Last year the Ballarat Golf City product was Australia’s oldest trainee but has since progressed to professional at the tender age of 48.

He might have found his true calling later in life, but Cartledge – along with Golf City owner Ben Roberts – is dedicating his time to growing the sport in the Ballarat district.

“I’ve always been more interested in teaching than anything else,” Cartledge said.

“You need to be PGA (Professional Golf Association of Australia) accredited because there’s opposition in the marketplace if you’re not a PGA professional and out there teaching.”

Cartledge studied a number of sport and golf-related sciences during his traineeship, including a Diploma of Sport Coaching, while working almost religiously on his game.

As a talented amateur, he won 13 club championships and reached a plus-one handicap figure, but has since faced a different set of challenges.

“You have to play at an average of five-point-five over par or less (75-77) over 20 counted rounds,” he said.

“There’s not much margin in that regard. There is pressure and I’ve seen some good players fail.”

Cartledge, who plans to crack into the seniors’ tour when he reaches 50, spends much of the year hosting clinics at the 30 clubs in and around the Ballarat region.

He describes teaching children the ropes of the game as the “best part of the job”.

“Retail is fun, but training kids to play golf and work out what the game is all about and give them opportunities is what I prefer,” he said.

“Ben and I are both on a path where we want Golf City to become a big training centre.

“It’s unusual for someone to do a traineeship late in life, but if there’s any moral to the story for other people, it’s to chase something that you want to do, even if it’s late in life.”