaymer in good spirits ahead of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship. (Photo – Eoin Clarke/www.golffile.ie)
“And I have to say you see a lot of parallels to golf. The teacher, she was very good with me because she explained the ski how the ski works when you do certain moves, it goes automatically to the side and you go with the curves, and I think it was very similar to the golf club.
“When you learn how to use, for example, with a wedge, when you know how to use the bounce in the bunker or from the grass here, then not much can go wrong.
“So I think it was important for me to ski better when she explained to me how everything works, like why is it built like this. And my coach, my golf coach, does the same thing, explains to me why the golf club is built in this and that way, and not only do you have to do this and this, but explaining why and how things work.
“So I could relate a lot to this and it was quite interesting for me.”
The discussion then led to the German, and current World No. 12 being asked if he was better at a curve, fade or draw, on skis?
“I could do the left curve really good because my right leg is a little bit stronger,” he replied.
“And you could feel when you ski for five or six hours a day, and then in the end when I went to the right curves and my left leg is a little bit weaker, it was shaking. So it was a great workout at the same time.
“But I like that you have to be brave, and so similar to golf, in order to win tournaments and hit great shots at specific times, you have to be brave and you have to come maybe over your comfort zone sometimes.
“The thing is, can you really do it. Can you go over your comfort zone in order to hit those great shots, and skiing, I felt like when you’re a little bit more brave, it’s actually easier.
“But to get there, to lean forward, even though it’s going downhill, and you pick up speed, but it makes it easier, and to get over that, it takes some time. But you’ve got to do it. And I like that challenge.”
Kaymer faces the challenge this week of seeking to win the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship for a fourth occasion and with organisers joining him with defending champion Pablo Larrazabal and fellow US Open winner Justin Rose.
