If you’re looking for Kelly Slater and he’s in a mood to relax and refresh his spirit, you won’t find him in the water.

Instead, the world’s greatest surfer can be found on the links, with a nine-iron in hand.

Slater holds almost every significant record there is as surfer and unwinds by playing golf

Slater, who holds the Guinness World Record for career earnings by a professional surfer with $3,062,005 (and counting), will be competing this weekend at St. Andrews trying to win the Alfred Dunhill Links Team Championship.

The 52-year-old is known to be the amateur that all the professionals want to play with. Why? He wins.

Twice, Slater has partnered winners – Simon Dyson in 2009 and Thorbjorn Olesen in 2015. He also finished third in the Team Championship in 2009, which he described as “the best week of golf of my life.”

In other words, Slater is the lucky mascot, and he enjoys it.

Slater will be competing against other widely popular amateurs such as former Real Madrid and Wales star Gareth Bale, record-breaking Olympic rower Sir Steve Redgrave and NFL Hall of Famer John Elway, among others.

Trading in the surfboard for a driver in his spare time, Slater tries to escape to the golf course whenever he gets the chance.

“That’s kind of my thing,” he told journalist Graham Bensinger on his In Depth show.

“I like to go to the golf course because I can choose the few people I want to be around. t’s quiet and it’s just me and the game. It’s another challenge and I like challenges.”

Slater, who has won a record 11 World Surf League championships and 56 Championship Tour victories overall, likened the two sports because of the difference challenges each present.

“Golf and surfing are kind of ultimate challenges,” he added. “They’re really almost opposite each other. Surfing’s all movement, energy, nature and whatever. 

Kelly Slater holds the record for being both the youngest (20) and oldest (39) world champion

A bona fide GOAT, he is swapping the beach for the greenGetty

“And the golf course is kind of just sitting there waiting for you to make yourself look bad.”

There have been many professional athletes, outside of golf, to try their hand at the sport, who end up looking foolish.

Basketball Hall of Famer Charles Barkley being the most notable.

Slater is now 52 and is the amateur others want to play with considering he has won twice in the team championship

However, there are a few that are actually pretty good with a club in their hands.

Stephen Curry, Ray Allen, Tony Romo and Matt Ryan are among the few who have low handicaps and can compete competitively, while holding their own.

Slater is on that list.

The 11-time world champion appreciates the simplicity of the sport itself, while also enjoying the problem solving aspect of the game.

“I just like that challenge,” Slater said. “It’s such a simple thing. Hit this ball over there.

“But it comes into, like… All these things have to kind of align, you know. You’ve got to get your mind clear and calm and your technique has to be right.

“It’s kind of problem solving, you know. Golf’s really problem solving, hitting the right shot.”

Hitting the right shot and finding the right wave. Sounds similar, but Slater says the sports themselves couldn’t be more opposite.

“I love my golf,” Slater said. “A lot of the surfers like it. I think it’s a good balance from surfing.

“Surfing is more constant high energy, excitement, visuals. Golf is almost the opposite. It’s almost like a balance for us.”

If you’re ever looking for Slater and can’t find him, now you know where to look.

On a quiet golf course, trying to conquer another sport. Or in this weekend’s case, being somebody’s lucky rabbit’s foot at St. Andrew’s.