The youngest member of the team of four PGA Professionals, King continues to chase his dreams as a professional golfer while balancing his full-time work commitments at Queensland’s Mount Coolum Golf Club.

It is a delicate balance but one which may pay off handsomely when the matches against New Zealand, Canada and South Africa take place at Kyalami Country Club in Johannesburg.

King completed the PGA of Australia Membership Pathway Program in early 2021 and now works under Stephen Jenkins as the Assistant Professional at Mount Coolum.

Harbouring a strong desire to play on tour, King manages his schedule so that he can play regularly with the Mount Coolum members, the practice of throwing balls on the tee to determine partners fortifying a skill he may call upon in South Africa.

“I work split shifts during the week so I can play competitions with the members on Tuesdays and Thursdays,” explained King, who finished second at the PGA Professionals Championship at Hope Island in January to qualify for the Australian team.

“There’s a bit of pressure when you’re the pro and you’ve got to hole a putt for someone else,”

“To be fair, I guess that’s pretty much what we’ll be doing in South Africa in a couple of weeks!”

A profound level of dedication – both to his game and the club – has always come naturally to King.

“Balancing my work with my ultimate playing ambitions is something I’ve always done ever since I’ve been in the shop,” he says. “It’s certainly something I’m used to.”

It’s paying off, too. For King, who earned five starts on the ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia last year, the big-time tournament exposure has been invaluable and is a significant driver in his continued development as a player.

“It’s all about getting a level of comfort in those big events,” says King. “The big one for me last year was getting a start in the Australian PGA – I learnt so much, about myself and from what all the others were doing.”

A career-best finish T16 at the Northern Territory PGA Championship also a highlight, King is enjoying the process of learning and growing as an individual.

While his priorities haven’t shifted – he still wants to be the best golfer he possibly can – King is aware that his personal development can only lead to stronger performances on the course.

“I’m finding out a lot about myself,” he says. “Everything from travelling a lot more, playing events, having to be more independent. They’re simple things but it’s made me grow a lot.

“I’m learning to be more comfortable and confident around all sorts of people.”

Growth that will surely hold him in good stead in South Africa next month when he tees it up alongside Jamie Hook, Matthew Guyatt and Murray Lott, King can’t wait to represent his country on the world stage.

“Representing Australia is something I always wanted to do as a kid. To be able to do that in golf really is an honour.”

King and the rest of the Australian team depart on August 30, before the Four Nations Cup gets underway on September 2.

Head PGA Professional at the Royal Melbourne Golf Club since 1997, Richard Hatt could be excused for shirking the responsibility of cleaning the club’s fleet of golf carts. Instead, he remains as dedicated to every aspect of his wide-ranging role as he was the day he started.

“I want to be hands on,” he says. “I’m always keen to be involved with the club – every part of it. Otherwise, it’s time to go.”

Over the course of nearly 30 years, Hatt has become an integral part of The Royal Melbourne Golf Club. His passion and dedicated service acknowledged in a recent release to members, as the club announced his contract extension.

The quality that makes him an invaluable asset to Australia’s Sandbelt gem, Hatt’s unwavering passion has underpinned everything he has done since taking on a role at Royal Melbourne – and even long before – as he went about forging a career in golf.

“Growing up, I would eat a golf ball,” he recalls. “Mum would drop me off (at Peninsula Country Golf Club) and I would go round and round and round. I’m obsessive by nature and I instantly got hooked on it.”

His love for the game blossoming at that early stage, Hatt worked alongside the Head Professional at Peninsula, David Good. There, he got his first taste of working in golf; helping with repairs, running members’ competitions and lending a hand in the shop.

Inspired to take a role as a Trainee (now PGA Associate) Professional once he finished school, Hatt worked closely alongside Good for two years at Peninsula.

“I went to him, worked for him and he was a great mentor. He taught me golf, I played non-stop and he helped me fall in love with the game.”

Gradually making a name for himself, Hatt was sought out by Royal Melbourne legend and long-time Head Professional, Bruce Green, in 1993. The beginning of a long and flowering relationship – and another invaluable mentorship – it all happened in the space of one conversation.

“He said, ‘I’d like to offer you a job,’ and I thought Fantastic,” Hatt recalls.

“I asked, ‘When do you want me to start?’ and he said ‘Tomorrow!’”

The next day, Hatt set his clubs down on the practice fairway and gave his first lesson at The Royal Melbourne Golf Club.

“I started doing lots of coaching – like a lot. My biggest day, I did 18 lessons in one day.”

With a fastidious attention to detail and imbued with a desire to help every golfer improve, Hatt Began collating lesson notes. Documenting every student’s development, Hatt – who still coaches most mornings – has amassed quite a collection.

“I’ve kept every lesson book since 1993. My wife thinks I’m crazy, but one day I’d love to sit down and work out how many lessons I’ve actually done.”

***

By 1997, Hatt was made co-professional alongside Bruce Green, a partnership they shared up until Green’s retirement in 2018.

Immediately, he was put to the test on the world stage as he helped to co-ordinate the hosting of the 1998 Presidents Cup.

“We were negotiating merchandising rights with the PGA TOUR and all of those sorts of things,” he recalls.

From there, it was a continual process of learning, development and expansion of his skill set, as Hatt – under Green’s watchful eye – came into his own as a Head Professional.

“Bruce taught me how to engage with the members,” he says. “I learned a lot from his guidance.”

It is the strength of this relationship with the club’s membership – along with his perception of his own role – that has been the foundation of Hatt’s success at Royal Melbourne.

“We’ve got around 2,300 managers here. They’re the members,” he explains. “We are here for them and they’ve got the say.”

In an era when most golf clubs are transitioning to managing their own golf service and retail, Royal Melbourne has maintained a club and contract arrangement with Hatt; one that continues to inspire him and his team in the pro shop to strive for excellence.

“We live and breathe it,” Hatt said. “At the end of the day, it’s my staff, my shop and how good or bad I go is up to me.”

“One of my great strengths is that never do I come in and not want to do something different,” Hatt says. “Every single day.”

“I’m thinking up harebrained ideas all the time – what can we do to entertain these members and look after them? I’m always looking to make it interesting for them, I’m driven that way.”

For Hatt, this process lasts long after each member walks off the 18^th green.

From putting his staff through a merchandising course, to hand-wrapping Christmas gifts for members and even developing a manual for how the Pro Shop should be arranged at all times, he understands that little things amount to a premium experience for everyone at The Royal Melbourne Golf Club.

“It’s that engagement and making it exciting for members to come to the club. We respect where we are and are trying to be the best at everything we do.”

His unwavering drive was highlighted throughout the COVID lockdown period. Hatt was prepared to reinvent himself and his business, dedicated to providing the best-possible service, as well as ensuring the safety of his staff.

Immediately taking action once the doors were closed, Hatt thought outside the square. He and his management team created an online store for members, ran quizzes that engaged up to 400 people at a time, sent out newsletters and provided online coaching and playing tips to engage the community while the fairways were vacant.

“It was a disaster, but we made it an asset for us,” he said. “We did a lot of things that we normally wouldn’t do and it gave us a good kick-starter.”

The value he places on his people shone through, too – as Hatt managed to retain every member of his staff.

“I never lost one staff member through the whole time. My goal was to keep them all.”

“The easiest option might have been to let them all go and save the money, but I couldn’t let them down.”

His tireless flexibility is on show once again as the club embarks on an extensive project to install an underground car park and revamped storage area under the existing practice fairway.

Although the practice facilities have been largely closed since November last year, Hatt has implemented a range of solutions.

“It’s the same principle. We’ve had to innovate.”

Increased bunker clinics and golf schools, as well as a transition to a new member-integration system have typified the adaptability, but Hatt is most excited about the changes being made inside the pro shop and launching a new experience for the members.

“It’s going to be brand new for the members. We always want to make it exciting for them to come to the club.”

***

For a man who wears a number of caps every day to help enhance the experience of every golfer he meets, the one he wears the least is actually playing golf.

“I don’t play as much as I did in the past,” he says. “There’s always something else busy that’s happening.”

Not that it particularly bothers him; Hatt gets great joy from immersing himself in golf in other ways.

“I still feel like I’m playing golf when I’m talking golf, thinking golf and living it,” he says. “I still absolutely love the game, even after all this time.”

That love, combined with a genuine sense of care has ensured his longevity at Royal Melbourne – something that Hatt is grateful for every day.

“It’s a passion. It started as a passion and became a job,” he says.

“I never really see it as a job though. I never have.”

Working with up to 220 kids across three locations in Perth – Rockingham Golf Club, Lake Karrinyup Country Club and Collier Park Golf Course – Parry has seen a dramatic increase in girls joining his junior clinics.

Whether inspired by the deeds of fellow West Australians Minjee Lee and Hannah Green on the LPGA Tour, the greater exposure provided to women’s sport in general or the opportunities offered by the Australian Golf Foundation Junior Girls Scholarship program, girls are coming to golf in their droves.

“Looking through my whole academy over the three locations, it’s probably looking at a quarter of my students are now girls where before it would have been maybe 10 per cent,” Parry explains.

“Through the education system, girls are being encouraged and have the opportunities now to play all these sports, including golf.

“Golf WA, Golf Australia and the PGA are embracing this with the girls’ scholarship and the girls are embracing that as well.

“They feel more comfortable to get involved in these programs and try these games and realise it’s not just for the boys. It’s great.”

Originally from England and having spent time in China before arriving in Perth five years ago, Parry’s focus has been in the junior space for much of his career as a PGA Professional.

The brother of DP World Tour winner John Parry, Mark has recognised the ways in which girls learn the game and the environments in which they feel most comfortable.

“I really enjoy teaching the girls because they’re a bit more mature and they can focus on the smaller details,” says Parry.

“With the boys it’s a lot more game-based and higher speed drills – hitting shots and aiming for targets – but the girls take in a lot more information.

“They can focus a little bit better sometimes than the boys and have that mindset where they want to learn the techniques and learn how to do it.

“We actually had a girl turn up last week for her first lesson and when she saw the girls’ clinic straight after she said, ‘I want to move to that class.’

“Having them together relaxes them for sure and becomes more sociable for them.

“They can just get on and do their thing without the boys taking over.”

Parry’s approach has proven particularly effective at Rockingham, where he estimates the number of junior girls engaged at the club has doubled in the past 12 months.

The Junior Girls Scholarship program has been integral to that and provided a direct pathway to club membership.

“We’ve got six girls into that, obviously all becoming members of the golf club,” says Parry.

“Two of them have got their handicap so far and we’re only halfway through the program. The goal is to try and get all six with handicaps and then progressing and moving forward.

“From that we’ve also had another couple of girls join up into our academy looking to join the golf club too so, as far as Rockingham goes, that’s been huge.”

Heavily involved in also taking golf into schools – he introduced some 1,000 kids to golf in visits to 12 different schools around Perth last year – Parry says his passion for coaching juniors stems from the opportunity to introduce new people to the game.

“I guess a lot of pros want to get in with the better players and enjoy coaching single-figure handicappers but I’ve always really enjoyed growing the game,” Parry adds.

“It’s always been about getting out there and getting as many people involved as possible.

“For me, it’s just a lot more fun. It’s a lot more flexible. It’s not always just about being technical. There’s lots of different ways to engage with kids, doing different activities and games, rather than simply, ‘You’ve got to swing it this way.’

“It’s always been my passion.”

PGA Professionals are the best people to guide your son or daughter in their formative stages of playing golf. To find the PGA Pro closest to you visit www.pga.org.au/find-a-pga-pro.

Golf had always been a passion for Elliot Beel yet it existed largely on the periphery.

While a career in golf was part of the plan, life continued to get in the way.

There was a stint working in a sports retail in Brisbane following time spent overseas, his interest in golf leading to a sales position at Drummond Golf.

He was playing well enough to represent Ashgrove and went through the entire Brisbane District Golf Association Pennants season undefeated before he and wife Jo decided to relocate to Mackay, winning the 2009 Mackay Toyota Men’s Open.

They had their first child in 2010 – a second would follow little more than a year later – and Beel was working part-time in the Mackay Golf Club pro shop with Jeffrey Reid.

The first time he considered undertaking the PGA’s Membership Pathway Program was in 2011 but a diagnosis of osteoarthritis prevented him from playing golf for the next 18 months.

It wasn’t until 2018 that Beel – at the urging of his wife and following the departure of Joseph Rickman – approached Reid with the idea of becoming his 43-year-old PGA Associate.

“The opportunity came up to work back in the industry and I was like, ‘Yep, let’s go,’” says Beel, who completed the Membership Pathway Program in 2021 and was named the National PGA Associate of the Year.

“I’ve always enjoyed the coaching aspect and wanted to be able to impart my passion and my knowledge of the game, particularly to young kids. I enjoy that side of things.

“The only real way I could do that was to venture down the Membership Pathway Program.

“I knew what I was getting into. Having a family at home, we knew it was going to be a challenge, but we went into it with our eyes wide open.”

Given his sales experience and familiarity with the membership at Mackay Golf Club, Beel’s transition was a smooth one, but not without its challenges.

Two school-aged children leave little spare time in the day yet Beel was able to manage his time, utilise Mondays for the completion of assignments and maintain a high standard in terms of both education and playing throughout his three years.

“Having that experience on my side and being more of a mature-aged student helped me in some areas,” Beel explains.

“I had a lot more ability to manage my time better and I had the attitude towards assignments of, ‘I’m going to get in, get stuck in, get it done and then move on to the next one as quickly as possible.’

“I wasn’t concerned about how old I was. It was the pathway to where I wanted to go.”

Now working as a PGA Professional at Mackay, Beel is intent on making good on the intent that he first told Queensland State Manager Broc Greenhalgh and Joe Janison in his interview before embarking on the Membership Pathway Program.

“I said in my interview that my goal was to grow the game of golf in North Queensland,” says Beel.

“That was what I went in with and I’m trying to do my best to honour that.

“We’re running junior programs now, we’ve got ladies programs in the mix and we’re trying to introduce more and more people to the game.

“You can play golf with a friend. You don’t need to have a team. You can play it on your own. You can play it with mum, play it with dad. It’s that type of sport.

“I think there’s a lot of potential to grow it, without a huge amount of burden.”

Applications are opening soon for the Membership Pathway Program. If you have a passion for golf and for helping others visit www.pga.org.au/membership-pathway-program for more information on how you can become a PGA Professional.

A showpiece of the Melbourne Sandbelt, ‘The Heath’ is a place where the greatest of traditions of the game are observed and where the game of golf is celebrated.

Whether rightly or wrongly, that can be an intimidating place for new golfers to join but under the guidance of club management, the board and Director of Golf Justin Burrage, a new wave of members are being welcomed with open arms.

The construction of the highly anticipated short course will cater to beginners, juniors and the club’s low-markers alike but it is the establishment of the Women’s Heath Gateway Program that has had an immediate impact.

Conducted by PGA Teaching Professional Tom Corker (pictured), the program has proven so popular that after three iterations there is now a waiting list for the fourth.

A total of 105 women have taken part, 35 have already progressed to full membership and it is expected as many as 15 more will join once the third program is completed.

Named the Victorian PGA Club Professional of the Year in 2021, Burrage says the Women’s Heath Gateway Program is just one way in which Kingston Heath is opening its doors to new people.

“It’s essentially a try-before-you-buy program where the women will come in for inductions to golf and the club, go through a series of clinics which have been brilliantly run by Tom Corker and then participate in some social activities,” Burrage says.

“They then have the option to take up a trial membership for a period of six months which provides some access to the golf course and to competitions and some more one-on-one coaching with Tom.

“We’ve developed to a point where it’s actually achieved its goal in getting more female members and a female membership that is slightly younger than what the traditional club has been. It’s ticked a lot of boxes in actually filling the demographic that we were hoping to fill.

“There could be a slight intimidation factor of joining a club such as Kingston Heath so one of the key components was making it about friendship and creating the right atmosphere that we all see that the club has anyway.”

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A large intake of the women taking part in the program has come via family members who are existing Kingston Heath members and Burrage expects the short course to have a similar impact on junior numbers.

Designed by the team of Ogilvy Cocking Mead, the nine-hole course will feature holes varying in length from 75 to 130 metres that will also help to foster the feeling that Kingston Heath is a place for the whole family.

“This is a family and we want people to feel part of the family as soon as they walk through the door. That this is their home away from home,” said Burrage, who is coming up on 20 years at the club.

“That’s something that I’ve encouraged my team to really, really work hard on; making sure that everyone that walks in the door feels like they are part of the family, even if they’re only here for four hours.

“I think the short course is going to be phenomenal. It’ll be a great place for nurturing and growth of interest in the game, whether it’s for juniors or for just new people into the game of golf.

“We’re putting that spare land into purposeful use for the betterment of golf, for the betterment of members and for the betterment of members in the future. It’s great to see that the committee and the members have been brave enough to do that.

“The Women’s program with the wonderful support of Women’s Captain Nikki McClure was also a brave thing to do that wouldn’t have happened 15 years ago.

“As one of the people involved there are a couple of decisions that have been made that makes us quite proud to be part of a club that is thinking progressively at this point in time.”

PGA Professionals throughout the country offer programs for all members of the family to get started in golf. To find the nearest PGA Professional to you and your family visit www.pga.org.au/find-a-pga-pro.

Jack Macleod is so focused on developing long-term relationships that deliver continual improvement that he has changed the vocabulary with which he offers his services.

He has steered away from the coach/student description and adopted a moniker as a golf trainer.

In an age where people have embraced monthly subscription services for their workouts and entertainment alternatives, Macleod offers a range of golf training subscriptions starting from $60/month that establishes a routine of constant engagement.

“I say this to the guys at work when they’re recommending my service, it’s just like training with the pro,” says Macleod, who is based primarily at X-Golf Mentone in Melbourne.

“Instead of saying ‘He’ll give you a lesson,’ rephrase it to say, ‘Jack trains with a lot of players and they really improve.’ It’s almost like a cooperative wording of, ‘He’ll train with you to help you get better.’

“That’s my business model anyway, try to engage with people that want to improve.

“Hopefully they’re nice people and we get along really well and we share the journey together. And have a bit of fun along the way.”

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Key to that cooperative approach is a focus on goal setting.

When Macleod takes on a new client the first session is typically spent defining goals, the areas of improvement they are looking for and the first steps necessary to achieve those goals.

Whether the client is training with Macleod weekly, fortnightly or monthly, there is a WhatsApp connection that not only enhances accountability but provides a constantly open line of communication.

“My point of difference over a lot of other coaches is I do a training program for my clients,” Macleod explains.

“Whether they’re training in X-Golf or go to a range, I give them just a little sheet to work off, similar to that of a personal trainer.

“They provide the list of exercises and how to do the exercises. Say there’s a focus on driving, I’ll give them some exercises to do on the range, whether it’s getting 70 per cent of swings through the target and then try the same at 100 per cent. Whatever the fault is, we try to give them some games and things to play.

“And when they play, I ask them to send me their stats using WhatsApp.

“Just to try to keep that conversation thread going, but also just to make that goal a bit more tangible because they’re a bit more dialled in when they’re training.

“Over the weekend I might get 30 or 40 WhatsApp messages come through and at some point I’ve got to write back to them.

“It is a lot of extra work but that’s trying to be best practice of being a coach.”

A PGA Professional since 2009 who boasts a Diploma in Sports Coaching and is graded by the PGA of Australia as an Advanced Level Coach, Macleod is adamant that his approach is beneficial to both he and his clients.

“It would be a very clear number of people that engaged really closely with their drills and their training program and have an eye on their stats that they’re poor at, train for that and improve it. They would improve tenfold than someone that wouldn’t do that,” Macleod says.

“And a lot of that’s the lesson follow up. A bit of a training program and just having those all based around the player’s goals really. It all starts and ends with the goals.

“The general engagement absolutely has to lead to retention. Certainly in my experience, when I’ve just taken a bit more time to engage with my customers, it just improves tenfold.”

To connect with the PGA Professional who can help you to achieve your goals in golf, visit www.pga.org.au/find-a-pga-pro/

Ever since completing his PGA qualifications in 2011, Mercieca has been on a constant search for continual improvement.

Among his list of achievements in advanced study Mercieca has become a Trackman Certified Master, obtained his Titleist Performance Institute certification in Level 2 Golf Professional, Level 2 Junior Coach and Level 2 Power, achieved a K-Vest Level 2 certification in 3D Data and Biofeedback and earned Focus Band certification.

That – and the influence of some of the finest golf coaches both here in Australia and overseas – enabled Mercieca to achieve Australian PGA Professional Advanced Coaching recognition as he seeks to become the most complete coach he can be.

Currently based at Gainsborough Greens just north of the Gold Coast where he has his own fitting and coaching studio, Mercieca is forever seeking ways in which to advance his own education.

“You need to know how the body works, you need to know how the motion is supposed to work in regard to the biofeedback, you need to know how the club is affecting what the ball is doing,” Mercieca said of his interest in the study of biomechanics.

“That’s where the TrackMan data comes into it. The mental side of things is massive as well. If you want to have a well-rounded knowledge base of the entire game to be able to help people, they’re the avenues that you’ve got to go down.

“You just need to know that stuff. If you don’t know that stuff, then you’re going to fall behind, I think. And more importantly, you’re not going to get the message across to the student as quickly as possible.”

And therein lies the key.

While knowledge is indeed power, the way you disseminate that information to a range of students that includes tour players all the way through to 22-handicap club golfers, the application of that information is even more important.

“Don’t get me wrong, it’s a very technical sport, but having all of the knowledge and then being able to pass that information over in a way that’s easily digestible by the student is one of the keys to being a good coach,” explains Mercieca, who began his PGA training first under Peter and Lee Harrington at the West Burleigh Driving Range and completing it under Mark and Sean Bath at Gold Coast Country Club.

“There’s definitely a place for technology in coaching beginners but you’ve got to be able to get the message across concisely and in quite simple terms.

“Somebody who’s a little bit more advanced might want a bit more information about why they’re doing something or a bit more justification as to why they’re doing it. But even then, a lot of the time elite students don’t really want too much information either.

“You’ve just got to profile each person that’s in front of you and work out how you can make them better the fastest.”

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Mercieca had planned on travelling to the US to complete his Level 3 TPI qualifications in coaching and junior coaching before the COVID-19 pandemic stalled international travel.

It will form part of the next phase of his development as a coach and equip him further to get the best out of whichever golfers come into the studio.

“I do think that it’s very important as a coach to be adaptable,” adds Mercieca.

“I don’t ever see myself giving the same lesson twice in a row, that’s for sure.

“Every single lesson is different, every person’s different, everybody learns differently so being adaptable and knowledgeable across every aspect of the golf swing is really important.”

PGA Professionals are the most knowledgeable and qualified people to help improve your game. To connect with your local PGA Professional and begin your journey to better golf visit www.pga.org.au/find-a-pga-pro/

These are the intangibles that Patrick Fairweather and other PGA Professionals provide that take the anxiety out of purchasing new golf equipment.

A club rich in teaching history given the influence of David Mercer and Greg Hohnen over many years, Killara had been limited in the club-fitting capabilities it could offer its members until only very recently.

The club has never had a dedicated driving range and it was only in 2020 that Head Professional Patrick Fairweather had a fitting studio built, a service that members can utilise free of charge.

But it was Fairweather’s decision to also provide an online portal at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic through his website (www.golfyou.com.au) that gave Killara members the full equipment experience.

Established as something of a ‘click and collect’ service when the COVID-19 restrictions prevented members from entering the pro shop or even coming to the club at all, Fairweather has seen a dramatic increase in sales based on the combination of customer service and convenience.

“Since I’ve put the fitting room in, we’ve seen a significant increase in hardware sales,” Fairweather explains.

“As soon as COVID hit, I had two staff sitting around doing nothing, so I said, ‘Right, let’s build a website.’

“We just jumped on Shopify, I bought a domain and then we just started watching YouTube tutorials on how to build a website.

“We just put everything we had in stock in the shop, put it together and off we went.

“It kept everybody engaged, staff wise. And it also made me relevant to the members.”

Given the teaching focus that has been predominant first under Mercer and then continued with Hohnen, Fairweather recognised that equipment sales and service was the area of the business most open to growth.

The construction of the fitting studio significantly increased the capacity of the self-proclaimed “tiniest shop in the whole of Australia” yet Fairweather believes it is the trust between the pro shop staff and its members that is the greatest sales tool of all.

“That’s the competitive advantage we have, is that we’ve got the ability to be able to take the members inside the studio and say, “OK, if you’re looking at that, let’s go and see if it works,’” says Fairweather, who began his PGA training under Mercer and Hohnen in 1997.

“We start the process off by asking the member to bring in what they’ve currently got and then we’ll look at every brand we have and see which performs best.

“Then we’ll send the member out onto the golf course with one of our demos that we think is exactly the right club for them.

“If we need, we can refit. That provides the confidence of knowing that they’re not having to commit to $1,000 on a driver that might not be right for them. And even if they did walk out and pay for it, they can always come back and we’ll always find a way of helping them.”

In terms of hardware Fairweather stocks major brands such as Callaway, TaylorMade, Ping and Titleist and has a full range of buggies, shoes, clothing, balls, bags and accessories, the majority of which have the prices clearly shown on the online store.

“You have to be competitive price-wise,” Fairweather says of being in the market with online and off-course retail giants.

“I can fit anyone for set of TaylorMade irons and within three or four minutes of walking out the door they’ll know what the best price on the market is. If I supply a bad price to start with, then I’m way off the mark.

“With the fitting room, we found a huge increase in volume so all of a sudden you can support the margins that might be a little lower than what they used to be.”

For trusted, expert equipment advice at a reasonable price, visit your local PGA Professional. Find your nearest PGA Professional at www.pga.org.au/find-a-pga-pro/

Their daughter, Kristalle Blum, was the inaugural winner of The Athena in 2021 and is making her way in professional golf so when they took over the operations at North Haven in 2016 their plans came from a place of care and understanding.

They understood that at a public golf course, the perception that any member of the community might not feel welcome had to change.

They understood that this would cause consternation within the existing small but passionate member base who might resist change, but they knew it was necessary.

“Golf clubs to Graham and I are our home and our family,” says Burton, North Haven’s Golf Operations Manager who also coaches at nearby Penfield Golf Club.

“That’s how we treat every single one of them we’ve ever worked at and hopefully the people that come in feel that.

“Consequently, it’s about the experience they have when they get here. If we can put on things such as the Hangover Cup – a par-3 18-hole event on New Year’s Day – that’s gone from 24 players the first year in 2017 to being oversubscribed with 48 this year, it just creates this wonderful atmosphere around the club.

“When we took over, not everyone liked what we were doing. But even if they leave you get so many new people coming in that want what you have created.”

In the past two years the biggest growth sectors within the North Haven membership have been in women and the 25-to-40-year-old male category.

The appeal is not so much the nine-hole course lovingly cared for by Graham to the north of Adelaide that sits by the edge of St Vincent Gulf but the people found within.

“They just never realised what a club and what golf could offer them,” Burton says of the young men who have hung up the footy boots in favour of a 5-iron.

“You’ve only got a short lifespan as a player in footy but they have found something that has been able to take its place. They didn’t realise how competitive it was and they’ve loved the competitive side.”

The latest engagement initiative was Graham’s baby and again proved popular with the North Haven membership.

A popular event at golf clubs throughout the UK, the inaugural Greenkeeper Revenge Day gave North Haven’s golfers the competitive outlet and fun environment that they crave.

“The Greenkeeper’s Revenge certainly got more interest than I was expecting,” Burton conceded, Graham setting up all manner of weird and wonderful challenges including one hole in a bunker, a green littered with pull buggies and even one hole protected by a toilet seat.

“We’ve started a nine-hole women’s comp. The women could always play with the fellas in their normal comp day but they didn’t have anything just for themselves.

“That’s certainly proved popular. Even though we might only have a dozen women, we had no women, so a dozen’s great. We’ve gone from having no members to 35 women members in the past two years.

“We’ve just got to keep pushing it. We’ve just got to keep pushing the barrel, and every time you feel like you’ve hit your head up against brick wall, you just step around it and go again.”

If your club is in need of some fresh ideas, talk to your resident PGA Professional about ways in which the club can foster a fun and inclusive environment for all levels of golfers. Visit pga.org.au/find-a-pga-pro/