California Dreaming!

Andy Hughes - assistant pro at Riviera.

Hertfordshire to Los Angeles: just over 5,000 miles.

But despite that seemingly vast distance, on another level the two places are world's apart.

Which makes it all the more intriguing how a former police officer from Rickmansworth is now the assistant pro at Riviera, L.A.s most famous golf course, and mixing in celebrity circles which include the likes of Will Smith, Samuel L Jackson, Justin Timberlake and Hugh Grant.

His name is Andy Hughes and this is his story.

"Well, where do I start? I was a police officer in Hertfordshire without a care in the world, playing golf as much as possible. I tried the EuroPro Tour Q School and had a wake-up call. I just was not good enough.

"Then one night after work I went on a boys night out in Watford where I met Helen, who is now my wife, and I've never looked back.

"Helen was offered the opportunity to work in L.A. so we flew over to the States to check it out.

"Not long after, we made the decision to relocate and on January 1st 2007 we packed up and set off for a new life in L.A.

"Helen was very supportive and said she would back me in what ever I did. I owe my amazing story to her."

Andy couldn't work for three months due to his Visa so he spent his days playing golf, deciding what job he could do and looking for places to rent.

Then fate took over.

Without realising, Andy and Helen had moved next door to the son of famed golf coach Eddie Merrins, an honoured member of the World Golf Teachers Hall of Fame, the former coach at UCLA and now the Club pro Emeritus at Bel-Air.

Eddie's views on the game are always worth listening to, particularly his inside takes on the many actors and entertainers who strut the fairways in L.A.

"They're never satisfied, and after a round they're inclined to talk about all the shots they left out on the course," says Eddie.

"Fred Astaire was almost manic in his quest for more distance. Sean Connery constantly checks his positions in the mirror, which I never thought was helpful - I call it a "vanity check."

"Jack Nicholson gives the impression that he doesn't care how he plays, but he does. Hugh Grant became immersed in the concept of the swing being three-dimensional.

"Celine Dion wanted a full discourse on my "Swing the Handle" philosophy - and she wanted it in 10 minutes. Entertainers are perfectionists by nature. They have to be, I suppose."

Andy's new L.A. home, next to Eddie Merrins' son Mason, was just five minutes away from Riviera Country Club but, despite having heard of the course, he had no idea it was virtually on his doorstep.

Andy soon struck up a friendship with Mason and the two discussed the golf industry as a possible career. Not that Andy was pitching his sights very high at that stage as his total lack of experience meant he was going to have to start at the bottom and work his way up.

And that was how he set out.

Andy was interviewed at several places but the answer was the same: "We're looking for someone with more experience." However, Candlewood Country Club - about an hour away - decided to take a chance on Andy. "I got the feeling they had been looking for a while so they gave me the job for which I will be eternally grateful.

"I had a great time at Candlewood, working for a great Head pro and GM, and they looked after me very well. They were a small club with great members and it was invaluable how they showed me the ropes in such a small time."

Six months at Candlewood made Andy fully aware of The Riviera's historical significance and he would drive past the course wondering what and who was behind the gates.

His curiosity was soon answered.

"One day I was told The Riviera were interviewing and I went to my head pro and told him I wanted to give it a go. At first he laughed but then told me 'Well, you have to always move onward and upward'.

"I will never forget his support although when I asked him if he was upset he told me he wasn't worried and wouldn't start hiring just yet!

"I got through the paper feed and then had two interviews. I thought they went well but when I saw the quality and level of golf pros applying I didn't get my hopes up."

But clearly Andy had made a big impression. A short time later his phone rang. It was the Riviera and they wanted to offer him the job.

That was two years ago but here in 2009 Andy is still pinching himself.

"What can I say, what a rollercoaster ride and it's still going. I went from a great job at my first Country Club which no one has heard of to the Riviera with a membership made up of L.A.'s most rich and famous.

"I have played where the likes of Hogan, Nicklaus and Faldo have walked, not to say the course where Tiger made his PGA debut.

"But I must point out Tiger and Nicklaus have tamed most courses but not the Riviera; that makes me smile."

Andy is referring to the fact that Riviera is one of the last remaining places on earth where Woods has not reigned supreme. Since missing the cut there as a 16-year-old in 1992 Tiger has not won in 11 starts at the L.A. course. If Tiger is Superman it's been said that Riviera is his kryptonite.

Maybe Andy could remind him first hand.

"I went to a cocktail party with Tiger and Will Smith and got to meet both of them," he recalls. "Better than a night out at Wetherspoons in Watford I guess!"

Most UK golf fans know the Riviera as a once-a-year stop on the US Tour's West Coast Swing where the stars of the show are out on the course.

But from behind the ropes Andy has a very different take. On a daily basis he sees the likes of Joe Pesci, Mark Wahlberg and Jack Nicholson walking through the door.

No wonder he concludes that "working at the Riv is like watching Entertainment Tonight!"