Last week’s three-day COVID-19 lockdown in South Australia meant no golf competitions at clubs across the South-East.

But the pandemic had already forced the cancellation of one major event – the annual SA Country versus Victoria Country championship which had been scheduled for the Penola Golf Club.

That meant a rare weekend off for one of the South-East’s best players and a regular member of the SA Country team for many years, Mount Gambier Golf Club champion Darren Bilney (DB).

Gordon Clark (GC) took the opportunity to talk to the 42-year-old father of two about his golfing journey.

GC: How did you get started in golf?

DB: Dad was on the council at Port MacDonnell when I was a kid and also on the committee that set up the nine-hole golf course.

I just started having a hit with him now and then – I was given some hand-me-down clubs from a family friend from Horsham.

GC: At what point did you realise you had a talent for the game?

DB: I started playing competitions a bit when I was about eight. There were only three or four juniors at the Bay and I won a couple of junior championships there. Then when I was 13 I won the A Grade club championship.

GC: Who were your biggest influences early on?

DB: I used to come up to Attamurra on the weekend because Neil Richardson ran a junior coaching program. I did that for a while, so it was Neil and also Cyril Price who took me under his wing and helped me. I never really had a lot of lessons though.

GC: Did you play any other sports?

DB: I played junior footy at Port Mac and then when I was about 13 or 14 we moved to Compton. It was too far to get to Attamurra so I did not play any golf for about 10 years. From when I was about 20 I played reserves footy for Souths for three or four years.

GC: What was the first set of clubs you got?

DB: As I said I started off with hand-me-downs, but once I got okay Mum bought me a second-hand set of Tommy Armour 845s. They were fantastic – they lasted me all through juniors and I used them when I started back playing at 23 or 24.

GC: How did your handicap progress?

DB: I think my first one was in the mid-30s, but once I took the game up again it got down to two or three pretty quickly. My big advantage was that I was always pretty long off the tee.

GC: When did you break par for the first time?

DB: I could not be sure to be honest, but I do remember I shot three-under in the Wayne Scutter Memorial at Blue Lake the first time I won it.

GC: Did you ever think about turning professional?

DB: It was never really an option for me because I had that long time off. Having said that when I got down to a plus three (handicap) you sort of think about it. But there are a lot of players who got to plus four or five, even six, then turned pro but did not make it on tour.

GC: What’s the best score you have ever shot?

DB: I’m not certain, but I do remember I shot 65 at Attamurra in a Thursday comp about 10 years ago. I think I have still got the course record at Blue Lake.

GC: What are some of your career highlights?

DB: Apart from winning club championships and events like the Wayne Scutter Memorial and the Robe Open and Robe Village Classic, I would say playing for the SA Country side against Victoria.

They have got some really good players over there, but we have managed to beat them a few times. One of the biggest highlights was definitely making the national final of the Holden Scramble in

Queensland. We had Richie Dean, James Dean and Darren Coxon in our team – to get into the final we shot a net 48 3/4 at Riverside in Adelaide which was a qualifying record.

GC: How much do you practice?

DB: A lot of people think I practice all the time, but I do not really. I might go to the driving range once a week and hit 30 or 40 balls – split between my pitching wedge, six-iron and driver.

GC: What clubs are you using at the moment?

DB: I have got a Taylor Made M5 driver, a Taylor Made R15 three- wood and a set of Titleist irons. I use a Scotty Cameron putter.

GC: What’s the best advice you could give someone who wants to improve their game?

DB: You have got to get the basics right. Nearly every player is good at one part of the game, but if you’re going to be good you have got to have at least three of the four covered – driving, iron play, chipping and putting.

It’s also important, especially for kids, not to put too much pressure on yourself and do not hold on to mistakes – move straight on to the next shot.

GC: Finally, what’s on your golfing bucket list?

DB: I’d love to see Brooks Koepka or Henrik Stenson play. If I could play any course in the world, it would definitely be St Andrew’s.

Augusta looks incredible but I just like the idea of links courses.