Born in Sydney in 1889, Eric Langton Apperly lived and died for the game of golf. Taking up the sport at 16 to improve his delicate health, he quickly made a name for himself despite his unorthodox style and approach.
Apperley's made major inroads when making the final of the 1907 New South Wales Amateur Championships. A year later, he made the state team-a position he kept for 20 years. He would later claim the NSW Amateur title on five occasions, while his greatest feat was victory at the 1920 Australian Amateur Championship.
Apperley enrolled at the University of New South Wales, majoring in architecture. Going on to build various buildings around his hometown, he would foray into golf course design in 1926. Apperly had an appetite for holes with "thrills and interest." This became clear to him when realizing one hole could be both the favorite and least favorite to any golfer. His first course was Avondale, which still sits in Australia's top 100. Considered by some historians as Australia's first trained golf architect, his greatest legacies were at The Lakes in Sydney, the Newcastle, and New South Wales Golf Clubs-all of which have been constants in the Australian top 20.
Apperley married in 1923 and had a son, who would also go on to become an architect. Apperly passed away after playing the final hole at Manly Golf Club in 1951 at the age of just 61. A memorial shield bearing his name is competed for by all metropolitan Sydney clubs.