John Peers became a national hero in August when he partnered WA state mate Matt Ebden to Olympic gold in the Men’s Doubles competition at the Paris Games.
However, when he has time away from the international tennis circuit, there’s not much Peers likes more than a sneaky round of golf at his home track of Lake Karrinyup.
As his six-handicap suggests, Peers is a very handy golfer despite limited playing time and he has a personal best of one under par (71) at Lake Karrinyup, achieved when COVID-19 locked down overseas and interstate travel.
Peers got into golf at a young age, playing regularly with his cousins who lived in a house backing on to a golf course. His love for the game has followed him onto the tennis circuit, which he says is full of keen golfers.
“There’s a lot of guys on tour that love to get out and play, even if it’s the guys’ names you don’t necessarily know,” Peers told GolfWA.
“Will Blumberg and Jonny O’Mara are probably the best tennis player golfers I’ve played with. Will is off +1 or +2, I think. Rafa (Nadal) is meant to be a pretty good player, so is Casper Ruud, although I haven’t got to play with those boys yet.
“But any chance we get, there’s always guys putting their hands up to go and play rounds. It’s good fun and helps us relate to each other. We just get out and let the trash talk take over, because we don’t always get a chance to do that on the tennis court as much.”
Golf is also a whole family affair at Peers HQ, with wife Danielle a former Ladies European Tour member and young daughters Ellie and Harper just learning the ropes.
“I hope that one day we can all enjoy it as a family,” he said. “Golf’s a great family sport, but I’m definitely not pushing the girls into it because I know if we push too hard, they’ll push back and won’t want to do it.
“There’s nothing better than doing things together as family. It doesn’t matter what sport it is, but It would be nice if it was golf or tennis, because I know a little bit more about those two than I do about other sports!”
John Peers was the pride of Lake Karrinyup after securing Olympic gold
Golf vs tennis
Despite being able to shoot scores most club golfers can only dream of, Peers admits that nothing he’s achieved on the golf course comes close to matching the thrill of reaching the 2015 Wimbledon doubles final, or taking home the Olympic gold.
“Nothing compares to what I’ve been able to do in tennis,” he said. “In tennis, I’m able to get up in front of crowds and I know what I’m doing out there.
“I was never good enough at golf to be able to go and have a crack at becoming a pro, but it’s great fun to play with my mates or with Dani because there’s no pressure on me.”
Peers may yet feel a hint of pressure on the tee box when he lines up to play the short format Blitz Queensland golf event in early January, as he admits that finding time to keep his golf game sharp is a challenge.
“Unfortunately, I don’t get the chance to get out and practice golf a much as I’d like. I may not play again now for another two months and then I’ll play three times in a week and that’ll be about it,” he said.
“Hopefully I’ll know which way the ball’s going to go (in Queensland), but it’s always fun to get out – especially when the sun’s shining.”
View our video below to see John in action at Lake Karrinyup in the company of wife Dani, daughters Ellie and Harper, and GolfWA’s own Neal Maidment. As well as showing his prowess on the course, we also set John a unique par-three challenge and end with a family putt-off to decide the fate of his Olympic gold medal!
