Date: December 19, 2012
Author: Sarah Kennedy / Golf Australia

MYGolfers learn from the best at Emirates Australian Open

As part of the 2012 Emirates Australian Open at The Lakes in Sydney, some lucky young golfers got the chance to get up close to some of the country s top players during activities run by MYGolf. Those in attendance at the Playgolf Zone on Thursday afternoon had the opportunity to take on Australian Rookie Pro Nick Cullen in a chipping competition. Children of all ages, and even some adults, stepped up and took aim at the inflatable target to try and score more points than Cullen. Despite his best efforts, Cullen was eventually beaten by a young man named Chris. A very gracious loser, Cullen signed a ball for Chris and was also happy to pose for a few photos with him. On Friday, approximately 60 children from all around Australia had the chance to not only play nine holes of golf at Eastlakes Golf Course but also attend a clinic with Geoff Ogilvy, Nathan Green and one of Golf Australia s National Squad Members, Oliver Goss. Goss, who is only 18 years of age, spoke to the audience about his experience as one of Australia s top ranked amateur golfers and shared some of the advice he has received from his parents and coach. In the Golf Australia program since he was 16, Goss is heading over to the USA to attend the University of Tennessee before turning professional. After a question and answer session, Goss then proceeded to hit some trick shots for the audience at the direction of Golf Australia s High Performance Director Brad James. Scoring him with a ten out of ten for each of his shots, the children were completely captivated by the young Aussie amateur and surrounded him asking for photos and autographs at the end of his session. Geoff Ogilvy was then introduced to the clinic and spoke about the conditions out on course during his second round of the Emirates Australian Open before fielding questions from the children and parents. After naming the US Open victory as his greatest, Ogilvy went on to speak about the importance of having a balanced practice routine and mentioned that it is not just about hitting hundreds of balls at the range every day. Following on from Goss, Ogilvy then proceeded to demonstrate a few different shots for the audience including one that came very close to the equipment located on the television tower to the left of the practice range! Nathan Green was then transported straight from the course to the clinic where he spoke about his round, career and how he first got into golf. Whilst the New South Welshman didn t hit any shots during the clinic, the advice he gave the youngsters was incredibly valuable and hopefully will contribute to the future success of their own golf. Thank you to Nick Cullen, Oliver Goss, Geoff Ogilvy and Nathan Green for taking the time to share some of their experiences with the next generation of golfers those who were lucky enough to meet them during the Emirates Australian Open will not quickly forget the advice that was passed on!