Brent Pillman/World Surfing Association; Courtesy Molly Picklum
Described as the next big thing for Australian surfing, the 20-year-old Molly Picklum A star has starred since she began competing in 2018.
Picklum already has back-to-back Australian Championship titles to her name, as well as the 2019 Australian Pro Junior title. In February, Picklum won her first ever Championship title at Sunset Beach in Hawaii, winning the Hurley Pro title. The win catapulted her to the top of the women’s rankings, where she now ranks fourth.
So what does all this have to do with golf?
a lot!
During a recent chat, Picklum said learning to play the game has been a boon for her surfing career.
“I started my golf journey in South Africa,” Picklum told me. “My coach is a passionate golfer, and he’s very good. And I was surfing, and I was kind of obsessed with it, and I lost all the flow, and I lost the love of my sport a little bit.
“I just need a new hobby,” she continued. “And also, too, I think golf is quite slow and deliberate, and that practice helps me a lot. So it was really nice to just open the shoulders and swing. Because I think I learned a lot to find the love of my sport again just by stepping away from it and loving another sport. So, yeah, Golf sure has an incredible little place in my heart.”
A natural from the start, Picklum quickly became an ardent fan of the game.
“I was that person — I wasn’t even sitting on the fence, I didn’t even have an interest in the game. And I got tricked into going once, and since then it’s been the most fun experience I’ve had,” she said. “My team was a little concerned, I was really playing golf more than I was surfing. Now I pack a sand wedge in my board bag and like three or four balls. So, I mean, it comes with me.”
Picklum found that golf and surfing share a few important traits, especially when it comes to the mental aspect.
“I feel like golf, it’s a very long game, so you can look ahead. And in surfing it’s the same. You want to take the cup at the end of the day, at the end of the action. And it’s like you can break it down moment by moment, ball by ball It’s a new opportunity. And it’s very similar for us because every wave is a new chance to shine.”
Perhaps most importantly for Picklum, golf has given her a way to separate her from the professional surf game, something she feels ultimately gives her an edge over her surfing competition.
“I think the lessons from golf definitely gave me an edge,” she said. “It made me mature and understand things about life maybe earlier through sports.”
So what’s next for Picklum? This week, it’s VIVO Rio Pro, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. But once she’s back home, you can probably find her at her local course, Shelly Beach Golf Club, about 90 minutes north of Sydney on Australia’s central coast. And if you have room for a fourth, Picklum might join you.
“It’s also really special,” Picklum said, “that I love to go to my local, not even to go with my friends.” “Because you meet people, all new people, you share a passion, and then you tell stories as you walk down every aisle.
“I think golf is very user-friendly for everyone. Everyone can have a good moment away from your phone.”
Another shot, another wave. Another chance to shine.