Did the game ever feel as easy to you as you made it look to the rest of us?

I read a lot about Dustin Johnson these days. He and I have a lot in common. He is much longer and all of that. But he has all the shots, and so did I. I could shape the ball both ways. High. Low. Good touch around the greens. 68 was par for me. And I see the same with him.

You can never say the game is easy. It never is. But I felt very comfortable for a long time. But I’m a naturally shy person. So when people like Curtis Strange started saying nice things about me – (“I’ve just seen the next God”) – I got uncomfortable. I started downplaying it all.

I feel strongly that you have to be friends with the guys on Tour. But when I look around at how some of the stars act today, I could never do that. I felt that I needed to be one of the guys. I felt more comfortable that way. If I had gone to that other level and kept people at arm’s length I would not have been me. I tried to keep a balance. And I think the guys made me one of them.

It’s a tough balance though. You have to be careful. I’ve seen guys do it the other way. And once you ‘lose” the locker room, you lose the players. You are not always going to be up. You have to remember that you will be headed in the other direction one day. You meet everyone in both directions. So it was important to me to be nice.

Don’t get me wrong. I wanted to beat everybody on the course. But I really believe there is an important balance to maintain. Especially when we have such long careers.

When Els swings, it still looks so easy. PHOTO: Getty Images.

Never mind the golf. I’m thinking your proudest achievement in life must be the Autism Foundation and centre you have established in Florida?

That’s true, especially as I get older that gets even more important. It is amazing how many lives have been affected by that condition, and how many lives we have been able to affect with what we are doing. We go around the world now. And it is all because of my son, Ben. If it is wasn’t for him, we wouldn’t be in this business.

Selfishly, we saw that Ben needed more and better help than he was getting, and we went from there. We have built a place that is perfect for people with autism. They can grow as autistic people. We are never going to cure the condition, but we can give them such a helping hand, which is what we first wanted to do for Ben. Now we help almost 300 kids. And we want to keep going. What we have now is just the blueprint for many more centres to come.

When governments start to buy in, I think we can really make a difference. Many of our kids are actually being incorporated into big businesses. SAP employ 117 alone. Microsoft, Dell and many other companies are starting to take them on, because they are so brilliant.

It is a bit like the Dustin Hoffman character in Rain Man?

Exactly. They have amazing talents. Ben has maybe 3,000 images on his iPad. He can flick through them at high speed and stop exactly where he wants to be. He obviously sees things we can’t see. He sees things at speed and very clearly. It’s amazing really, and exciting … and humbling.

Out for a round with son Ben. PHOTO: Getty Images.

How is Ben doing generally?

We see a big difference in him. He has improved so much. He is 15 and his autism is quite severe. But he is starting to really blossom. He has a great sense of humour. He has a good life. He has his routines. He loves being with me and I love being with him. We have a great rapport.

Samantha has been so good too. She is at Stanford now. But she had to grow up knowing we could never give her as much attention as she deserved. Not once did she complain. She is so intelligent and got it.

Clearly she takes after Liezl…

(laughs) You’re right there. I didn’t even finish school. But we have been blessed. To have two kids like I have is wonderful.

Do you have a theory as to why South Africa produces so many great swingers of golf clubs? You. Oosthuizen. Grace. Schwartzel. Goosen. It’s a long list.

We all grow up in great weather a great climate. We rarely have to fight wind like you have in Scotland. We can hit shots high and develop good technique. The junior foundations are great too. Kids get a lot of encouragement. We have three pro tours for guys on the way up and a lot of our players give back to the system they grew up in. All of that adds up.

RIGHT: With daughter Samantha on the bag during the Masters Par-3 Tournament. PHOTO: Getty Images. 

My little nephew is in the college system at Auburn, and there are so many other South African kids in the US now. Golf in South Africa will forever be strong. Put it this way. If I had grown up in Scotland I don’t think I would have been a golfer (laughs). Who wants to play in your weather?

An informer tell me that you had an interesting encounter with Nelson Mandela during the 1995 matches between Australasia and South Africa. He asked if you were avoiding him. Care to comment?

(laughs) I was just shy. I was standing at the back. Everyone wanted his signature, to shake his hand and have their pictures taken with him. I was like, “get on with it.” But the old man spotted me. He wondered if there was something wrong with me (laughs). 

We actually had an unbelievable relationship. It started back in the early 1990s. We had a bond, right up to the day he passed away.

How do you describe someone like him?

The hairs on my arms stand up every time I talk about him. I got so much flak at home in 2012 when I thanked him in my speech when I won the Open. People were like, “get over it.” But if it wasn’t for him, what would South Africa be like today? It is tough enough now.

I knew him for what he was. The way he treated Samantha and Ben was very touching. We flew together at times. He was just an unbelievable human being. And, as soft and nice as he was, he was also the most brutally honest person I ever met.

For example?

Just that time he wondered what I was doing at the back of the room. “Stand up for yourself,” he told me. “No one will notice you back there. I know you are trying to be nice, but be a man.”

Els' last victory was at The Open Championship in 2012. PHOTO: Getty Images.

Where is South Africa headed?

We went through a bit of a dark period. Not everything was ever going to be smooth. But with a new leader I think things will be better. We went a little bit off script but I am hopeful. It is such a wonderful country. I go back every year and last December was the best I have felt about my homeland in maybe five or six years. People were optimistic and had fire in their bellies. We just need to get the right people in the right places. And that is already happening.

What is your attitude to the Champions Tour?

I spoke with Monty today about that. He loves it.

You can still kick his arse can’t you?

(laughs) I don’t want to get ahead of myself. But yes, I can.

Anyway, he is loving it. I’d like to see a bit more money involved. But I’ll be there when I’m 50. I’m optimistic about my game. And I think I could do well. But I’m an honorary member of the Asian and European Tours, so I will still play a bit on both too. I just have to keep my body in decent shape.

Where do you stand on the distance debate?

I’m fine with it. The way the game is going is fine. Even with a shorter ball the longer guys will still be longer. But I would like to see the ball go sideways more. We need more spin.

We have to be careful though. The amateur game is more important than the pro game. I don’t want to see that suffer through changing the ball.

I don’t think anyone is suggesting we change anything to make it harder for the amateurs.

No. But I don’t like the idea of two sets of rules. If you change it for us and not them, the amateurs won’t be able to compare themselves with us.

Do you worry that some of the great courses are obsolete for you guys?

That is the tragedy of it. We can’t play Sunningdale anymore. And I worry for St. Andrews. I can only imagine what they will do to Shinnecock for the US Open this year. So you make a good point. But I’m not sure about the pros and the ams going in different directions.

Still, no one is playing like Seve or Lee Trevino any more. So how can what we have now be better?

Another good point. The game at the highest level is all about ‘bombing’ it. I see it every day on tour. Maybe we should go back to those little drivers and balata balls (laughs). Can you imagine? I can, but the game has gone so far in another direction. It’s a great debate. We need to talk again (laughs).