Playing and working in the sport you love may seem like a dream to many people.

But for Anthony Mocklow, director of golf at the Fairmont Southampton, that dream became a reality and he has made a career out of it.

Having picked up a golf club for the first time at the age of 10, he has never looked back since, going on to play on the amateur golf circuit and become a golf professional.

His travels took him across the world from the US to the UK and Europe, before returning to his roots in Bermuda and now he has grand plans to transform the Fairmont Southampton golf course and improve the game on the Island in general.

Mr. Mocklow was introduced to golf after being caught on camera stealing one of his father's clubs at Heathrow airport and his father decided to let him have a go for himself.

He signed up for golf lessons with head professional Alex Crofton at Belmont Hills Golf Club and was introduced to the Bermuda Golf Association, at which point he fell in love with the game.

"I remember I hit 137 on my first competitive round of golf playing the full 18 holes with the likes of Dwayne Pearman and Colin Dill in a junior tournament," he said.

"By the age of 13 I was shooting in the low 70s and being selected to represent amateur golf in Bermuda.

"By then I had fallen in love with the whole business of golf."

Mr. Mocklow went to military academy in South Carolina, where he focused his energies on forging a profession for himself out of the game, and even taking up a scholarship to play American football at college for a brief stint did not deter him from following his chosen career path, quitting the oval ball for the round one to represent Bermuda at the World Amateur Team Championships held in Venezuela in 1986.

He had the fortune to play golf with Colin Montgomerie, who told him the university he was studying at was looking for new players and introduced to the coach there, and before he knew it was off to the Houston Baptist University in Texas, coming back to Bermuda to play as much amateur golf as possible, winning the Bermuda Amateur Championships in 1988 and as a result was invited to take part in a number of competitions in the US.

Having completed his studies, he landed a job working at the Innisbrook Resort and Golf Club in Florida, where the head pro and director of golf introduced him to some sponsors who helped him to travel around the world competing in various tournaments with players such as Chris DiMarco and Skip Kendall and attending the PGA Tour qualifying school.

"At that point I knew it was probably time to think about getting into the golf business and taking a different direction," he said.

Changing tack, Mr. Mocklow met up with some architects and developers involved in the design and construction of golf courses and projects, and was offered the chance to become involved in the building and day-to-day operation of the Warwickshire Golf & Country Club in England for three years, with his Bermudian training in hospitality proving invaluable in helping to attract business to what was in effect a direct competitor to the Belfry to host the Ryder Cup.

"Once a Bermudian always a Bermudian, as they say," he said.

"In 1998/99 I started thinking maybe there are a couple of opportunities for me to come back to Bermuda.

"I had been doing golf technology and IT work during the early 2000s, but then the opportunity came up for a director of golf job here in Bermuda in 2006/07 and, having come back home in 2006 when I lost my dad to cancer, I decided it was time to return for good and here I am today."

Mr. Mocklow, who has been charged with boosting golf tourism for the hotel and strengthening the links between Fairmont and Riddell's Bay Golf and Country Club, said there have been a number of changes in the golf industry in Bermuda in recent times, with Port Royal Golf Course closing down for redevelopment, St. George's Golf Course shutting, and Ocean View Golf Course and Belmont Hills undergoing renovations lately.

But despite all the latest developments, he sees an opportunity to further enhance the game he loves in his homeland and wants to get as many people involved as possible to share the excitement of playing golf, from the beginners to a range of competitive events, and hopes to host a National Par 3 Championship at Fairmont Southampton in April 2010.

He also plans to bring the World Par 3 Championship to Bermuda, which he believes would lure more visitors to the Island's shores, in addition to a global Fairmont event and a major Par 3 junior championship in the future.

"There are lots of exciting things happening and I believe that if we all work together collectively we will succeed together," he said.

Mr. Mocklow is fully focused on the task in hand, but admitted he would have no qualms about answering the call and picking up his golf clubs and donning the Bermuda shirt to represent his country again.