Paul Lawrie answering questions with Murray Carnie, organiser of the Paul Lawrie Junior Foundation, sharing the fun at the Stonehaven Golf Club junior prizegiving today.

Paul Lawrie in good form at Stonehaven
question-and-answer session

Former Open champion Paul Lawrie was in good form at today's Stonehaven Golf Club junior prizegiving in the clubhouse, in which he hosted a question-and-answer session from the adults as well as the youngsters.

Some highlights:

Question: How important is a caddie to a tour pro?

Paul Lawrie: Very, very important when the weather is bad. He needs to have five pairs of hands , specially my one, when it is raining to keep things dry. But probably not as important as caddies think they are, but that's the nature of their profession. I've had my present caddie for five years - and that's a long time for me. I would probably take my caddie's advice if I was in doubt about the next shot, because he knows it's his neck on the line if he gets it wrong!

Question: Your own golfing heroes?

Paul Lawrie: Seve Ballesteros who was a terrific golfer at his peak. If you asked me to widen it to sporting heroes, I would put Sir Alex Ferguson up there at the top for all he has achieved in football.

Question: How good a golfer would a youngster have to be to have serious thoughts about wanting to play on the European Tour.

Paul Lawrie: Well, I had five of a handicap when I turned professional (as an assistant to the late Douglas Smart at Banchory) but even in my time on the European Tour the standards have risen tremendously. I can remember when two or even three over par would be good enough to survive the halfway cut. Nowadays it can be one or two under par. Unless an amateur has a handicap of about +4, I don't think a career on the European Tour is achievable.

Question: What goals have you set yourself in 2009?

Paul Lawrie: I've never been one for giving myself targets. I try to concentrate on the next shot and play it to the best of my ability. But it's been a while since my last win on the European Tour and I would very much like to achieve that next year. I have not got myself into many possible winning positions over the past few years but I should have won the Portugal Masters in October, instead of finishing second. I had a triple bogey and two double bogeys that week and that's not my style of golf. My game did go through a rough patch a year or two back but I have got over that and it's nice to be chosen for the Europe team to play Asia in Bangkok next month. Would love to play Ryder Cup again - and, of course, win a second major.

Question: What's the worst bit about being a tour golfer?

Paul Lawrie: Being away from home and not seeing Marian and our boys for an extended period. For instance, although it's great to be named for the match in Thailand, it means I will be away from home for five weeks, playing in some other tournaments when I am out there. It's a bit better in the summer school holidays when the family can come with me. But, all things considered, it's a great life playing the European Tour.

Question: What's your favourite golf hole?

Paul Lawrie: The last holes at Muirfield and Carnoustie are pretty high up on my list of favourites but I would have to say that the one I like best is the short 12th on the Hopeman course. It's certainly the best par-3 I've ever played with the green over 150 feet below the level of the tee. A great hole. Worth going to Hopeman just to play it.

Question: What should youngsters concentrate on in practice?

Paul Lawrie: Their short game. Tiger Woods is not only the best player in the world, he has the best short game in the world. You should devote at least 60 per cent of your practice time to your short game. Among the top players in the world, there is a variety of swings and techniques but they all have one thing in common - they have great short games.

Question: Nick Faldo and yourself lead the way in Britain in running events for junior golfers. But there is an important difference, isn't there?

Paul Lawrie: Yes. The Nick Faldo Series is designed to uncover players who are going to develop into European Tour-class golfers. My junior series is all about introducing boys and girls to golf, getting as many of them to start the game as we can and giving them their first taste of competitive play through Flag competitions. I have no doubt that eventually some players will come through the Paul Lawrie Series to be play on the European Tour but that is not what we are all about. Next year I am hoping to get a national Paul Lawrie Junior Open off the ground. We tried this year but didn't get the support from national organisers so we are going to organise it ourselves in 2009.

Question: What's been the best shot you ever hit?

Paul Lawrie: That four-iron on to the green in the 1999 Open play-off at Carnoustie. I didn't know that Justin Leonard had bunkered his shot or else I would have laid up with my second. But I struck that four-iron as best as I could, under great pressure as you could imagine, and it was a perfect shot. Great feeling.

(In the 1999 Open play-off over Carnoustie's last four holes, Lawrie scored 5-4-3-3, Leonard 5-4-4-5, Jean Van de Velde 6-4-3-5).