Burgess began his career as an assistant professional at Ashlar Golf Club in Colebee, New South Wales, a suburb of Sydney.
The teammates played "flawless golf," birdieing the 5th, 6th, 11th, and 15th holes, and did not make a bogey.
[3] On 6 July 1970 the New South Wales (NSW) team, of which he was part of, played excellently at a state golf championship.
Burgess birdied four of the first six holes to build a big early lead against Ratcliffe and went on to win 7 & 6.
Burgess started well winning the first hole with a birdie and then the 2nd as Gresham failed to make par.
[9] By December his application had been approved and he had started working at Muirfield Golf Club in Sydney.
[10] Like all Australian apprentices of the era, Burgess was not allowed to earn money in professional events for a year.
Burgess was at a tie for seventh entering the final round at 218 (+5), three back of leader Vic Bennetts.
He ultimately finished in a tie for third with American Bob Murphy, three back of champion David Graham.
[14] Soon afterwards, he played in the 1976 South Coast Open held at Catalina Country Club in Batemans Bay, Australia.
Despite the good play he was unaware he had a chance to win until he reached the final hole.
There he missed the green but hit a chip shot to 3 metres and made the clinching par putt.
In February 1977, he put himself in a tie for third place with a score of 140 (−4) after the second round of the Victorian Open.
Through the first 12 holes, Burgess played bogey-free golf but his lead had been eliminated.
When Burgess arrived to the 13th his tee shot hit a bank and deflected off the green.
It was a "tense" situation and Burgess thought his chances of winning might be over at this point.
[14] Earlier in the year, he had already decided to play fewer events, citing excessive travel in 1976.