Golf Vic Vol 60 No 3 2019

Photography: Sevi Skaleris Out the back of the practice range at Keilor Public Golf Course is a field, its grass that unmistakeable straw colour, the mark of drought-affected Australia. Native trees line the side and back boundaries, wooden- sleeper fencing separates it from the practice chipping area, and from a timber post above the gate hangs a sign: “Kangaroo Plains”. The field is empty, save for a few rocks and logs. Scott Wearne would like to turn it into a downsized golf course. Not quite a complete pitch-and-putt course – you’d need a far bigger patch of land for that – but Wearne, Keilor’s club professional, has plans to put in six tees and four greens. “It's for people who can't walk nine holes; for any kids or siblings while I'm teaching in the clinics,” he says. The only problem is a moth. Not an insignificant one, mind. The Golden Sun Moth is listed as threatened in Victoria, where the species is most seen, and endangered in New South Wales and the ACT. So the local council hasn’t allowed Wearne to proceed. “We had part of the greens ready to go and they told us that we weren't allowed to put any soil in there in case there may be a moth,” he says. “So it's been on hold for two years.” Those trees at the back of the Kangaroo Plains field were planted by Wearne in an attempt to addmore native elements to the environment. The rocks and logs too. But to no avail. For Wearne, the benefits of having such a course are clear: “Getting kids from not being big enough to go on a course, to getting out there. Having their lesson, then maybe going out there and playing five or six holes and developing a bit of course etiquette.” Wearne is one of the very few coaches who caters not just to all ages, but all abilities. ‘All abilities’ doesn’t mean looking after single- markers and duffers alike, though he does do that. It means that Wearne welcomes all budding golfers regardless of what challenges they face in life. Ella Hamilton lives with Down syndrome but still comes to class along with her sister Molly. Their father Darren tells of being made to feel immediately welcome. “Having a daughter like Ella, a lot of places you go they don’t want you,” he says. “Because she’s not able-bodied like everyone else, they think she might hold the class back but Scott just had no hesitation.” It’s simply a matter of fairness. “Why should they miss out?” Wearne asks. “It's something they can do on their own and they don't need to hit it 300 metres to enjoy it.” For Wearne, catering his coaching to people of all abilities – and the mission to build that Kangaroo Plains course – is personal to him. He and wife Vanessa Kerr have three children: Harry, 15, James, 13, and Amelie, 10. James, in the middle, has fought through – and continues to battle – tragic hardships. “He's blind and deaf, had epilepsy and he's just currently going through his fourth bout of cancer,” Wearne says. “But if he was walking around here, you wouldn't know it. He might bump into a couple of things, but he gets his way around.” He says this not to garner sympathy – in fact he’s far keener to discuss the kids he teaches – but merely to explain why helping people with disability is so important to him and what he does to ensure all of his students can enjoy the game. “Because of my son I realise it's basically got nothing to do with what they can't do; you just find out what they can do, and you just work on their strengths. First of all they've got to like the game. Otherwise you can get them better but if they're not having fun, they're not coming back, and the last thing I want to do is lose them.” Wearne’s journey to Keilor has had a few bumps in the road. Growing up in Moonee Ponds, he started at Royal Park and then Medway Golf Clubs. And though he played pennant, it wasn’t until he was 23 that he decided to do a traineeship. That led to three VIS scholarships and tuition from Dale Lynch and Steve Bann (“the two best coaches in the land”) before going out touring. “I managed to keep my card every year but I didn't make enough money to survive, really,” he reflects. “I won about 40 pro-ams along the way and won one tournament,” (the 1988 Telus Calgary Open, Heritage Pointe, Canada, where his record score of 22 under par still stands). At the time, coaching was far from his thoughts. “When you turn pro the last thing you want to think about is teaching,” he says. “I was always told that once you start teaching, you're no good as a player and I never believed it until it happened. Too many things in your head.” It wasn’t even in his plans when he finished touring in 2001. He started working in construction in Queensland but upon moving back to Melbourne a few years later, he became director of golf at Craigieburn. Then, eight years ago, he moved to Keilor and now teaches over 70 children. And though he stands out for his work with all-abilities children, Wearne’s rapport with all of the other kids is clear to see. One moment he’s explaining to his Saturday morning class on the practice green how you can do everything right Scott with some of his students at Keilor. Golf Victoria 41