Former world No. 1 Shin will begin the defence of her Canberra Classic title when the $150,000 tournament gets underway at the Royal Canberra Golf Club on Friday.

It brings her back to the course she dubbed her favourite on the planet - no real surprise given Shin has won two titles from as many attempts at Royal Canberra.

Meat pies were the secret to give her extra strength in her drive last year, but this summer she turned to a different ingredient in her preparation - a day trip along the Great Ocean Road.

Shin was initially keen to get behind the wheel of a Kombi van and travel around the coast. While the South Korean star couldn't find the keys for the vehicles etched in surf folklore, she still got to jump in with a tour company to see the iconic sights.

"Over the past couple of weeks I went to Melbourne with my trainer Richard Nizielski, and we had a great training, hard work to prepare for this week," Shin said.

"I went to the Great Ocean Road. It was such a great, amazing place. I am still feeling refreshed to play. This is my first trip to the Great Ocean Road, and I took some pictures and sent them to my family.

"They really want to come, so maybe next time in Australia I can have another trip with my family to see the Great Ocean Road and other good places."

The world No. 25 is just one headliner in a star-studded field boasting former world No. 1 Laura Davies, Hannah Green and Sarah Kemp as she continues her surge back towards the LPGA Tour.

The 30-year-old is desperate to retain her crown but for Shin it is a matter of legacy rather than prizemoney - last year she donated her $22,500 winnings to the ALPG's next generation rookie camp and other development projects.

It is a matter of legacy, and of course just as pressing is the chance to get her season off to a stellar start. Shin feels very confident - even a few stray puts during the Pro-Am won't derail her mindset.

"Straight after this, I have a Japanese event next week which is the opening event of the Japan tour," Shin said.

Straight after this I go back to Japan, so I unfortunately don’t have time [to explore more sights] even though I want to stay more here. It is just the beginning of the season so there is a lot of good events coming up.

"In Royal Canberra I have such a great memory every time from here. Actually I have two feelings, I have confidence and pressure on me. I’m more excited, I’m very excited to play.

"Last year I had a great year after I won this tournament. This is my first event of this year, so I want to make a good start to my season this year."

2019 CANBERRA CLASSIC

Friday-Sunday: Canberra Classic at Royal Canberra Golf Club.