As a former world No.1 amateur who finished runner-up at the 2012 WA Open prior to joining the professional ranks, Brady Watt had invested countless hours honing his craft and chasing his dreams.

His early years as a professional were spent in anonymity in South America and Canada searching for a way into the elite echelon of world golf yet by 2018 he felt the need to hit pause.

Golf was still what he wanted to do… until March this year when he couldn’t.

The West Australian who has called Melbourne home for the past two years, Watt completed a real estate course and prior to a return to university study in June thought he would explore a new avenue of expression: Podcasting.

His first episodes were a journey of self discovery, sharing his own experience of professional golf that is far removed from the public perception of plentiful prize money and lavish lifestyles.

As he returns to Yallourn Golf Club for the first time since finishing runner-up to Tom Power Horan in the inaugural edition of the Gippsland Super 6 in November 2019, Watt reflected on how being on the other side of the microphone has changed his perspective.

“I’ve seen a psychologist for the past couple of years so a lot of that stuff was already put to bed,” Watt said of his own experiences in professional golf.

“Whether it’s good or bad, you need to put everything into a box and look at it objectively. That’s how I tried to piece it all together.

“One of my favourite guests was Ryan McCarthy because we kind of have a similar story. We travelled together, we were both in the Golf Australia rookie squad, we were both in there for a short time and then got dropped.

“We both ended up in Latin America and trying to get on the Web.com Tour and then we both moved back to Australia together and had a gap year in 2018.

“It’s cool to talk to people like that who have been through something very similar. A lot of the public see professional golf as glamorous, PGA TOUR lifestyle – which it is once you’re on there – but it’s a big beast.

“It’s been cool to talk to a lot of people who have been through something similar and to be there for each other.”

Watt is like many of the Victorian-based professionals who not only could not participate in tournaments for the majority of 2020 but were forced to endure extended periods in lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic and as the clubs gathered dust.

The SBI Settlers Run Golf and Country Club Pro-Am on January 8 was Watt’s first competitive round in 10 months where there was a noticeable air of tension permeating those in the field.

“I was really nervous. It’s just an iron off the first tee and it’s 50 yards wide but I was nervous,” conceded Watt, who harnessed those nerves well enough to finish tied at the top alongside Ryan Lynch.

“You could feel that a lot of people were nervous.

“It’s just weird. We’ve never experienced anything like that.”

Watt’s own podcast tastes tend towards self improvement, people such as ultra-athlete Rich Roll and high-performance psychologist Dr Michael Gervais.

There is a list of people he would like to interview in the works but for now Watt hopes that he and his guests can provide an insight into professional golf that may not be available anywhere else.

“I’ve interviewed people who I think have an interesting story, have a lot to offer and don’t get a lot of the spotlight,” said Watt, who is nearing 50 episodes of The Wattsup Podcast.

“I’m really enjoying getting deep with a lot of people on topics that are just on the horizon of professional golf and professional sport in general.

“We all go through tough moments in our lives and we shouldn’t always hide in the shadows. We should have the opportunity to come out of all of that.

“If anyone can learn something from each episode then that’s the coolest thing I can share with everyone who listens.”

Listen to The Wattsup Podcast on both Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Google Podcasts.