Golf World UK - August 2017

162 Golf WorldAugust 2017

hatwasyourfavouriteTVshow

growing up?

Well,weonlyhadthreechannels

and I wasn’t really a big TV

person.Growinguponafarm,itwasn’tmy

favouritethingtodo.Butwehadthisgreat

showcalled‘Hey,Heyit’sSaturday’,afun

comedyshowwelovedwatchingasafamily.

IlovedtowatchMaxwellSmart(GetSmart)

andHogan’sHeroes.Ilovedwhatwasour

ESPN,theABCWideWorldofSports,inmy

teens. But I’d only be watching TV when it was

rainingoutside.RagewasachannellikeMTV

thatwouldcomeonattheweekend.Theystill

have it today, with the same opening music to it.

Whatwasyourfirstjob?

Outsideofworkingonthefarm,itwasinapro

shoparoundage17.Fortyhourswasanormal

weekandIwasmaking75bucksaweek.Every

yearitwentupbyalittle,butIgottopractise.

Mycoachwasalsomyboss.Ilivedabout20

minutesawaybutactuallyboardedinthatsmall

town.Ididthatforacoupleofyearsbefore

movingtoMelbournetodoclubassembly.

What is your earliest memory?

BecauseIlivedinthesameplacemywholelife,

Idon’tknowifitmakesiteasierorharder.One

ofmyfirstmemorieswaswithmydad.Heused

to drive the milk trucks late into the night to

makeextramoney.Iwasonlyaboutfiveorsix

andIbeggedtogowithhim,onaFridaynight,

not a school night. Dad would drive this big

18-wheelerandmymumwouldmilkthecows.

I’dbelaidoutinthebenchseatofthetruck–

no seatbelt or anything – and remember the

bouncingofthetruck,thenoiseofthechanging

gears, motors going, dad slamming the door.

IwasbasicallyasleepformostofthisbutIcan

stillhearallthesoundsinmymindtoday.

What is your favourite smell?

My mum’s roast lamb and vegetables was just

brilliant. I like looking back and the smell of

thefarm.It’sverydistinctandvery‘cowwy’and

‘cow poopy’. And even when it rained the smell

ofwetdustintheair.InAustr li E l i

averyintensesmellforme.Ith

you grew upwith are very stron

Who’d play you in a film?

Matt Damon? He’s about my

ageandhe’sahellofalotmore

handsome. That might lift my

credabit.BradPittwouldbegood

too. The problem is no American can really pull

off an Australian accent. Robert Downey Jnr

tried it in Tropic Thunder and he was okay, but

no American goes to acting school to learn to

speak Australian. Maybe my kids could be the

first. They’re a hybrid American-Australian. My

son says “G’day mate” pretty good for an

American kid.

What was your nickname growing up?

When I used to play football they used to call

me ‘Apps’, like the download. It was a family

thing; any Appleby was ‘Apps’ in our town.

What’s been the best event you’ve been to?

The Tiger Tasmania in 2005 that I happened to

be invited to by Lamborghini Australia. We had

1,500 miles of driving. About 500 miles was

timed and the rest might be driving from one

citytoanother.Thenwehadtodoastagefor

threetofivemiles.Youdoabouteightofthema

day.Wediditinfullracesuit,fullracecar,street

tyres, got a navigator. I had to do all of this

qualifying – it was the best thing I’ve ever done.

It was better than any tournament. The nerves,

the excitement, the adrenaline, getting to drive

what is a $400,000 car in Australia for 500

miles just flat out on open road with no cars

coming the other direction. It was unbelievable.

What was your first car?

It was a Mitsubishi Lancer. I had a few accidents

• crashed the hell out of it a few times. That was
  a great car. I thought that thing was a missile,
  but it didn’t even have 100 horsepower.

What’s your most expensive purchase ever?

Outside of a home, a couple hundred thousand

dollar Ford GT, which I still have. It is a heritage

colour, like an orange. I just really love that car

and I’ve had it for 10 years. Not great for the

family, but it’s a beautiful car. Most depreciate,

but this one appreciates.

BARE

MY

SOUL

W

Stuart

Appleby

‘I’ve had my Ford GT

for10yearsand just

really love it. It’s a

beautiful car. Most

depreciate, but this

one appreciates’