When Simone Puckeridge's mother suggested to her that she join her local golf club, she initially scoffed at the idea.
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Then in her early 20's and having just moved back to Sydney after completing her nursing studies at Bathurst, she didn't think it was for her.
It was in her mind for "old people". Golfers also get up early and she liked to sleep.
But then her mother sweetened the deal by offering to pay for her membership.
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So she took her up on it, and, as she put it, she was "absolutely hooked".
Years later when she moved to Tamworth, one of the first things she did was look for a golf club to join.
"It's a good way to meet people," Puckeridge said.
It is also a sport "where you can go anywhere in the world and just walk in and play and people will talk to you".
She reflected on having the opportunity to once play a round on what is regarded as the oldest and most iconic golf course in the world - the old course at St Andrew's. At the time she was backpacking and was lucky enough to have her named pulled out of the ballot.
"But we had no equipment because we had our backpacks," she recalled.
"We had to borrow shoes and clubs and everything, but you're there so you're going to do it."
It is an experience that has stayed with her to today.
"There was myself and the friend I was travelling with, who was a good golfer, and a Japanese man, who couldn't speak English," she said.
"But he was rich enough to hire a caddie to tell him where to hit so we were just listening to his caddie."
One of her best memories is sinking a "monsterous" putt on the 18th. Where a lot of the visitors congregate, she recalled there were "all these people standing around".
"I thought just please god there are all these people watching, just go near the hole, and it rolled in," she said.
Moving to Tamworth about 20 years ago, Puckeridge initially played at the Longyard, winning the club championship there in 2004.
Later she changed to Tamworth, where she has now three times etched her name on the club championship silverware after last month making it back-to-back titles.
She had won her first back in 2011.
Finishing six shots clear of Narelle Dunst, she had a bit of a mixed tournament.
"I had two good rounds and two bad rounds," Puckeridge said.
"My first round wasn't real flash and my last round wasn't too good but my two middle rounds were okay so that was enough."
She also took out the veterans championship.
Puckeridge will be eyeing off more success next month when she teams up with Sandra Linnett in the women's State Finals of the Keno Let's Play Ambrose at the Bonville Golf Resort.
They will be one of nine combinations from across the state vying for the state title after winning the regional final at the Longyard early last month.
