THE LAKES GOLF CLUB

I remember it as if it was yesterday – the first time I walked onto the grounds of The Lakes Golf Club was on November 15, 1980 to watch the second round of the Australian Open. The first shot I saw played was a ripping drive down the opening hole. The player … Seve Ballesteros.

For a 12-year-old boy who had quickly become obsessed by golf, this was far better than anything I was going to learn at school that Friday. It was a typical hot and steamy Sydney summer’s day, but I hardly noticed as my dad and I followed Seve, who was playing alongside the entertaining Chi Chi Rodriguez and the then reigning Australian Amateur champion, Roger Mackay.

The fun really began on the back nine when a southerly bluster with gale force winds hit the course. Not even the great shot-making skills