Surfing champ is making waves on the golf course

By Peter Owen

WHEN Josh Constable followed the World Surf League tour around the world he took with him three bags – one for his clothes, one for his board, and one for his golf clubs.

When he wasn’t competing against the world’s best surfers, he would head to the nearest golf course, honing a swing that would eventually lead to the Noosa star owning a four handicap.

 “I’ve been playing golf for 15 years,” said the former world longboard surfing champion. “It’s addictive. I just love it.”

Now 41, Constable has never lost his competitive streak – in golf as much as surfing – and is looking forward to rejoining the World Surf League early next year.

“The tour closed down in 2020 because of Covid,” he said. “It opened last year but it was still tricky to travel and I didn’t compete.

“But it starts up again in March and the first event is here in Noosa, as part of the Noosa Festival of Surfing, and I’m really looking forward to it. I was ranked in the top 10 before Covid and I reckon I’ll still be competitive.”

During a stellar career which began when he was just 15, Constable collected 51 titles, including an Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) world longboard championship, six Australian longboard titles and four Noosa Festival of Surf victories.

He now operates his own company Creative Army Surfboards, where he designs, shapes, tests and builds custom boards. 

But he always finds time for golf.

“At the beginning of Covid I had a handicap of seven,” he said. “Knowing I’d have more time on my hands, I set a goal of getting it down to five.” 

He did even better, reaching a mark of four a year ago, before it slipped a little to seven as work and surfing commitments became more pressing.

Constable is a member at Noosa Springs and plays as often as he can. In the club championship, held in late October and reduced to 36 holes because of heavy rain, he put together rounds of 80 and 84 to finish second. He also took the A grade nett title.

“I didn’t play very good golf,” he said. “But it was quite a good result for somebody who hasn’t been able to get out and play very much.”

Normally Constable practices relentlessly, sometimes spending hours on the chipping green, perfecting his short game.

“I love practicing; love hitting balls,” he said. “Golf’s a little bit like surfing in that it’s just you, and any success you have is determined entirely by yourself and what you do.”

Constable learned the game from former Peregian pro Wayne Rostron and says he loves the mental side of the game, focusing and grinding out a good round, even when he may not be hitting the ball as well as he likes. 

He plays at Noosa Springs most Tuesdays and Thursdays, and he’s encouraged wife Anna and sons Jet, 16, and Jive, 13, to take up the game. He says they’re all hooked.