PGA Professional Jack Wilson is on a mission to change golf forever – starting with its clean-cut, "old boy" image.

Jack Wilson has a vision. 

It’s late afternoon on Sunday, 20 November, and the 25-year old PGA Vocational Member is strolling down the 18th fairway at the prim and proper Royal Sydney Golf Club. Flanked by the immaculately dressed Jason Day in the final pairing of the Australian Open, the stakes are high – the world is watching. 

Some of golf’s greatest names have marched towards that famous Royal Sydney clubhouse en route to lifting the Stonehaven Cup, including Bruce Crampton, Gary Player and most recently, Rory McIlroy. But they’re going to remember Jack Wilson the most, if not for his blistering game to hold off Day, for his personal appearance that will have many ‘old school’ club members questioning how he got through the front gates of their club let alone on its fairways.

No, the guy pictured is not a surfer or tradie, this is PGA Professional Jack Wilson, a former graduate of the PGA Trainee Program and Aussie golf’s answer to European Tour cult hero Andrew ‘Beef’ Johnson, but with dreadlocks thrown in for good measure.

Wilson is on a mission to break the very stigma that he believes is stunting golf’s growth: that it’s often seen as a sport for clean-cut, old men with plaid trousers and long socks. 

"People flick on their TVs and don’t understand golf," says Wilson. "It’s not attractive and there are very few entertainers that capture the imagination of the general public. Characters like Beef Johnson and his big beard, Rickie Fowler and his bright orange shirts and high-top shoes … these guys get the importance of making golf more appealing to all demographics. Golfers are entertainers, it’s what we do to earn a living and we need to make golf more attractive to a wider audience, particularly the next generation – kids."
Country boy Wilson is more qualified than most to comment about the stigma attached to golf. It did, after all, have a profound impact on him growing up in the Murray River town of Echuca, where AFL football was the popular choice among youngsters. After picking up his first club at age 11, Wilson’s love for golf was instant. But it made him an easy target among his school peers. "I got bullied in school because golf had that stigma – chequered jumpers, high socks, shirt tucked in," recalls Wilson. "But I’ve got to a point in life where I don’t think it should be like that anymore and I’ve made the decision to dress and present myself how I want to."

And for Wilson, that means ditching the razors and scissors indefinitely.
"I’m running with the dreadlocks and will grow my beard out," reveals Wilson, who showed no signs of stubble when he marked his arrival on the big stage by finishing third to Adam Scott and Rickie Fowler in the 2013 Australian PGA Championship, a performance that won him the Kel Nagle Plate for best performing rookie and prompted Scott to publicly declare, "We might be looking at one of the best players to come out of Australia."

"I’m sure the commentators will have a field day with me if I can get myself on TV this summer but that’s what it’s all about – creating some interest," says Wilson. "The truth is I’ve always wanted dreadlocks, ever since I was a kid, but I put it off because I felt I needed to look respectable to fit in with golf’s clean-cut image. But I’m not going to do it anymore and hopefully kids see me later this year and think, hey, golf looks pretty fun. I might give it a go.

"At the end of the day we see tattoos and piercings in other sports and jobs all around the world so why should golf be any different?"

The 2012 and 2013 PGA Trainee of the Year has been making the most of his spare time in 2016 following surgery on a troubling wrist injury. However it hasn’t all been about hair growth. Through his association with the Victorian Institute of Sport, Wilson has been taking golf to the masses via special activations in shopping centres and schools. 

"When I knew I couldn’t play for four months I sat down with the VIS to see what programs I could do in and around my rehabilitation," says Wilson. "They’ve been great, not just with my rehab but with facilitating some opportunities for me to get out and visit regional schools. Being a country kid myself, teaching golf at the grassroots level is something I’m very passionate about. It’s what I’d love to do post-tour life."

Wilson is helping the VIS with its Be Fit. Be Well program, spreading the healthy message of physical activity throughout government schools.

"I’ve always had a strong interest in growing the game," he says. "Without the kids coming through and other avenues, we may not have a sport to play and therefore I’m not going to have a job. Be Fit. Be Well allows golfers like me to get out and speak with children and talk about exercise, share how important physical activity is for me personally and also to spread awareness on the enjoyment of playing golf."

When he’s not going back to school, Wilson is spearheading Golf Victoria’s campaign to take golf to the people. "I’m regularly out in shopping centres introducing people to the sport through hitting bays and bigger, colourful clubheads and other activities that showcase golf in a fun way," says Wilson.

"In most cases, after spending five minutes with someone I see huge improvement and most importantly, how much fun they’re having playing golf. There’s something really satisfying knowing you may have just got someone hooked on the sport.

"I’ve found that getting golf into the kids is a great way to get the parents involved, too. Sometimes I think growing the game becomes a bit too hard for some but if we’re any chance of doing that, activations like these visits to schools and shopping centres are certainly a good start and hopefully other PGA Professionals can get the ball rolling in their own respective communities."

And while Wilson, a qualified PGA Vocational Professional Coach, has devoted much of his year to helping others, it hasn’t come without its own personal benefits.

"Remaining actively involved with the sport while being out injured has made me hungrier than I’ve ever been to get back out on tour and win," he says. "I’ve grown a real appreciation for playing golf for a living. I now understand how lucky I am to have lived that dream already and hopefully keep living it.
"I’ve never been this motivated heading into a summer of golf."

And as for the bushy beard and dreadlocks? "Hopefully my new look is just a sideshow to a successful few weeks on the leaderboards." 

Either way, it will be hard to miss Jack Wilson this summer.

PROFILE

Name: Jack Wilson
Age: 25
Home Club: Peninsula Kingswood Country Golf Club
Career Highlights: 2012 PGA Trainee of the Year, 2013 WA Goldfields PGA Champion, 3rd at 2013 Australian PGA Championship
Philosophy on golf: "Hard work beats talent when talent fails to work hard"