Jack, Jackie and their son, Clint, had the last laugh when the Storm won the comp in 2007. Jack, Jackie and their son, Clint, had the last laugh when the Storm won the comp in 2007.

I grew up watching those blokes – and you. The top golfers’ swings today seem to me to look less athletic, less fluid, much stiffer. Not many swings have personal idiosyncrasies any more. Have you noticed that? 

I agree with you. It’s a bit clone-ish, isn’t it? The modern day thought is that if you eliminate the hands and the legs and you just think about your big muscles – your forearms, your shoulders and your rotation – under pressure you can control your big muscles better than your small muscles, ie your hands or your legs. But I contend that the correct method is a combination of both, where your legs work with the upper body rotation. I think the answer is somewhere in the middle. But it’s definitely less complicated than it was in our day. Many of the keys that the top teachers use were things that players had to find out by themselves, and over the years they’ve compiled them, which makes it a lot easier now. That’s why we’re seeing younger and younger players who are more technically correct than ever before.

Are you able to have a bit of an influence on the coaching side through your Junior Golf Foundation?

I’ve stepped into more of an administrative/fundraising type role to try and push the bag of junior golf, which I firmly believe is the future of the game – get more kids playing. Golf’s tended to sit on its arse and not be proactive enough in that area. It’s quite strange: so many top actors, footballers, cricketers all play golf – Kelly Slater plays off about five – but in some areas it’s still perceived as a boring game.

There doesn’t appear to be anyone bored at your Celebrity Classic. It sounds like a hoot. How much money have you raised over the years?

Over $3 million towards junior golf and diabetes awareness. I’ve got diabetes and my father died from complications from it, and I wanted to put something back into a charity that I think needs publicity – the figures are just mind-blowing. It’s an epidemic.

Let’s not finish by dwelling too much on your near misses in majors. You won a heap of trophies. Which one means the most to you?

I’d say the (1979) Australian Open – it’s no secret that I was a proud Aussie wherever I went and the Australian Open in those times was difficult to win because Player, Nicklaus and Palmer pretty much dominated – we always had the best players in those days playing out here. So to win the Australian Open on a really good course in Melbourne with an excellent field – Seve, Gary Player, Fuzzy Zoeller, plus our own great players … But most importantly, I had my dad caddying for me who pretty much taught me how to play. That’s the one I’ll never forget.

– Graem Sims