Golf Business news, GMA news, staff appointments, marketing, financials, social media and trends
The PGA of Australia announced today that CEO Brian Thorburn would be stepping down, having successfully completed his second three-year contract with the Association when it comes to the end of its natural term in February 2017. Peter O’Malley, Chairman of the PGA Board thanked and praised Thorburn for leading the Association over these important […]
Veteran Golf Promoter Tony Roosenburg has decided to close the doors on his golf promotions business TRP Sports after 36 years. “It has been an amazing run of success since I arrived as an immigrant from the Netherlands in 1981 and started with Tony Charlton in the Golf Industry, ” said to Roosenburg. TRP Sports […]
Peregian Springs Golf Holdings Limited (Holdings) has announced tha tGolf Services Management Pty Ltd (GSM) has been granted a lease to operate the Peregian golf course and clubhouse for 5 years with a further 5 year option. GSM is a golf course management company operating five golf courses in Victoria – Bay Views, Kingston Links, Ranfurlie, […]
The powers of the Golf NSW Council have been transitioned after an historic vote of Councillors last week. This followed an earlier vote by the member clubs and districts that overwhelmingly voted in favour of the changes. With the support of all parties in place, the Golf NSW Council ceased to exist on 7 October. […]
NATIONAL software developer MiClub recently launched TeeNet, a markedly different tee time booking website. TeeNet offers Australia’s largest tee time range. As a non-commercial initiative, TeeNet has no onsite advertising or contractual pricing arrangements. There is no administration fee for players using the site and no contracts or commission fees for clubs or courses. Aside […]
Western Union Business Solutions has been announced as the Official Foreign Exchange Partner of the PGA of Australia and an Official Partner of the Australian PGA Championship. As one of the world’s leading providers of cross-border business payments, Western Union Business Solutions is transforming how businesses can expand their global reach through one of the […]
The Yering Meadows Golf Course in Melbourne’s famed Yarra Valley announced last month that it has successfully negotiated a competitive sale of its properties and will retain existing management. After a 12-month sale process, the Yering Meadows management team was presented with an offer from new owner Yering Properties Pty Ltd, a company established for […]
Top award for WA’s Alex Monteath WEST Australian golfing stalwart Alex Monteath doesn’t like surprises, but he received one recently when Golf Management Australia (WA) honoured him with the WA Golf Industry Recognition Award for services to golf. “It was more of a shock than a surprise because I had no idea it was […]
With more members utilising golf carts in courses across Australia and New Zealand, cart paths become an increasingly necessary part of course design, which can also provide revenue streams not otherwise available. Cart paths provide a number of benefits to a course or club. They ensure members can play throughout the year, regardless of weather. […]
One of Sydney’s busiest golf course makeover companies, James Wilcher’s Golf by Design, has won the contract to rebuild Strathfield’s new-look layout, with work recently beginning on the project. The GBD Master Plan for the project was released late last year and the new design will feature both the 18th and eighth holes finishing near […]
WHAT do St Andrews, Augusta National, Pebble Beach and Royal Melbourne have in common? They all use Tru-Turf greens rollers to produce perfect putting surfaces. The Gold Coast-based company has revolutionised the way greens are cared for and even has the US PGA Tour singing its praises. Mind you, it wasn’t always smooth rolling. “When […]
AUSTRALIA’S only organic golf course is up for sale. Originally created to provide a place for recreation while preserving the environment, Kabi Organic Golf Club (KOGC) at Boreen Point in the Sunshine Coast hinterland, has matured into a challenging and picturesque golf course. Designed by renowned golf course architect Graham Papworth, the golf course is […]
A groundbreaking move by three of Melbourne’s top ranked golf clubs to establish a ‘super club’ could shine a light into the future of club golf around Australia. Huntingdale Golf Club, Patterson River Golf Club and the Sandhurst Club, after extensive preliminary investigations, have advised that the clubs will enter into a Heads of […]
Eagle Ridge, a Mornington Peninsula 18-hole golf course and wedding venue, has been sold for an undisclosed sum to a Melbourne-based family. The Russo family, who have owned Eagle Ridge since 1995, began a public sale campaign several years ago. Fielding interest locally and from abroad, the Russos were looking for the right purchaser to take the reins […]
Walkinshaw Sports Pty Ltd last month announced the acquisition of wholesale golf business Cooperative Golf Services (CGS). This will see all existing international distribution agreements held by Cooperative Golf Services for this region now fall under the Walkinshaw Sports banner. Walkinshaw Sports have taken this strategic move at a testing time in the golf industry, […]
NO golfer, irrespective of his or her handicap, walks off a green after a three putt feeling good about themselves. And while The Brisbane Golf Club cannot guarantee a golfer’s most detested deficiency never occurring on their greens, club captain Terry Campbell is adamant the probability has greatly decreased now the course has Ultra Dwarf […]
Golf in the southwest of Victoria has received a major shakeup with 24 clubs in the area settling into their membership as part of the newly formed Western District Golf Association. The association came into being after three former districts – South Western District Golf Association, Women’s Golf Western District and Corangamite District Golf Association […]
ON COURSE Golf members partnered with Callaway Golf in 2014 to raise funds for Movember – the organisation that raises vital funds, promotes awareness for prostate and testicular cancer and supports mental health through Beyond Blue. The tally was an impressive $35,000 making the two-year combined total $85,000. Members from both companies joined forces to […]
The gates at Ocean Dunes on King Island will swing open before the end of the year, according to the man responsible for building the stunning 18-hole golf course. Graeme Grant – former long-time superintendent at Kingston Heath in Melbourne and one of several directors at Ocean Dunes – said the front nine and the […]
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 […]
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: […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 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 […]
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