Noosa’s new man at the top has unique background in golf

By Peter Owen

A FORMER golf pro, turned administrator, who spent 20 years in the golf industry in Asia and owned the winner of the 2015 Stradbroke Handicap, has taken up new role as general manager of Noosa Golf Club on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast.

Anthony Sinclair, whose CV reads like a Hollywood movie script, succeeds Allan Harris, who’d been in charge at Noosa for 15 years.

Sinclair, born and raised at Bathurst, became a PGA professional and campaigned with some success before a broken leg put an end to his competitive career. He then headed to the United Kingdom, where he worked for Formula 1 legend Nigel Mansell as head professional at his luxury Woodbury Park Hotel and Golf Club in Devon.

Then he moved to Asia where, for the next 20 years he was involved in managing, and consulting to, businesses across a broad range of sectors from property and luxury lifestyle facilities to fashion and high-end sports retail, distribution, academies and golf operations.

He worked in Indonesia, Malaysia and Vietnam, before launching his own golf equipment distribution company. 

Sinclair was persuaded by his mother to return to Australia and landed the first job he applied for – general manager of Federal Golf Club in the ACT. He found what he described as ‘a very challenging situation’ and proceeded to change the club’s fortunes. 

He increased turnover from $3.4 million to $6.3 million, attracted 400 new members, doubled the number of rounds played monthly, added 15 new corporate partners, increased equipment sales by more than 200 percent, and instituted a rebrand and marketing plan for the club.

In 2021 he was named NSW/ACT Management Professional of the Year.

Sinclair, who confesses to having particular admiration for the work of golf clubs’ grounds staffs, put Federal’s revival down to new course management practices that led to the circuit’s current superb condition.

“The condition of a golf course comes first, second and third to my way of thinking,” he said.

Sinclair also added he was excited about the club’s Master Plan, which he said was now well advanced.

Sinclair was also excited about the club’s Master Plan, which he said was now well advanced.

It was the Noosa board’s determination to embark on an expensive renovation of its course that attracted Sinclair to the Sunshine Coast club – that, and the fact he was a regular holiday-maker to the region and loved the lifestyle Noosa offered.

“I mean, if you can find suitable employment in this part of the world, why wouldn’t you take it?” 

Sinclair also has a mother living at Maleny, in the Sunshine Coast hinterland, and a sister at nearby Coolum. “I know the area very well,” he said.

Away from golf, at which he is still a scratch marker, Sinclair’s passion is horse racing. One of the several thoroughbreds he’s raced over the years is Srikandi, the outstanding Ciaron Maher-trained mare who won the 2015 Stradbroke Hcp and the Tatts Tiara – both Group 1 races.

“It was the thrill of a lifetime,” he said. “I can’t begin to describe the pleasure of owning even a small piece of a horse which wins races like that.”

Sinclair has been joined on Noosa’s executive staff by a new superintendent, Scott McComas who, in October, received the Golf Course Superintendents Recognition Award at the Queensland Golf Industry Awards.

Formerly at Nudgee, McComas has a particular interest in new technology in equipment and turf care and has been the driver of weed-free playing surfaces at Nudgee. 

He replaces Mick Pascoe, who is relocating to Indonesia to oversee a new golf course, designed by Ernie Els for the Trump organisation.