Cam Smith hasn’t let his status as British Open champion stop him from getting his hands dirty with some course maintenance at his beloved Wantima Country Club.
With heavy storms having caused some havoc just hours before the start of the Cameron Smith Junior Classic, the world’s No.3 golfer pitched in on Thursday morning to ensure Wantima’s bunkers were playable.
“I thought I’d better come down and help out the boys,” Smith said.
“I knew they’d have their work cut out, so Dad and I, and my uncle, came out here and got on the blowers, and it was good to get my hands back on the tools.
“They’re doing a lot of good things around here. This is probably the best I’ve seen the course.
“When I was a young kid here, there wasn’t much grass at this place so it’s awesome to see how much the club has grown.”
In between Smith’s bunker repairs and the start of his tournament, he also found time to conduct a clinic for a host of juniors hoping to emulate the feats of their hero.
“It’s really important to show these kids how good you can be, so there was a fair bit of pressure on,” Smith said after being asked to hit balls at distances nominated by the some enthusiastic youngsters.
“It’s good to be back home. A lot of things have changed in the last few years, and it was nice to do that clinic and show the kids what hard work can do.
“It’s awesome to see this many kids out here. This tournament has been awesome.
“The last couple of years we’ve done 36 holes, so it’s grown a little bit. We’ve got a few more kids out here playing golf.”
Smith, who won five times this year, including the recent Australian PGA at Royal Queensland, now plans to take a well-earned break, including Christmas with his family in Brisbane for the first time in a few years.
“I can’t wait to have a hot Christmas again,” he said.
“The last few (in the United States) have been pretty cold, so I just can’t wait to hang out with the family and have a few beers around the pool.”
