Gordon - who broke 80 for the first time in a long time at the weekend - has been playing for more than 30 years, but insists her enjoyment of the game remains as strong as ever.

``I like the walk in the park, I like being outside and I love the bush,'' she said.

``Golf is just a little bit extra on the side.'' 

Although across the years she has witnessed change - both on and off the course - Gordon said the constant was the enjoyment factor, which is as high as it was when she started playing at Richmond.

``When I first started playing here [Mount Isa Golf Club] in 1997 we had over 20 to 30 players and a lot more women,'' she said.

``In the early 90s, they shifted a whole heap of mines people out of town.

``A lot of people left all at once and we've never really recovered.

``But we're still happy going along.

``We do really well.

``We're run really efficiently and Gail [Kum Sing] does a great job, all the committee people do.

``We've got a really good group of women and we all agree the main thing is having fun.'' 

Gordon - who plays weekly on Saturday whenever she's not camping - followed in the footsteps of her parents, who were avid golfers in their day.

``I started hitting the golf balls out of my dad's bag in the backyard,'' Gordon said.

``He said `I better take you out on the golf course'.

``I did it because mum and dad played every Saturday.

``Instead of hanging around the club I thought I'd caddie for them.'' 

Now Gordon dreams of regularly hitting sub-80, hopeful to maintain that form ahead of a big winter season full of competitions.

This weekend the women will contest the Easter Carnival, which will be a best net format played on Saturday and Sunday.