Late in his career, Reese has worked primarily as a swing instructor, advising a number of notable players, including superstars Tiger Woods and Lydia Ko.
[4] In August, he played well through the first three rounds of the Air New Zealand Fiji Open, a professional tournament.
Reese teamed up with Ed McDougall during the day's foursome, playing against Jim Nelford and Cec Ferguson.
[9] In singles play Reese also lost, losing "convincingly" to Edmonton's Ken Tamke 6 & 5.
[12] In February 1977, Reese played the South Australian Open at Royal Adelaide Golf Club.
[14] In January 1978, he shot an opening round 70 (−2) at the Traralgon Loy Yang Classic to put himself in the top ten.
In early June, Reese played the Homestead Wasatch Mountain Open, a two-round tournament in Midway, Utah.
In October, Reese finished in second place in the qualifying stage of the New South Wales Open.
[21] A few days later, Reese won the pro-am leading up to Otago Charity Classic, shooting a 63 (−9).
[35] In September, Reese seriously contended at the New South Wales PGA Championship, just one shot back, in joint third, after the third round.
[38] In August, he nearly successfully defended his Fiji Open title, losing a "dramatic" playoff to compatriot Alex Bonnington.
Newton, also a playing partner, was the only serious competitor remaining, but Reese "held off his strong challenge" to win by one.
[43] In October, he opened with a 69 (−3) at the Resch's Pilsner Tweed Classic to put himself in a tie for fifth place, three back.
[48] In December, he again played well in his home country, shooting a second round 66 (−4) at the Air New Zealand Shell Open, to move into the top ten.
[50] The following week, Reese represented New Zealand at the 1983 World Cup, held at Pondok Indah Golf & Country Club in Jakarta, Indonesia.
Reese's comeback was vital as New Zealand barely defeated Hong Kong, winning 2–1.
With the win they earned a spot in the Dunhill Cup in Saint Andrew's Golf Club in Scotland.
He played in 12 events, making the cut in nine, recording his first top ten in Europe, a tie for eighth at the Glasgow Open.
His putting was excellent over the course of the season, recording 29.30 putts per round, to finish in fourth place for that year.
Reese lost to Dan Halldorson, 72−77 in his opening round match, but New Zealand won overall 2–1.
[55] In the next round, the quarterfinals, Reese lost his individual match to Raymond Floyd, 69 to 72, and the New Zealand team was eliminated, losing 3–0 to the Americans.
[58] In May, he returned the Australasian region for the Pacific Zone qualifying section of the Dunhill Cup.
Overall, New Zealand won 2 1/2 − 1/2 over Taiwan to win the qualifying tournament and earn entry into the 1986 Dunhill Cup.
Played at the nine-hole, par-31 Coral Coast Golf Course, Reese finished the 54-hole tournament tied with Perry Somers and Ian Stanley at 179 (−7).
In difficult conditions, Reese's 303 (+15) was good enough for a tie for fourth with Santi Sopon of Thailand and Eleuterio Nival of the Philippines.
He was considered the "favorite" by the Business Times entering the tournament but "could make no impression" with opening rounds of 77 and 75.
[81] In October 2008, Reese played the inaugural Greater Building Society Australian Masters Invitational.
Ferguson made several early birdies but Reese "matched strides" with him to maintain the lead.
However, Reese made several bogeys in the middle of the back nine to assure Ferguson's victory.
[80] He has helped the game of LPGA star Lydia Ko who practices at Peninsula Club.