Bradley, now 57, can see the similarity, but that in itself becomes a head-scratcher to the man who has just celebrated his 30-year anniversary as superintendent at Curlewis Golf Club on Victoria’s Bellarine Peninsula.

“He looks like he’s 12 to me, so it makes me wonder how the hell they ever entrusted this club to me when I looked like he does all those years ago,” Bradley jokes in his classic self-deprecating style.

No doubt Bob McDougall and his Curlewis recruiting team took a punt on the young Kiwi who’d only been in Australia for five years when he was given the keys to what was very much a “country club” in 1993.

But while Bradley’s formal resume perhaps looked a little light when he accepted the role, his background gave him a knowledge beyond his years.

His father, Bob, is a life member of the New Zealand Golf Course Superintendents Association and played a key role in building such revered clubs as Millbrook and Clearwater during a distinguished career.

Bradley’s family still jokes with him that when he makes his weekly phone call home, he chats with mother, Dorothy, for five minutes, then has a 25-minute “committee meeting” with Bob.

“I actually never wanted to be a greenskeeper when I was a young fella – and that was because of Dad,” Bradley recalls.

Curlewis owners David and Lyndsay Sharp flew Rob's parents in from New Zealand to celebrate his 30th anniversary as superintendent. PHOTO: Supplied.

“He came home from committee meetings and my sister Maria had a pet mouse and Dad would yell and swear at the mouse. We used to say, ‘Look what it does to Dad’ – I never wanted to be that angry.

“But it got the better of me … and it eventually came to the point where there were two jobs I could apply for (in my late teens), one was as a golf pro and my golf game wasn’t that good, so I had to be a greenskeeper.

“So, I did my apprenticeship at Templeton Golf Club in Christchurch and I was in my last year when I got a job offer at The Lakes in Sydney. Dad said I should have a crack at it and, although I’d never travelled anywhere, I packed up for Oz in 1988 and was working for Peter Frewin and staying in his flat.

“He left to take the job at Barwon Heads in June and when his 2IC (second in charge) job came up, I applied and went to work for him again. I was there for four years almost and then got the job here at Curlewis … and the rest is history.”

Bradley joked of his initial look at Curlewis that driving 20 minutes from Barwon Heads was like going backwards 20 years in terms of technology available “in the shed” at Curlewis.

“Dad told me not to take the job without looking at what was in the shed, but they told me not to bother on the night of my interview and I was excited so just said `yes’.

“But it was pretty primitive when I look back at it.

“There were four of us and we each had a tractor to do just about everything – we just hadn’t made that next step at that point.

“We would drive up on the tee in our tractors, towing a gang mower – that’s just how we did it.

“We had wooden rails around every tee to stop people walking on them and there were trees everywhere that all the original members and volunteers around the club had planted,” said Bradley, who’s revered at Curlewis for his photographic memory of every square inch of the property.

“There was a row of melaleucas on the left of (what is now the 2nd green) to stop people walking on to the (3rd) tee.

“So, if you were aiming at a left pin on (the 2nd) and you missed left by five metres, you were in the trees. It was actually ridiculous.”

But nothing deterred Bradley and his vision – perhaps best described as a penchant for designs that take advantage of natural terrain, but mixed with a healthy admiration for the Sandbelt classics.

“We couldn’t get grass to grow in a few areas, so we started to chop down a few trees, which was upsetting a few of the volunteers,” he says.

“You start to doubt yourself when you have a lot of people giving you grief, but I was watching a YouTube video with Gil Hanse talking about the Los Angeles Country Club and he was asked about how many trees you should take out and his answer was, ‘the right amount’.

“I think that’s important at every club … and it actually is very true for me here.”

Bradley has overseen a massive transformation at Curlewis. The course has gone from that bush track to being a genuine destination course that’s the equal of many of the courses that shaped his thinking.

Remarkably, in his 30 years, the playing area surface at the club has increased from nine to 15 hectares.

“When I started, the greens mowers would bog down on (what are now the 5th and 6th holes) in winter. Players would often walk from the (4th) green across to the (7th) tee.

“His dedication to Curlewis can never be questioned. His knowledge of every piece of flora and fauna on the property is uncanny, regaling you with stories of who planted what and when, even remembering long-forgotten trees and bunkers."- Jamie Brigden.

“But we’ve improved the drainage everywhere, along with the surfaces, collars and green surrounds. It’s not all perfect, but it has improved a lot.”

So just how much?

After 44 years since it was opened, Curlewis made its first appearance in the Golf Australia Magazine Top-100 rankings in 2014, at No.88.

It has climbed in each subsequent edition to 78 in 2016, 68 in 2018, 54 in 2020 and 49 last year, all while another dozen or so courses have joined the ranking.

Curlewis General Manager Jamie Brigden noted all the changes that have taken place around the club, most notably since husband and wife David and Lyndsay Sharp bought the club in 2015 when it faced financial ruin.

“There has been one constant throughout that time and the vast majority of the credit falls with Rob,” Brigden said.

“His dedication to Curlewis can never be questioned. His knowledge of every piece of flora and fauna on the property is uncanny, regaling you with stories of who planted what and when, even remembering long-forgotten trees and bunkers.

“You can be sure that a one-hour course inspection with Rob will end up taking three-four hours, happy to continue on as long as he has company.

“But to give over half your years to one employer is a remarkable achievement, especially as this level of commitment, dedication and passion become rarer in the workforce.”

“He’s a prolific reader and writer about all things turf and golf and his articles in the superintendents’ trade magazine are always tinged with satire and more than a hint of outright humour.

“These traits have stood him in good stead within his sometimes-thankless profession, but one look at the quality and presentation of the course at Curlewis shows how much thanks Rob should receive.”

The Sharps showed just how much they value Bradley when they flew his parents from New Zealand (pictured left with Rob) and put them up in the on-course accommodation to celebrate his 30th anniversary.

“The whole thing is a bit overwhelming,” Bradley admitted.

“To do that with my parents is amazing, but that’s what the Sharps are.

“It’s good to be trusted; I’ve been spanked a few times, but they have got enormous trust and will listen to my ideas and to get a `yes’ or a `no’ makes life much easier than the delays of committees.

“And `Pohly’ (his assistant Darren Pohl) is good for me, too, because we argue about important things out here. We’ve made the course better as a result because we’re passionate about it and neither of us think the works we’re doing are (near) finished yet.”

Which is all the more remarkable given one of the lessons Bradley’s father tried to impart years ago – to try to move on from each club after seven years because ideas can become stale.

“Well, I’m into my fifth cycle of seven years now and I still love it here,” Bradley joked.

“The alarm goes off at 4.45am and I still want to go to work. If that stops, it will be time to move on.

“Mum and Dad were pretty proud when they came over. But Dad and I went around the course and he didn’t give me a 100 percent tick.

“He tells me I’ve got a year to improve it until he comes back, so I’d better lift.”