What’s life really like on the PGA Tour? Adam Hadwin opens up

Adam Hadwin is eulogising about life on the east coast of Scotland.

He has just shot a six-under-par round at North Berwick, a golf course that has become a pilgrimage for the PGA Tour players who make the annual summer jaunt across the Atlantic.

He insists that the rolling links of East Lothian is where you will find golf in its purest form. We’re a world away from the Canadian city of Moose Jaw where he was born, but Hadwin made his career globetrotting on the mini-tours and this is where he feels right at home. Now in his prime and thriving as one of the PGA Tour’s more popular players, Hadwin is cherishing everything that comes his way.

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We caught up with Hadwin for issue 214 of bunkered…

Links golf is so much different to what we see every week on the PGA Tour. Why do you enjoy it so much?

I love it over here. I think it’s the purest form of golf. Nothing is tricked up, it’s right there. Everything can be played on the ground so it’s a great way to play golf for the average person. There’s no forced carries. There’s not a lot of water. You don’t lose a lot of golf balls. Everything is in front of you and I do appreciate that kind of golf. Creativity. You play different shots around the greens, it’s not just hacking it out of the rough.

You look like you’re having so much fun out on the PGA Tour. What’s the secret?

Having a pretty good year helps immensely. It’s not always like this! I’m just enjoying the challenge and trying to get better everyday.

What’s the hardest thing you have to deal with?

Being away from family. They can travel and we’re in a nice position where that can happen. They don’t travel as much in the summertime, though, so being away for two, three weeks at a time. Enjoying their company through FaceTime gets a little old at times. But I wouldn’t complain about the life we have. It’s pretty good.

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Do you ever doubt yourself as you get older?

Golf – and primarily the PGA Tour – continues to get better and better every year. As I continue to age I’m not as flexible and as strong and all of those things that I used to be. All these college kids are coming out and hitting the ball 350 yards. There is a factor of how long am I going to be able to sustain this for? That’s mentally one of the hardest things that I deal with.

How do you cope with that pressure?

If anything, it makes you work a little bit harder. You’ve got to stick to what makes you good and stick to what’s got me here and what’s made me successful. Keep grinding. With what we do, that reset button is hit every single year. We have to go out and re-prove ourselves every single year. It’s a bit daunting at times. You hit the reset button mentally so you come out fresh but that first half of the year, for me, mentally, is very important to get off to a decent start.

How easy is it to switch off when you’re not playing?

You can ask my wife but I’m the most competitive person she’s ever met. It doesn’t matter whether we’re in our backyard on a sunny afternoon diving off the diving board, I’ve got to be better than the next person. At least when it comes to family stuff, once I get away from the golf course, I’m usually pretty good. But if we go play ping-pong or tennis or basketball or even board games, something kicks in. I don’t want to lose. I guess in a way I don’t shut it off. I’m just a competitive person, but I don’t let it affect the people around me.

Ben Parsons joined bunkered as a Content Producer in 2023 and is the man to come to for all of the latest news, across both the professional and amateur games. Formerly of The Mirror and Press Association, he is a member at Halifax Golf Club and is a long-suffering fan of both Manchester United and the Wales rugby team.