EVER wondered how it feels to tee up with golfing legends like Ian Woosnam, Greg Norman and Darren Clarke? Now there is an opportunity to find out, in the company of Dorset’s most successful golfer Gary Emerson.

The 46-year-old European Tour winner is sharing 15 years’ experience of rubbing shoulders with the world’s greatest players through golf days at Remedy Oak – the county’s most prestigious course at Horton.

It’s a business venture that Emerson hopes will prove a winning combination.

During his peak, Emerson earned the right to play alongside some of the biggest names in the sport. Remedy Oak, meanwhile, has been voted one of the top 100 courses in Britain and Ireland.

Emerson has been paired with Woosnam in the third round of the Dubai Desert Classic, Norman in the Spanish Open and Clarke in the penultimate round of an Open championship.

He went on to win the Russian Open in 2004 and finish runner-up in two successive seasons at the KLM Dutch Open and Quinn Direct British Masters at The Belfry.

Emerson’s tournament career, however, hit the rocks in 2007 when he lost his playing privileges after finishing in 220th position on the European Tour Order of Merit.

In the two previous years he had finished a creditable 76th and 72nd on the money list with average winnings of 311,000 Euros.

This, however, plummeted to just 37,000 Euros in 2007 as Emerson found himself in the golfing wilderness.

“Tournament golf is in my blood and I still miss the camaraderie of the players on Tour,” said Emerson.

“But there is nothing guaranteed in this sport and for whatever reason I lost my form and with it my job.”

Since losing his tournament livelihood, Emerson has combined further attempts to regain his status with pursuing other golfing business ventures.

“Hopefully my hard work on the practice range will put me in a position to challenge for my card again,” said Emerson.

“But even if I get back on the European Tour, I would never give up the company golf days,” he added.

“I’ve held seven already and they have all been very successful. I’m really enjoying them and it makes a change to help other people’s games without having to worry about my own score.”

A typical day with Emerson starts with a golf clinic before he joins three players for a round of golf. He is then available for tips on the golf range.

The day ends with Emerson joining the party for dinner and holding a question-and-answer session.

Anyone interested in getting the inside story of the European Tour can contact Emerson through Remedy Oak on 01202 812070.

Emerson, meanwhile, returns to the Qualifying School later this month. As a past European Tour winner, he avoids the first two pre-qualifying tournaments and goes straight to the final phase.

This year’s gruelling six-round examination is at PGA Golf de Catalunya in Spain from November 28 to December 3, with just 30 players earning their cards for next season.