In the first year of the PGA’s Membership Pathway Program, Buckley transferred from the New South Wales South Coast to North Queensland earlier this year, a phone call from none other than seven-time major winner Karrie Webb convincing to pack the car – and her cat Denzel – and head north.

Shortly after arriving, Buckley was made aware of broken tees from the golf course being washed into adjoining waterways and, ultimately, out onto the Great Barrier Reef.

Sensing an opportunity to make a positive contribution to the club’s environmental impact while also feeding her creative side, Buckley instigated a ‘teecycling’ program that will result in an artwork that will be displayed in the clubhouse.

“We asked everyone to pick up five tees when they went out and played and to put them in a vase that we have on the counter at the pro shop,” says Buckley.

“The members got really engaged with it and the vase filled up really fast. Then the juniors got really excited and made it a little game within themselves.

“I’d be out playing and they would run over from other fairways with bundles of tees that they had collected.”

But it is not just the members at Townsville Golf Club who are excited by Buckley’s ‘teecycling’ program.

Rosemary Veitch is not only a member and Women’s Golf Group Coordinator at Townsville Golf Club but also a Townsville Northern Suburbs Lions Club member.

She presented the idea to a meeting of Lions Clubs in North Queensland, word spreading as far as south-east Queensland as ‘teecycling’ took on a life of its own.

“Rosemary’s very passionate about recycling and the environment so she was really excited when I wanted to do it,” Buckley adds.

“As well as the wooden tees, there are lots of little plastic tees that get broken which go into the waterways which is washing into our ecosystems with the animals and then feeds out into the reef water.

“As Rosemary said, it’s a little thing that everyone can do and it’s so easy to do, but actually if you compile it, it makes such a big difference.

“It was such a little idea. We’ll pick up the tees because they’re a problem and I’ll make an art project. And then within a couple of months, it’s literally spreading across Queensland and got so much interest, which is really cool.”

It also reaffirmed to Webb why she was so eager to have someone such as Buckley complete her PGA training at Townsville Golf Club.

“You can see how enthusiastic and full of energy she is,” Webb says.

“I think she’s someone that brings people together and all golf clubs need people like her.

“I look forward to seeing what Katie’s organised when I’m home next.”

With the vase on the pro shop constantly filling up, Buckley hopes to unveil her artwork to the Townsville members in March next year.

She is keeping tight-lipped on what can possibly be created with thousands of broken tees but would love to see other creative types express their visions at golf clubs across Australia.

“I went and played an Associates match at Tropics Golf Club recently and they had my poster up and a vase on the counter with tees in it,” she adds.

“I didn’t even know they were doing that, so it was cool to walk into another golf club and see it happening.

“Hopefully we see some cool art projects popping up in random golf courses all over Australia and perhaps I could judge them.

“I would love that. That would be right up my alley.”