A pro, but never too proud to help

IT was a cold, wintry May morning earlier this year when Jarrod Lyle appeared out of nowhere.

It was the Division 1 pennant golf grand final at Torquay Golf Club and the former US Tour player was there to support his Sands clubmates as they chased a flag.

Lyle was a shadow of himself that day. The usual 100kg solid bloke would have weighed in at just under 80kg at the time as he battled a recurrence of acute myeloid leukaemia.

But that didn’t matter. For Lyle it was about being there for the blokes that he’d shared a beer with hundreds of times after a round.

That gesture was Jarrod Lyle in a nutshell, according to The Sands committee member Shane McGrath.

There was never an ego. He was just another one of the lads that loved golf and a postround yarn with anyone who was sitting around and willing to listen.

“Jarrod was down there at Torquay getting around the boys and giving what he could. This was just him and the man he was,” McGrath said.

“It was just incredible to have him there.”

And then, a few days before getting readmitted to hospital for the latest time, Lyle was at The Sands for a Silver Fox day, celebrating with the club’s older members.

It’s why the news that Lyle has opted to end active treatment in his fight against cancer and begin palliative care has rocked the local golf region — and the international golf community — to the core.

Lyle has entrenched himself in the community since calling Torquay home with wife Briony and children Lusi and Gemma.

And his impact on and off the golf course has been profound.

He’d have a moment for everyone. He’d chat to the 36handicapper on the putting green, he’d pose for a photo with fans as he walked around at the Victorian Open.

“It is the great thing about having Jarrod down there. You could put your name down on the time sheet, you’d look on the Friday night and you’re playing with Jarrod Lyle,” McGrath said.

“He was happy to play with any of the members. The members absolutely love him.

“If he was at the bar you could go up and have a chat. If you were on the range he’d give you a couple of tips.

“He was always happy, always smiling. That big Jarrod Lyle smile was there.”

Local golf retailer Danny Markovic struck up a strong friendship with Lyle after he walked into his store.

Lyle was looking for a buggy to use in his return to golf after his second lot of treatment. He came back again looking for some straps for his golf bag.

Shortly after, Lyle was working in Markovic’s shop as he completed his bridging qualification that would allow him to work in pro shops and teach golf to Geelong’s next generation.

People would almost fall through the door when they spotted Lyle behind the counter. US Tour golfers aren’t meant to sell you golf balls, are they?

Turns out his area of expertise would be something few would actually pick.

“Whenever a lady would come in and head towards the ladies’ shoes, I’d always tell him that customer was for him,” Markovic said.

“The reason for that was one day a lady came in and tried on 15 pairs of shoes and he had them all over the floor in open boxes. There were open boxes everywhere and I took a photo and sent it to Briony while he was doing it.

“She used to think all we would do is stand around and talk crap all day. So I sent the photo and said ‘see, your husband does work hard’.

“So after that day, that was his department, his expertise.

“We still joke about it to this day. Over the last 12 months, because he has been crook, he said a heap of times ‘mate, I’ve got to come back and start selling those ladies’ shoes for you again’.

McGrath admitted the news Lyle was heading to palliative care had hit the golf club hard.

Late last year an event held at the club raised more than $10,000 for the Lyle family.

McGrath said the club would continue to support the Lyles well into the future and said it was likely it would also honour Lyle’s legacy in a more formal way.

“It would be just a great legacy for Jarrod to leave. Our club championship cup doesn’t have a name and it’s just my thought, and we’d have to discuss it at committee level … but I’m sure everyone would be behind a decision to rename the cup the Jarrod Lyle Cup or create an annual board event in honour of Jarrod,” McGrath said.

But golf isn’t Jarrod’s main love. While many people would focus on Lyle’s golfing feats and contribution to the community, Markovic said it was crucial that Lyle was first and foremost “a family man”.

“Everything he did was to be with his family and for benefit of his girls,” Markovic said. “That drove him with everything he did.”