Richard Champion loved a stellar AFL profession with the Brisbane Lions (beforehand Bears), a number of occasions awarded finest clubman and praised for his professionalism each on and off the sphere. Nowadays ‘Champs’ is a widely known media character, on radio, tv, emceeing occasions and performing dwell with bands, together with The Filthy Animals. ‘Champs’ is simply as more likely to be seen strolling the hyperlinks of his native Brookwater Golf Membership, or participating in superstar pro-ams, charity golf days or possibly belting out a canopy model of ‘Low cost Wine’ on the annual Jack Newton Movie star Traditional.
Inside Golf’s Andrew Crockett caught up with Champion, who’s now a giant a part of ‘The Jack’, to speak a bit AFL however extra about golf and his love of the sport.
Are you able to bear in mind whenever you first obtained into golf and who obtained you into the sport?
I’m from nation South Australia and mum, dad and my older brother performed. As a result of we have been simply so aggressive as a sporting household, golf actually suited, and I took to it very early. I don’t know what it was that form of obtained me hooked, that gave me the eagerness for it, however I feel as a result of it’s such a person recreation and I’m aggressive with the whole lot I do. Golf simply suited my character.
As a child I performed on the Kadina Golf Membership on Yorke Peninsula, which has obtained sand scrape greens. So, whenever you travelled to Adelaide or any form of metropolis that had greens, it was like going to heaven in that you just didn’t should rake and scrape the road to the flag to have a putt.
As a junior, I’d go and play 9 holes after which simply carry on enjoying till it was darkish.
Now a passionate golfer, Champion performs his golf at Brookwater in Queensland.
What kind of handicap did you get all the way down to as an adolescent earlier than you actually obtained into AFL?
I used to be round in regards to the 13 mark. As soon as footy began, it was simply form of spasmodic whenever you performed golf. It’s at all times been my objective to get to single figures. That’s been a objective for in all probability 40 years now. The bottom I’ve been is 10.2.
Within the peak of your AFL profession, have been you {golfing} a lot with any of the boys? Any good gamers amongst them?
We solely actually had sooner or later off. You’d have a success, otherwise you’d go to a company day or one thing like that. A number of the AFL gamers are actual golf lovers and play properly. Brad and Chris Scott, who’re each teaching now, they have been at all times very useful. Jason Ackermanis is now just about off scratch. Dan Wealthy, I feel he may be single figures. Alistair Lynch, my finest mate, we play each Wednesday at Brookwater within the social comp and he hits ball, however we’re each nonetheless too inconsistent.
Okay, so Jack Newton. Did you ever meet Mr. Jack Newton?
Ripper bloke. I’ve been retired for twenty-four years now. Shortly earlier than I retired Alistair Lynch, we have been nonetheless each enjoying footy then. Lynch, he loves his golf, involves coaching in the course of the week and he stated he simply performed on this Jack Newton Movie star Traditional up on the Sunshine Coast and if you happen to ever get an opportunity to get an invitation, it’s superb! It’s a bloody good three days of golf, leisure, drinks, meals, and the ‘who’s who’ of Australia are there.
Simply after the 2000 Olympics, the organisers of The Jack knew I used to be buddies with Kieran Perkins and stated to me, “If you may get Kieren Perkins to come back and play, you’re in.” I’ve gone, proper, deal. So, I’ve simply completely pestered Kieren to come back and play on this occasion. He begrudgingly stated, “I’m not an excellent golfer.” I stated, I don’t care. I actually wish to play, you must play. And fortunately, he agreed. The following yr, I obtained an automated invite. And the invitations have stored coming since. That was 26 years in the past. Now I’m on the committee for the event and I’ve emceed just a few occasions. So, I’ve gone from begging to be concerned on this event, to now being a giant a part of it and loving it.
I’ve made so many buddies out of The Jack. We do say it’s a household. All people seems ahead to it annually. Jack Newton’s son (Clint) and his spouse (Carly Newton) do an ideal job of constructing this event the good Jack Newton began. Final yr was a bit disappointing although, as I used to be paired up with Jan Stevenson and rain cancelled that day’s play. However very a lot wanting ahead to the occasion at Cypress Lakes in December.
Have you ever performed a lot golf around the globe or largely in Australia?
I’ve been fortunate sufficient to play some unbelievable programs, just like the previous course, St Andrews, Pebble Seaside, Hawaii, New Zealand. I’ve travelled a bit the final couple of years with work and extra deliberate over the subsequent couple of yr. I’m going to attempt to get to as many programs as doable. I like enjoying new programs, completely different programs.
Favourite programs in Australia?
I do love Brookwater only for its pure magnificence and the way a lot of a problem it’s. We journey to Barnbougle and Misplaced Farm yearly, and we play there after we journey all the way down to the Launceston Cup for the races. I actually take pleasure in, Barnbougle. My brother is a member at Kooyonga and my nephew’s a member at Glenelg, so clearly being from South Australia, it’s at all times good to get again dwelling and we usually strive to slot in a few rounds.
Champion pictured with Jack Newton and Bob Hawke on the annual Movie star Traditional.
Who’re a few of the most enjoyable superstar golfers you’ve had a success with?
There have been some enjoyable ones, for positive. Kram (Spiderbait) performs The Jack yearly….in shorts and thongs. He hits a reasonably good ball. He was so near successful a few occasions and he simply loves it. He doesn’t get caught up in the entire, gown rules and etiquette, however he’s the nicest man on the planet.
Elite sports activities efficiency and strain. Are you able to see any similarities with the psychological recreation in AFL and the strategy on the golf course?
That’s an ideal query. If I used to be an AFL coach of a senior footy membership, I might encourage as lots of my gamers to play golf as doable. It builds that aggressive edge inside your self as a result of the sport is all about you. You possibly can’t blame anybody else. So, you’ve obtained a job to play with footy, and also you’ve obtained a job to play as a golfer in managing your means round a course. It’s all about you and your focus and doing what you want to do and doing what you suppose is the proper factor.
On the subject of course administration, and that is the place the similarities are available, is that nowadays of footy it’s all about, managing your means down the sphere. So, it’s just about like a golf gap, you must strategize your means ahead, and maintaining possession of the footy. Again within the day, we simply used to bang it down the road and that was form of it. However nowadays, it’s all about sustaining possession and strategising your means down the sphere, very similar to a fairway.
When it will get to the very finish of that technique and administration, whenever you’re placing, you want to get it within the gap, very similar to whenever you’re kicking for objective, it’s all about routine. , you’ll be able to kick and deal with a footy with out even interested by it, however the place some individuals get the yips and never fairly get issues proper is once they have to return, give it some thought. They’ve obtained the strain on them and so they have to fit it by means of the objective, or within the gap. That’s then all about method. It’s similar to a golf shot, similar to a golf putt, you’ve obtained the proper method, and also you execute it, you’ll kick a objective otherwise you’ll put it within the gap. It’s form of related.
Richard Champion, a former AFL star with the Brisbane Lions.
When you strike it completely if you happen to’ve obtained a pleasant clean swing, you hit it within the proper spot, identical if you happen to drop the ball onto your boot appropriately and also you observe by means of together with your foot, it’s going to undergo the objective and also you’ll get the identical outcome.
I feel it’s the identical as if you happen to’ve obtained an issue together with your kicking or together with your drives or no matter it’s. Once more, it’s considering the glass half full situation, you ought to be telling your self the optimistic issues to do.
www.richardchampion.com.au
