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Kyle Michel has his dad to thank for introducing him to golf.

Simon Michel was a keen golfer who had his son out on the green as soon as he could walk.

Kyle was two years old and a family friend had cut an adult club down to a size fit for a toddler. The 16-year-old said he hadn’t been able to keep away since.

‘‘It’s just the enjoyment — people that... will come out and just want to have a game, they don’t really worry about how they’re playing, they just have a chat and have a laugh— it’s that kind of thing,’’ he said.

Fourteen years later, Kyle was selected to represent Victoria at the School Sports Australia Championships in Perth — his proudest achievement yet.

‘‘It was a really good experience,’’ he said.

‘‘I was really happy because I wasn’t really expecting it . . . I didn’t play that well in the state final (prior to selection).’’

Kyle puts his success down to hard work and a great coach in local golf professional David Trower.

‘‘He was the coach when I first started when I was two so he’s always been my coach. He keeps it pretty simple. He doesn’t get too technical with anything,’’ he said.

‘‘We’ve always been together so it’s... easy for him to tell me what to do and what I’m doing wrong.’’

When Kyle found out he had been awarded a Local Sporting Champions grant for all that hard work, he didn’t even know he had been in the running.

‘‘I got a letter back in August just out of the blue, I didn’t expect it at all,’’ he said.

‘‘Mum didn’t even tell me she’d put an application in for it. It just arrived in the mail that I got a $500 grant.

‘‘I was pretty happy.’’

He said it was nice to know that his family would be offered some extra help, particularly his dad who laughingly describes himself as ‘‘a taxi service’’.

Now Kyle’s focus is aimed firmly on making a mark on the world golf rankings and making the state team for a second year in a row.

‘‘I want to become a professional, so that’s just a lot of practising and going through a lot of the state squad systems... to improve my game,’’ he said.

‘‘I’ve moved up into the proper under-18 state squad now, which is a squad of 12 and they pick eight to play in... Perth next year.

‘‘If I practise hard enough it’ll come through for me.’’