Wangaratta Magpies stalwart Mat Grossman was about ready to call time on his days with the black and white by the end of last season.

The two and a half hour drive for footy was beginning to wear thin on the 39-year-old who with his partner Nikki, was spending more time with his young sons Henry (3) and Charlie (1) in his hometown Melbourne.

But five games short of a major 200-game milestone with the Magpies, and with some convincing from club leaders and his Buckland Valley born and raised partner, an opportunity presented itself.

Grossman and his family moved to the area and re-committed with the Magpies, but he’ll be bringing more than his football talents with him.

The eager sportsman is beginning a side-hustle in golf coaching, primarily from the home base of former reserves coach Brennan Jenvey’s impressive golf simulator, set up in his rear shed.

Grossman said he has held a golf club in his hand for as long as he can walk, and his current +2 handicap shows it.

But he is eager to pass on the knowledge he has gained from some of the best PGA coaches in Australia among the local golfing fraternity.

“People generally want to come in and out of a lesson better than what they were, but it doesn’t necessarily work that way,” he said.

“Eventually all of us are going to mishit a ball, the longer you hit balls the closer you are to mishit one, it’s something I had to accept in my game.

“Out of 10 shots, they need to see what one will look like with that improvement, and that’s pretty good.”

Grossman’s golfing lessons will primarily be held at the simulator, preferring the accuracy of the data driven from a personalised swing before perfecting it on the golf course.

A teacher by trade, Grossman said he hoped to explore other roles where he could use his experience in teaching to help others, and golf was a natural fit.

“Coaching and playing tournaments is something I’m looking at doing once footy wraps up,” he said.

The 39-year-old could’ve pursued a career in the sport if he didn’t take the path to Williamstown VFL and then Wangaratta, and has played in recent qualifying events for the Victorian Open.

"When you've got a field of 120 and they take five, at best seven players out of that field, it’s pretty tricky,” he said.

Grossman said he particularly enjoyed getting out on the course with those at the club, with Jenvey, Dale Carmody and Matt Kelly regular playing partners in recent months.

“Playing with Matt is an interesting experience… the detrimental self-talk that takes place with him can be a bit confronting at times,” he laughed.

Grossman is on transfer with the Wangaratta District Specialist School as he starts up his latest venture and begins to embed himself in the community he has represented for the past decade.

As he settles into his first season while living in Wangaratta, Grossman said he was looking forward to engaging himself with the club and community further.

“Having a young family and having them immersed in the club, an incredibly welcoming group with a lot of young families there as well, will be really helpful and supportive for Nikki and I,” he said.

“We had an intra-club [earlier this year] and I said to Nikki I’ll play and I’ll be home in five minutes, for me to do that previously would have been a big event in terms of planning.”

His ‘Pies are coming off the back of a narrow 15-point grand final loss to bitter foes Wangaratta Rovers last season, after they surprised many in making a run to the last game of the year.

Grossman said the current list at the ‘Pies shared a lot of similarities with the team that won in 2017 as an underdog against Albury.

“Jason [Heatley] could see something in our group and he has been an amazing driver of self-belief,” he said.

“A lot of people would agree we’re probably stronger than we were 12 months ago but you look at the rest of the competition, that’s the only way to survive now, you’ve got to keep up with the rest of the pack.

“If you're not willing to do the work and you rely on your talent, then anyone can beat anyone.”

As Grossman prepares for game 196 against Rovers on Good Friday, he said it was the people he met along his Wangaratta journey who pushed him to the threshold of joining the club's greats at 200 games.

“The gift of Wangaratta for me is the people I played with,” he said.

“People ask how I keep doing it, well the community here, the football club and the journey I’ve been on with the people is what inspires me.

“I’m working at the specialist school with Luke Mullins who I was playing with here 10 or 11 years ago and we’re reciting little stories and things that happened, it’s a lovely trip down memory lane.”

If you’re interested in taking a golf lesson with Mat, you can text or call him on 0419 355 843.