WHEN Melissa Ellis took on the general manager’s role at Castle Hill Country Club two years ago, a few bold members gave her the moniker “non-golfing sheila” but it didn’t take long for the sobriquet to wear off. “I came from a non-golfing background so when I first started here that’s what they called me, […]
IMG, owner and promoter of the Australian Masters, has announced that BetEasy will be the naming rights partner of the Australian Masters. The BetEasy Masters will be played at The Metropolitan Golf Club from 20-23 November, 2014 when world No. 2, Adam Scott will attempt to make history as the first player to win the Gold […]
Callaway Golf has announced that longtime Staff Professional Phil Mickelson has signed a multiyear extension with the company. “When I joined the team at Callaway 10 years ago, I knew I was making the best decision of my career,” Mickelson said. “And I feel even stronger about that decision today. Backed by innovative technologies, industry-leading […]
AS a nightclub bouncer, prison officer and pub manager, Aaron Muirhead knew a thing or two about keeping people in check. But having spent close to a decade in irksome jobs he decided to change careers and now works as the general manager at Nudgee Golf Club in Brisbane. The prison system and the pub […]
With two Open Championship titles, 91 professional victories, 20 US PGA Tour Titles and 30 Top-10 finishes in major championships, Greg Norman is certainly no stranger to success. But for a man who spent 331 weeks as the number-one-ranked player in the world, was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame and who was […]
Golf Services Management Pty Ltd has secured the management contract for the Rosebud Park Public Golf Course on the Mornington Peninsula with Rosebud Park & Recreation Chairperson Elaine Bertotto and Golf Services Management Director Ian Denny, signing off on the long term lease. Golf Services Management will undertake responsibility for the provision of golf management […]
The PGA of Australia, Golf Australia and Golf Victoria have joined forces on a new project which could lead to the most significant contribution to industry collaboration in decades. Over the last 12 months the three administrative bodies, led by their respective Chief Executive Officers Brian Thorburn, Stephen Pitt and Simon Brookhouse, have been actively […]
SYDNEY’S Lynwood Country Club and Castle Hill RSL Club Group have announced the commencement of formal partnership discussions to pursue opportunities for amalgamation. Like many clubs across Australia, Lynwood has been challenged by the ongoing financial viability of the club, with increasing cost pressures, cashflow challenges and difficult trading conditions. And they are not alone: […]
COULD more dialogue between the game’s governing bodies and public golf course operators be a solution to growing the game? It’s a view put forward by Matt Day. The general manager of Perth’s Wembley Golf Course says the attitude towards public golf courses needs addressing and sees an opportunity for Golf Australia and the PGA […]
The Board of Golf Management Australia (GMA) has confirmed the next GMA National Conference will be held on the Gold Coast from Monday 31st August to Thursday 3rd September 2015, at Jupiters Gold Coast. GMA President Damon Lonnie said “The 2015 Conference follows on from a very successful educational programme delivered at the 2013 Conference […]
A driving range near Hobart has fallen victim to a major theft of its golf balls for the second time this year. Close to 6,000 golf balls were stolen from Golf Park Hobart on Cranston Parade in Cambridge on Friday May 31 and taken away in bright-coloured plastic tubs. Police suspect at least two people […]
The Victorian Golf Industry came together on Saturday 21st June to recognise the outstanding achievements and contributions of individuals and clubs to the sport in 2013. Representatives from the PGA of Australia, Golf Victoria and Golf Management Victoria gathered at the Southern Golf Club to witness Kel Llewellyn being inducted into the Victorian Golf Industry […]
Ocean Dunes Golf Links on Tasmania’s King Island has suffered a timing setback and isn’t expected to open until mid-2015. Director Graeme Grant, who is also spearheading the course’s design and grassing, has revealed slow progress over summer and autumn has forced him to abandon earlier hopes of opening the course by February 2015. “That’s […]
It’s no longer a major surprise to hear that golf courses in Australia are selling, moving or merging in what is an unsettling time for our golf industry. Melbourne clubs like Chirnside Park and Eastern, which have relocated their courses further away from the CBD, may be set up for brighter financial days but their […]
One of the most common items of feedback received from golf clubs relates to clubs being able to positively plan their futures. With this in mind, GMA has undertaken a great deal of work with corporate specialist Tony Sernack to create and publish “The Green Book – The Essential Guide to Strategic Planning for Golf […]
There is a common misconception about Facebook among people I talk to in golf clubs. Many think when they publish a post on their business Facebook page that everyone who has liked their page will see it. This is, in fact, far from the truth! A few years ago the percentage of your Facebook fans […]
The ongoing health of Australian golf clubs is the focus of a new report released by Golf Australia and Golf Management Australia. The 2013 National Golf Participation Report, which replaces the previous Annual Golf Census, has identified clear trends in the areas of club membership, golf participation and club financial viability. Among the report’s key […]
When the tournament marshals surrounding the 18th green on the final day of the recent Volvik RACV Ladies Masters at Royal Pines on the Gold Coast raised their “Quiet Please” signs for silence as Cheyenne Woods completed her significant victory in the event, it might well be the last time in the immediate future that […]
A recent study has found that laser rangefinders can shave up to 30 minutes off a round of golf for mid- to high-index players. The study, conducted by California-based National University Golf Academy and Bushnell Golf, measured the speed of play of students with handicaps ranging from six to 18. Tested over two days at […]
BEING a golf club manager and a rules expert can be equally challenging, says Scott Wagstaff. Scott is the general manager at Carbrook Golf Club in Brisbane’s southeast and each year acts as a rules official at the Australian Open so he should know. The 37-year-old, known as the Shark Whisperer by some of his […]
CAIRNS Golf Club’s past president Paul Chirio says the Tropical North Queensland club is in safe hands following the appointment of Nerida Wilson as the club’s first woman president in its 90-year history. “The club has had its financial challenges in recent years, but with Nerida at the helm, and with a new board, we […]
TaylorMade adidas Golf recently announced the opening of their second Performance Lab at the new Golf Central Brisbane Airport complex within the Brisbane Airport Skygate and DFO shopping precinct. The new purpose-built fitting centre is only the second of its kind in Australia and will provide golfers of all ages and abilities access to state-of-the-art […]
The golf course designer behind one of King Island’s two spectacular golf course developments says his course is still at least 12 months away from opening for play. King Island Ocean Dunes’ designer Graeme Grant says progress at the coastal links course has been hampered by the harsh conditions of the 2013 winter. “November, December […]
ANGLESEA Golf Club general manager Rachel Kane lives in the heart of Geelong footy territory and many of the club’s members are Cats fans, but that hasn’t stopped her splashing Hawthorn memorabilia around her office following the Hawks grand final victory. “You should see my office window, it has flags, posters and scarves in it,” […]
Bayside City Council is inviting Expressions of Interest for an exciting opportunity to lease one of Melbourne’s premier public golf courses situated in the Bayside sandbelt. A 20 year lease is being offered from 1 July, 2014 for the Sandringham Golf Course, located in Cheltenham Road, Cheltenham (Melway 86 C2). Sandringham Golf Course has operated […]
The adidas Group and Adams Golf, Inc. (NASDAQ: ADGF) today announced that the TaylorMade-adidas Golf business segment has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire all of the outstanding shares of Adams Golf for $10.80 per share in cash. The transaction value is approximately $ 70 million (approximately € 53 million), which represents a premium […]
In what may be a stunning surprise to many, US-based Hanse Golf Course Design won the bid to design the golf course in Rio de Janeiro for the Olympic Games in 2016, beating out industry favourites including Jack Nicklaus, Greg Norman, Gary Player and Peter Thomson.
In a continuing sign that consolidation is growing more common in the Australian golf industry, Amstel Golf Club has announced that it has acquired the management and operational rights of the Greg-Norman-designed Settlers Run Golf and Country Club, in Melbourne’s eastern suburbs.
The agreement, which is set to begin in July, will see Amstel take over operations from incumbent Troon Golf, while members of both courses, thus allowing members of both clubs to gain access to each course.
PGA Professional Ray Wilson was among those honoured by the Governor General on the Australia Day honour list, awarded the Medal (OAM) of the Order of Australia last week. Wilson, the Club Professional at Strathfield Golf Club since 1961, was recognised for his ‘service to the sport of golf and to the community through a […]
Maybe golf’s ultimate wannabe heavyweight, that ubiquitous and annoying social climber named Trump, can co-opt the rights, since selling the product is at the core of this proposal and he’s got deep pockets. After all, the way things are headed, those hoping to claw their way into the PGA Tour starting next year first must […]
A $6 million redevelopment is taking shape at the Mildura Golf Club. The project will redesign the layout of three holes of the golf course, allow a 100 housing block subdivision and the development of a new resort. General manager Marcus Guthrie says the new holes are almost finished and the entire development is planned […]
Just a little over a year since the devastating 2011 floods hit Queensland, golf courses in Brisbane and further south on the Gold Coast have copped a lashing from Mother Nature this week. After a dry start to 2012, more than 80mm fell at the start of last week with a further 250mm falling in […]
The 59th PGA Merchandise Show Week is steeped in tradition but overflowing with innovation. All of golf’s top influencers and market leaders are in one place, plus more than 200 companies new to the Show. Product presentations from nearly 1,000 leading golf companies and brands to comparison shop and bring back the best merchandise assortment […]
Bundaberg’s John Kirchner is about to tee off on a dream golfing adventure, and it only took him 30 years to get there. At 53 he is about to play his first tournament in the Australian PGA Legends tour in Sydney, and John says he is excited to be taking his game to the next level […]
VETERAN Greg Norman is highly unlikely to add to his two majors, but believes Australia should see success at the highest level of golf soon enough. It’s been more than five years since Geoff Ogilvy took out the 2006 US Open, the nation’s last major triumph and the only one in the past 17 years since […]
The question I receive most frequently from my clients is: How do I increase the number of fans on my fan page? First of all, I would like to note that Facebook fan count is not the only way to measure ROI for your social media efforts. However, if it is your current objective, then […]
Thomson Perrett Golf Course Architects has been selected as one of 8 short-listed architectural companies to design the golf course which will host the golf event in the 2016 Rio De Janeiro Olympic Games. The announcement follows a worldwide competition launched by the Rio 2016 Olympic Committee. The “Request For Proposal” sought the leading golf […]
Bollé Australia have announced the appointment of Champion Sports to run the distribution of Bushnell’s world renowned golf-specific laser and GPS rangefinder product, utilizing their Australia and New Zealand-wide representative network to provide sales and technical service. In addition, Champion Sports will also assist in the distribution of the exciting new range of Bollé golf specific eyewear. Bollé Australia […]
Professional golfer and coach-of-champions Ian Triggs is teaming up with Brookwater Golf Club to bring the world-famous Ian Triggs Golf to Queensland’s number one golf course this July. Brookwater Golf Club is now fully-equipped with Industry-leading coaching facilities, with Ian Triggs and his team providing clinics and lessons to golfers of all ages and experience. […]
Australian golfing legend Greg Norman’s first course design in South Australia has officially opened for play. The finishing touches have been put on the first nine holes of the new Copperclub golf course at The Dunes Port Hughes on the Yorke Peninsula, with thousands of golfers expected to tackle the Scottish style links layout in […]
