CHORLEY may seem like a million miles away from the glamour and warm climes of Thailand's sunshine resort Phuket.

But while Nick Dougherty today launches his bid for Johnnie Walker Classic glory in South East Asia, Shaw Hill Golf Club will never be too far away from his mind.

It was at the picturesque Whittle-le-Woods club that Dougherty took his golfing education before hitting the professional ranks.

The former Blackburn student spent eight years of his childhood living with his golf-playing family at Shaw Hill's lodge house, located just a few yards from the course's first tee.

Re-locating from Merseyside to Chorley at the age of 11, the new home provided an ideal base for the young up-and-coming golf star.

Every day, arriving home from Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School, Dougherty immediately dumped his textbooks for a driver.

And as the years progressed, it became clear to those at Shaw Hill that he would graduate from model pupil' and make it to the very top.

Dougherty, 24, still a member at Shaw Hill, holds nothing but the fondest memories for the club that sent him on his way.

"Shaw Hill is a great club and it's shown by how many great golfers are coming from there now", said Dougherty. "There's a lot of good young players coming through.

"I've been fortunate enough to be a member at courses like Formby and I've played at a lot of great courses.

"But for me, the reason I've got my attachment to Shaw Hill is because the members there make that golf club.

"It's a true golf course that has always supported me. I still get support from them today, wherever I go in the world.

"I owe them a lot for the help and support they've given me over the years."

Dougherty added: "I was at Shaw Hill from 1992 and lived there for quite a long time, about eight or nine years.

"It was funny living next to the golf club. Members were always pulling in, stopping and asking how I'd done.

"It was weird, a strange feeling living close to the course. But it was lovely - a great place."

With such a hectic schedule on the European Tour, hitting courses across the globe, Dougherty finds it difficult popping back to Shaw Hill to meet up with old friends.

But he will endeavour to make a visit soon, especially to catch up with Tony Godfree, Shaw Hill's captain elect for 2008, and who took Dougherty under his wing as the club's junior organiser.

Dougherty said: "I will get back to Shaw Hill, certainly for Tony because he's a great guy and he played a massive part in who I am today.

"Tony and a few others come to watch me out in tournaments - they were recently out in Dubai.

"He's going to be captain at Shaw Hill and I will support him. If I can, I'll probably go and play at the Captain's Day."

While Shaw Hill provided nothing but happy memories for Dougherty, he could not say the same for QEGS.

Born in Liverpool, Dougherty was teased at school for his Scouse accent, which he has now lost, and admits he went to great lengths to mix in with fellow students.

"When I went there, I had a strong Scouse accent and they didn't like that," laughs Dougherty.

"It's strange but that's how I became a Manchester United fan. I never really liked football, I was more into rugby.

"But QEGS is a big football school and because they were so horrible to me at first for being a Scouser, I felt like a duck out of water.

"Consequently, I decided to support a football team. Obviously, the team doing well at that moment was Blackburn Rovers and it was the Shearer and Sutton era.

"But I decided on Manchester United - which is against everything I believe because I'm from Liverpool, but Liverpool didn't have a good team then."

Although trips to Chorley are now infrequent for Dougherty, he spends time helping to financially support Derian House Children's Hospice based in the town.

Derian House is a charity that looks after terminally-ill children in their darkest hours, offering them and their families a refuge which gives support and care to help them through their illnesses.

Dougherty admits his involvement with the hospice has brought his own life into perspective, providing him with inspiration.

He said: "I'm fortunate that I do a lot of work with Derian House. It's my chosen charity and I try and raise money when I can.

"For me, it's the best cause in the world because these kids are not going to have the privilege of reaching 30 or 40 years of age.

"You are talking about children who are not past five or six years of age and that's extremely humbling.

"I'm sure when I've walked through their doors, I've been more upset than the children. It's a real eye-opener and it gives you a zest for life.

"It's extremely inspirational and it drives you to be a better person.

Dougherty added: "I took a little boy called Robert to a Manchester United game because he's a huge fan.

"He was a mascot for a game.

"And to see what something like that meant to him was fantastic.

"It was probably the greatest thing he's ever done, to walk out in front of 75,000 people at Old Trafford, in a United kit holding Gary Neville's hand.

"It reminds you of what's important in life. I've seen so many great things in life, that it's so easy to lose sight of how great they really are.

"I was doing a photo shoot at the Great Wall of China and thinking, It's freezing up here', rather than thinking I'm at one of the world's most amazing places.

"So it's nice when you do drop back down to Earth."