1ST HOLE

The first hole of any round is like your teenage years. You start out with endless possibilities and enthusiasm, just happy to be out here, fresh, strong, actively preparing, absorbing the experience and excitedly looking forward to what is ahead. Not worried about missteps as there is plenty of time left to make up for mistakes and bad decisions.

Dave was born in Ballarat, and his childhood was a typical country Australian upbringing with decent, hardworking parents. His dad was a skilled and respected tradesman. His mum was the touchstone for family standards, maintaining the household while also working long hours in small businesses. A couple of younger sisters who looked up to their big brother completed the immediate family unit, although as was the norm for that era, Dave enjoyed a large extended family in nearby towns with whom he spent the kind of time that none of us seem to have anymore. Victorians, especially in country areas, are sports mad, with Australian Rules football and, to a lesser extent, cricket being the main devotions. I use that word deliberately because as someone from another state, I am continually amazed and impressed how the dedication of Victorians to their AFL teams has an unashamedly religion-styled faithfulness and commitment.

For a small regional area, Ballarat boasts a staggering number of successful well-known people, which is quite disproportionate to city and metropolitan ratios. For example, opera singers David Hobson and Jacqueline Dark, and musician David Hirschfelder were born there. Four prime ministers (Deakin, Curtin, Scullin, and Menzies), businessmen (including Reginald Ansett), multiple premiers and politicians, military leaders, academics, scientists, and religious leaders originate from the area. I suspect, though, the sports stars from Ballarat stir more passion in the average person. Tony Lockett, Drew Petrie, and Mick Malthouse are a few AFL examples. Steve Moneghetti (marathon running), Ray Borner (basketball), Peter Blackburn (badminton), and Russell Mark (trap shooting) are all Olympians with a Ballarat connection. This is a small sample; there are so many more people who have a history with Ballarat and have gone on to great things.

This is also true for many country towns in Australia, and I have heard many theories about why this happens, including to have anymore. Victorians, especially in country areas, are sports mad, with Australian Rules football and, to a lesser extent, cricket being the main devotions. I use that word deliberately because as someone from another state, I am continually amazed and impressed how the dedication of Victorians to their AFL teams has an unashamedly religion-styled faithfulness and commitment.

For a small regional area, Ballarat boasts a staggering number of successful well-known people, which is quite disproportionate to city and metropolitan ratios. For example, opera singers David Hobson and Jacqueline Dark, and musician David Hirschfelder were born there. Four prime ministers (Deakin, Curtin, Scullin, and Menzies), businessmen (including Reginald Ansett), multiple premiers and politicians, military leaders, academics, scientists, and religious leaders originate from the area. I suspect, though, the sports stars from Ballarat stir more passion in the average person. Tony Lockett, Drew Petrie, and Mick Malthouse are a few AFL examples. Steve Moneghetti (marathon running), Ray Borner (basketball), Peter Blackburn (badminton), and Russell Mark (trap shooting) are all Olympians with a Ballarat connection. This is a small sample; there are so many more people who have a history with Ballarat and have gone on to great things.

This is also true for many country towns in Australia, and I have heard many theories about why this happens, including fewer distractions for young people, the powerful desire to move out of the small towns, the hardworking, physical culture, respect for traditions and family, and community support. I am sure all of these have an impact, but I like to think that the main driver is the higher emphasis placed on values and ethics, and how these are instilled in young people in country towns. And the long list of successful people from Ballarat suggests there is an extremely high emphasis on all those elements in this town.

It is especially important and evident in sports. I am sure Dave was schooled in the merit of these attributes, and this helped develop his character. It is interesting that he made his way into the world of golf. In my view, golf is one of the last sports where integrity and sportsmanship are hallmarks of the game, and respect for the history and legacy of the sport is preserved and promoted. In what other sport does a player call a penalty on himself or herself? In some sports, it is even encouraged, rewarded, and celebrated when a player deliberately flaunts the rules to win a penalty or gain an advantage. I am sure it is even practised! Some players have made a lucrative career out of this tactic. But in golf, if you cheat or even bend the rules, it can end your career. The truth and honesty of that have always resonated deeply with me.

An example of an early lesson in values for Dave came when he used to go to work with his dad on school holidays. His father was a plasterer back in the days when they still made the ornate cornices themselves at home, and the work on-site was predominantly done by hand. So skills honed over a long apprenticeship were crucial; there were no shortcuts. On one hot, dusty Friday afternoon, long after the other tradies had left; Dave and his dad were finishing a section behind a wall in the kitchen pantry that was to be later covered with timber cladding. Being a young man, eager to finish work and head out for the night with his friends, Dave was keen to get home to clean up. He couldn't understand why they had to be so particular with finishing off this section as it was going to be covered up later. He put this to his father rather impatiently.

"No one is going to know or even care, Dad."

There was an empty silence for what seemed like minutes to Dave but was most likely only ten or twenty seconds. Finally, his father spoke quietly in a tone that accentuated the power of each word. "That isn't exactly true, son. I will know, and so will you. And I don't want to feel that I cheated the owner every time I drive past this house, even though he will never know. I most certainly care about that. How about you?"

There is real momentum in a question like that at the end of a sentence, throwing it to the other person to decide the next action. It could produce self-analysis, some soul=searching, deep thought about the future implications and applications to other situations, and even change an attitude. Or maybe it would simply confirm the decision that he doesn't care, and that's the end of it. But it puts the responsibility on the recipient of the question. Invariably, when Dave is caddying, he will use this technique. He may say,

"If it were me playing the shot, I would do this. What do you want to do?" Or, "The risk is too high to take on that shot. There are other options, but it's your call. Are you willing to take that risk?" Another variation is used when he seeks conviction from the player and a commitment to the shot choice: "Is that the shot you see in your head? Are you happy with that club choice?" He rarely gives straight directions...