When the ‘Big Show’ rolled into town, they came from everywhere. I played with people from Texas, Hong Kong and even Pakistan during Open week.

The NZ Open has a growing reputation too, just like Queenstown. For most it is an annual jaunt, booked well in advance, with a Pro Am format that means roughly 300 players and a host of volunteers descend on the picturesque town to join the festivities of the week. 

It has grown into such a special event that it is definitely a ticket you want to have on your calendar.

I was pretty happy to get a start in the NZ Open. PHOTO: Matt Guyatt.

The week before this year’s Open was the NZ PGA in Palmerston North, a short plane ride from the north island of New Zealand to the holiday capital.

There were a few guys at the NZ PGA on the cusp – the cusp of getting their start the following week in New Zealand’s biggest golfing event for 2017.

I was one of them. Coming out of Q School this year meant I was on the edge, but fortunately for me my number was called early in the week.

Many players were waiting for that email to say you had a start and some were simply playing for their spot through the exemptions from the NZ PGA event that week. Such is the fragility of tour life when coming from Q School it means planning is very difficult and, most times, expensive.

The protocol on tour is usually whoever books and pays gets first choice and then it is either first-in first-served or you play for the best rooms in practice rounds.

It doesn’t seem fair at times as we get the least amount of starts into the big events on tour but due to last minute travel plans we pay the highest price for airfares and accommodation.

Last minute plane fares aren’t usually cheap and finding some of the billet accommodation usually on offer also becomes difficult with a late request.

This time around I ended up joining forces with four others, who hadn’t yet organised accommodation, in an attempt to make it somewhat affordable in one of the most popular holiday destinations in the world.

We managed to get a house big enough through AirBnB and, depending on the last minute flights we could organise from Palmerston North, all arrived in town on the Monday of the tournament week.

By the time I made it to the house, the lads first in had chosen rooms. The protocol on tour is usually whoever books and pays gets first choice and then it is either first-in first-served or you play for the best rooms in practice rounds.

Guyatt with his caddie, 'Penthouse', who broke house sharing protocol to grab the best room in the share house. PHOTO: Getty Images.

Despite having booked the house and paying for it, this week was a little different, as my caddy arrived before me and two other players. So he decided he would take the upstairs room with the king-sized bed and ensuite.

He had made himself right at home and the rest of us were shoved downstairs into the other rooms available.

Now sharing a house with four other guys means there is no shortage of banter and thick skin is definitely required.

 

My caddy’s decision to go against house sharing protocol on tour meant he was dubbed ‘Penthouse’ for the week and no doubt it’s a nickname that will stick for life thanks to his refusal to move out of his chosen room with all the trimmings.

Fortunately he does a great job caddying although I do believe his work wouldn’t have suffered had he appropriately taken one of the downstairs rooms.

You are all competitors in the same event and at the end of the day there is the very real possibility that one of you may affect the cut line at the end of Friday and subsequently knock one of your housemates for that week out of the event.

Penthouse did do a fantastic job trying to manage me through the week and without him I may not have had the week I did. Thanks Penthouse!

It is a very interesting dynamic and vibe in the house when sharing with fellow competitors.

Sharing with four other tour pros all playing in the same event presents a few challenges. Personalities are different, that’s what makes them unique to each individual.

Trying to find four guys that match up to create a stable living environment allowing peak performance is key … difficult but key.

Guyatt made it throught to the weekend of the NZ Open where he had a few misadventures. PHOTO: Getty Images.

Finding guys with similar mentality to their performance is also key. There are guys on tour who like to party, and guys that are there to do everything possible to get the best out of themselves.

Matching that up with where you are at is key. Having guys lobbing in late after a night on the town when you are in bed asleep for early tee times isn’t ideal.

Then there is the simple fact that it can be slightly awkward – you are wanting your mates to succeed but not at your expense.

You are all competitors in the same event and at the end of the day there is the very real possibility that one of you may affect the cut line at the end of Friday and subsequently knock one of your housemates for that week out of the event.

You are pushing for yourself as a number one priority and getting to weekend work as a golf pro is imperative. The bottom line is that in that moment you care about no one else, even your housemates.

Once you have finished your second round and know you are safe you turn your attention to your housemates for the week hoping everyone else makes the grade too.

The reality is that you either all make the cut, which is the best case scenario as you are all then still in tournament mode, or only one of you make the cut leaving three of you having that massive let down whilst you are happy but having to try and curb your excitement at weekend work as your mates are going home penniless.

NZ Open week … I was in that boat. Two solid days saw me through to the weekend but my three fellow journeymen all missed the cut.

We live in a very different world to that of the elite in our sport, most likely staying in the tournament hotel for the week with their entourage, and not paying for it either.

Friday night after a missed cut in Queenstown for three young guys and a million backpackers and holiday makers meant only one thing … a night out on the town!

That’s where this becomes a little awkward for me was Saturday morning.

I was in bed getting the right amount of rest for round three when I was woken at some point in the early hours of the morning as the party goers returned home with their ability to control their volume having diminished some hours before.

I understand how tough my sport is and also the ups and downs of missing and making cuts. Letting your hair down once in a while is not only normal but also needed and I was happy the lads were in good spirits and not letting the disappointment of one week rip them apart mentally.

Fortunately for me I can sleep standing up, so back to sleep I went in a heartbeat and the noise was gone.

The great part about sharing with mates is that when you are away from family as much as we are on tour, these guys tend to become your family.

We had an amazing view from our house overlooking all the spectacular views Queenstown has to offer. Sitting down with a beverage in hand, pizzas on the table, nothing but sport on TV and with very little salad in sight is one of the true benefits of a boys pad for the week.

The support you give each other over a weekend when the disappointment of missing a cut wears off is awesome and the lads I was with in Queenstown were an outstanding bunch at doing that for me.

We live in a very different world to that of the elite in our sport, most likely staying in the tournament hotel for the week with their entourage, and not paying for it either.

I’m not sure who has it better actually, I love this part of tour life, supporting your mates through it all, or not having to worry about beating your housemates and maybe making one of them miss the cut.

It is, however, absolute reality on the Aussie Tour and will continue to be the case in the years to come.

Sharing accommodation will continue and you only hope that you are on the right side of the cut line more often than not, leaving the Friday night partying to others.

The secret is to choose wisely, reflect on whether it worked for you or not and build a database of guys you would or wouldn’t share with again.

After the week in Queenstown I can safely say I would stay with them all again, maybe with the exception of my caddy “Penthouse”, cmon mate, caddies downstairs!!