HIS ability with a golf club doesn't quite match his ability with a football at his feet, but Angus Thurgate is working hard to rectify that.
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And if he's not trying to get his golf handicap down, the Newcastle Jets' teenage sensation is trying to rediscover his bodyboarding skills that he learned as a kid in Port Macquarie.
Being a professional footballer means there isn't a lot of time for anything outside of the round ball code.
So you can bet the 19-year-old has been making the most of the six-week break the Jets have had since their final-round 2-0 victory over Sydney FC on April 27.
"Anything with my mates I enjoy doing," Thurgate said.
"It's always good to have a group of mates that you can always get away from football with, whether it be a little holiday or a hit on the golf course."
Thurgate's golf handicap started at 16 which he has since been able to whittle down to 14, but don't for a second think those casual hits around Belmont Golf Course can't turn competitive.
"There's a group of us that signed up to a club in Newcastle and we've got our handicaps down," Thurgate said.
"It's good fun when we have a group that can go out whether it just be for a hit or for a bit of money between us. It's good to relax."
With the help of teammate Lewis Italiano last year, Thurgate came to the realisation it was pretty important to be able to stand up when surfing.
So bodyboarding or golf it is.
"I tried surfing earlier in the year, but I couldn't stand up; bodyboarding I'm great at, but not surfing," he said.
While he still has two years to run on his contract with the 2017-2018 A-League grand finalists, Thurgate's dream goal is to earn a contract with a European club.
Unsurprisingly, Spanish giants Barcelona are high on the wish list.
"Every footballer in Australia has a goal of going to Europe," he said.
"It's the bar, it's where the best players in the world play so it would be a way to improve my game and many aspects of my life as well."
Read more: Teenager stars as Newcastle Jets beat Brisbane
But short-term, the goal is to start in as many games in the upcoming season as possible as the Jets aim to return to the finals.
"If I got a move to Europe that would be unbelievable and a dream," Thurgate said.
"That would open the door to many other things, maybe a Socceroos call-up but that's a long way away.
"My focus is getting some continuous game time with the Jets and having a successful season both individually and as a team."
While the the move from Port Macquarie to Newcastle as a 15-year-old gave Thurgate an insight into what life was like, it also forced him to learn life skills.
Once he settled in, he started kicking goals.
"It gave me a lot of life skills like cooking, cleaning, looking after myself and it definitely has become easier," he said.
"It was a challenge at the start but I feel like it's made me a better person."
The Jets return for pre-season training in July.
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