From one hour to the next, Grace Lennon can find herself teaching a five-year-old to swing a club for the first time, to an 85-year-old whose love for the game will not abate.

Proud of the fact that as a PGA Professional she can tailor a golf offering to suit the needs of any player she comes across, Lennon meets a wide range in her role as a Teaching Professional at Albert Park Driving Range in Melbourne. Ultimately, however, regardless of their skill-level, age or background, one thing remains the same.

“I just want to help people to enjoy the game,” she concludes.

Delightfully simple, it’s a philosophy that Grace, and more than 2,000 PGA Professionals right around the country adopt as they work passionately to help more people fall in love with golf than ever before.

“I know the game can sometimes be a bit overwhelming, so helping someone to get the ball in the air or shoot under par – whatever their goal might be – helping them to achieve that is a success,” she explains.

With that as her definition of success, Grace works hard to ensure that wherever her students might be on their golfing journey, after lessons with her, they are set on a path to become rusted-on golfers.

“Now that I have the opportunity to help people, I am conscious of keeping things as simple as possible,” Lennon notes. “We don’t want to give so much information that a player might become overwhelmed.

“In that way, they can continue to enjoy the game.”

With extensive experience as a player on the WPGA Tour of Australasia as well as overseas, Lennon is well-placed to help everyone appreciate the nuanced lessons that golf provides.

“It’s not always the fairest game,” she laughs. “But I’ve learnt that it generally pans out overall and the more you stick at it, it tends to come together. These are the skills and broader life lessons that golf teaches you.”

After completing the PGA Bridging Course in 2020, Lennon now has the chance to impart these lessons on the next generation of golfers.

Not something she takes lightly, it is a responsibility that she believes PGA Professionals need to embrace in order to help golf thrive.

“Ultimately, we all want to see golf boom and have more people – especially the younger generation – involved in the game,” says Lennon. “As PGA Professionals we are all working to try and make golf as fun as possible and show people what a great game it is.”

Something she witness first-hand on a daily basis, Lennon was thrilled to play in the history-making ISPS HANDA Australian Open alongside the men’s and All Abilities fields and knows that the flow-on effects of this coming together will be positive at the grass-roots.

“We have already seen a big spike in golf over the last little while,” she says. “Generally speaking, there are more people, especially women getting into the game and coming to the range and getting started. That’s the biggest thing I’ve seen.”

As this new wave of golfers receive the time, dedication and care from PGA Professionals like Lennon, they are bound not only to enjoy the game, but to form an enduring and life-long connection to it.

Golf’s boom in the past two years has been particularly noticeable at club level, where memberships and playing opportunities have been in hot demand.

A 36-hole facility that sits just on the New South Wales side of the border with Queensland, Coolangatta-Tweed Heads Golf Club is not only providing the foundation for a strong future for its membership, it is also actively promoting both ends of golf’s spectrum

The club boasts a proud history of hosting high-class tournament golf.

Greg Norman returned as the reigning Open champion to win the 1986 Queensland Open at ‘Cooly-Tweed’ – in front of an impressionable Karrie Webb, no less – and last year alone the club hosted the Ladies European Tour co-sanctioned NSW Women’s Open and the Queensland Amateur.

But the COVID-19 induced golf boom has not only bolstered Coolangatta’s membership base but provided new opportunities, such as hosting the Women’s Golf Network, which the club will do for a second time in March 2023.

Whether it is the popular member events, external tournaments or corporate days, General Manager Nicole James is tasked with bringing them to life.

A graduate of the PGA’s Membership Pathway Program in 2000, James has held numerous roles throughout the industry over the past two decades and plays a critical role in ensuring Coolangatta-Tweed helps to foster all levels of golf.

“From a club perspective, we try to do our bit to support the industry,” explains James.

“We’ve held lots of big tournaments and lots of very prominent names have played here so it’s nice to keep that going.

“We need to be growing the game. Not only as a club and our membership but providing opportunities for new golfers to come here. Whether that’s as part of a coaching clinic or social play, it’s about exposing people to the game.

“That will help to keep the game really solid and help us to all retain the current influx of players.”

With a background in management and golf operations that extends back to her time at Avondale Golf Club on Sydney’s North Shore as a 25-year-old, Purcell enjoys setting a direction for the sport.

Alongside her husband James as co-Head Professional at Wagga Wagga Country Club and now as a Board Director for Golf New South Wales, Purcell is driven to create an environment where golf is set up for long-term success.

“I want to continue to provide a resource to clubs so they can continue kicking along and getting more people into the game,” she explains. “We need to continue to offer people exactly what they want in golf.”

“I always liked the running of golf in an overall sense,” she says. “I liked the idea of running it at a higher level. That management background helps to open your eyes to what the golf club needs.”

Having also worked at North Ryde Golf Club, Highlands Golf Club in Mittagong and now back in her home town of Wagga Wagga, Purcell has a good sense of what different clubs need, and this is something she is looking forward to bringing to life in her new role on the Golf NSW Board.

“Because of that (the time at different clubs) I had a broad range of experience of what golfers wanted and what clubs might be struggling with,” she adds.

“Being involved in the sport at a higher level is really interesting to me.”

Jamie McCallum can’t help but laugh when asked to consider just how many junior golfers he might have worked with during his time as a PGA Professional. Even a ballpark figure doesn’t bear thinking about for the 2021 PGA National Coach of the Year – Game Development, who delivers a range of programs to budding youngsters every day at the thriving Albert Park Driving Range.

“Between school holiday clinics, school groups and our own MyGolf program, yeah, it’s a lot,” he laughs.

A former Australian Tour player himself, McCallum understands that fostering a love of the game relies on having strong role models to show the way, something he was lucky enough to enjoy when he came to the game as a 12-year-old.

“I got lessons from a PGA Professional at that time from Ian Donnelly at Keilor Golf Club,” recalls McCallum. “He instilled all the basic fundamentals in me from the start; things like my grip and stance.

“From there, I just became addicted. I started to love the game and would play whenever I could.”

Although the notion of getting hooked on the game in such a way is not uncommon, McCallum appreciates that he was very fortunate to have received the level of care and attention that he did from Donnelly. So, once he became a PGA Professional himself, McCallum sought to offer the same experience to every young golfer he came across.

“I’ve taken his lessons into my own coaching,” he explains. “A lot of the way he went about it with me as a junior has shaped my philosophy today.”

Beyond the stance, grip and swing, McCallum believes that when it comes to junior coaching, PGA Professionals have a broader responsibility to tee up youngsters for success, whatever that looks like for them.

He remains a firm believer that golf is a game that should be enjoyed for life, and that a positive introduction to the sport goes a long way to ensuring people have the desire – and the basic skills – to pick up a golf club whenever they may want to later in life.

“All I want to do is introduce them to the greatest game there is,” McCallum smiles. “I stress to every kid that you can play this game for life; with family, friends, at university and even work. You can have a good skill for life and I just love the whole picture of that.”

Not in the game to produce a production line of Tour professionals, though he is quick to point out that if any junior does have the desire to follow a high-performance pathway, he would be keen to support their journey, McCallum’s philosophy to his work is delightfully simple.

“I just want to make sure they all have the most enjoyable experience possible.”

To make that happen, McCallum employs a wide range of techniques to engage kids of varying ages, abilities and even interest levels. A combination of mini games, competitions, slightly more specific drills and even the odd prank has kept them coming back over more than a decade.

“Sometimes I mix in one of those exploding balls on the tee,” he laughs. “That’s the sort of thing that sticks in the minds of kids and you can see their faces light up with excitement.”

It’s that pure joy on the faces of the next generation that lights up McCallum, too. From helping a junior clinic group get a photo with Usain Bolt, to running a MyGolf promotion in partnership with triple-Premiership player, Tom Hawkins, McCallum is always keen to create lasting memories at the golf course.

“They remember these things, and it makes it enjoyable for them.”

He also knows that coaching juniors isn’t for everyone, but considers it one of the great privileges of being a PGA Professional that gets to play such an integral role in the development of young people.

An honourable outlook, it is just part of his nature and happily it is golf that allows McCallum to express it every day.

“I love mentoring and working with young people,” he explains. “Not everyone is suited to it, but it works for me and my personality so I actually find it quite easy.”

A source of fulfilment as well, McCallum is happiest when he can see that juniors he has coached in the past, maintain their association with the game in one form or another. From those who pop back to the range and share a memory about a particular clinic, to those he has helped secure work in the industry, McCallum knows that as a PGA Professional, he has the chance to make a lasting impact.

“What we are doing is much more rounded than just golf.

“We are instilling life skills as well as golf skills.”

PGA Professionals are delivering junior clinics right around the country. MyGolf is Australia’s national junior coaching program; delivered under the guidance of a PGA Professional, it is the perfect way to get started in the game.

Find your nearest provider and sign up today!

Currently completing the Advanced Diploma of Leadership and Management with the PGA Institute, Young is finding that hitting the books is helping him to thrive in his role as assistant General Manager/ Director of Golf at the Northern Golf Club.

“It has been beneficial in a practical sense, because the tasks that I’m doing for the assessment are things I am currently doing in my job anyway, Young detailed. “It’s making my outcome at work better, because you get some ideas from the modules you’re doing – It’s been a really good start.”

Having begun his PGA Associateship at Heidelberg in 2005, Young has worked right throughout the golf industry. In the golf shop and coaching on the range at first, he moved on to run his own business; operating coaching services out of Yarrambat in Melbourne’s North.

“I really enjoyed that process and wanted to develop my coaching during those years,” he recalled.

A desire for increased stability, however, led him to accepting the Director of Golf role at Eastwood Golf Club. A position he held for three years, Young came to enjoy the administration side of the game.

“Being behind the scenes and pulling the strings can be particularly rewarding when things come together and you see the outcome working,” he said. “I think PGA Professionals are best placed to do it (working in club management), with a range of experience you just have a better sense of what will work and what the membership is after.

“Grounding as a PGA Professional makes it much easier to put all these different hats on; from changing a keg, signing up a member, giving a ruling or helping behind the till, the days are always so diverse.”

A man in demand, Young returned to Heidelberg to run the golf shop on a contract basis for a further six years in 2014. The chance to balance a level of stability while still having the opportunity to coach, Young was also able to impart some of his knowledge onto the next generation of PGA Professionals.

“I had five Associates go through their Associateship under me during that time,” he said. “That was really rewarding and now to see them progress through the industry on their own journey is great.”

As the broader golf industry boomed in the wake of the pandemic, Young made the move to Northern, where he started out coaching and club-fitting, before the management and administration side of the game came calling once again.

“The club asked me to split my week with twenty hours of coaching and twenty hours of golf operations,” Young explained. “I was keen to dive into the operational side of things again and after six months, we had achieved a lot.”

Not one to overstate it, Young completely redesigned the website, completed an overhaul of the club’s marketing, oversaw a change to all online systems, as well as an updated point-of-sale.

“I was really enjoying it and getting an insight into how the club works,” he laughed.

From there, the team at Northern was more than willing to support Young’s progress, agreeing to fund his study with the PGA Institute; their preparedness to invest in his development accompanied by a promotion to his current role.

Young’s chance to bring together his range of experience and take Northern’s offering to the next level, he believes that the process of ongoing education is vital for PGA Professionals looking to keep up in a rapidly changing industry.

“The golf industry is changing so much at the moment,” he explained. “Operationally, it is moving so quickly with technology and the general attitude towards getting more and more people involved.

“I really think that the training that is available is the best way to understand how to communicate effectively with current and prospective golfers alike.”

A firm believer that the current trend is taking golf in the right direction, Young is keen to use his rapidly expanding skillset to be at the forefront.

“I would love to be a General Manager one day and to run a facility that is quite literally open to everyone,” he says. “From the steady weekly member, to someone who just wants to come for lunch and has no idea how to hit a golf ball, that level of inclusion and diversity of experience is where I want to head.”

A noble ambition, Young knows that he is giving himself every chance to achieve that dream.

“The whole industry is opening up, golf clubs are becoming facilities for everyone to enjoy and embracing education and training helps to make us better at driving that.”

For more information on the PGA Institute and the courses available to everybody, click HERE

I’m probably a little bit different to most PGA Members. I went through Q-School to become a PGA Member and actually came to it quite late in life; 2013 is when I became a PGA Member, but I have supported the organisation going back to the 1990’s, so my involvement with the PGA is quite a long one.

I initially got involved taking over the sponsorship of the trainee (now PGA Associateship) championship in Queensland. I did this for a number of years to get it back on its feet and continue forward with the championship that the PGA had in place. So, it’s a longstanding connection, but my Membership is coming up to a decade.

I am a Member of the SParms PGA Legends Tour and now have a continuous membership, which means I have passed all the criteria to keep my membership which is not easy in itself; it is quite a challenge. I was a squash professional when I was younger, until persistent injuries forced me to retire. I realised when I was taking my surgeon to tournaments that my time was probably up and golf became a focal point for me. I missed the competitive side of things, and that’s why I went to Q-School to gain my Membership.

My PGA of Australia Membership means a great deal to me, it really is an achievement of which I’m very proud. It wasn’t easy, anyone who thinks it’s easy is kidding themselves, but now I hold it very close to my heart.

I’m also probably one of the largest sponsors of the Legends Tour; across multiple events and as the promoter and underwriter of the Gold Coast PGA Championship. When I became a Tour Member, it was never my intention to be just a playing Member. I wanted to continue my role to support the PGA – and the tour that I am fortunate to play on.

It is my love for the game that drives that. The game has been very important for me; I run quite a large business which has its tensions and problems and golf has always been my escape from my daily routine and a way to get away from work.

The business, Rix Developments, was started by my father Norm. He was able to build an empire; he created it all and he’s worked tirelessly. He still works today – at the age of 87 – and to be honest, I don’t think he’ll ever retire. It is because of the business that I have had the opportunity to support the PGA and other organisations as well. I am proud to say that working with my dad has made it all possible, and that I’ve been able to be a part of the business and to help grow it.

I’ve learned a lot through my time in business, but my credence is loyalty. I think loyalty covers a lot of bands, and people who are loyal to you deserve loyalty back. That means honesty and integrity, so there is no doubt that business has taught me to be responsible and loyal.

***

When I joined the PGA and went to the first presentation dinner in 2013, I noticed there were no trophies handed out. There were lots of guys winning for the first time and the cash goes into their bank account and that’s the end of it. So, I started sponsoring the presentation dinner, and now all winners receive a trophy from any wins they’ve had in the previous season. It is heartening how many Members have come up to me and said how much it means to them. They may only win once, but they now have a piece of that win that they can keep on their shelf at home as a reminder of the achievement. 

As a player, I travel with my wife Wendy, and we are going to places that we’ve never been to, or would never have gone to, if it weren’t for the Tour. I’ve been to Samoa, New Caledonia, the Mornington Peninsula in Victoria – it is taking me to places of the world and Australia that I had never been exposed to. It is a wonderful opportunity to see these places through tournament events. That is my fondest memory, and greatest asset from the whole experience.

I do want to spend more time at golf, but my business doesn’t always allow that. This year I played very few tournaments – maybe 20 – when the average is probably more like 30 or 40. My business gets in the road of my golf, it should be the other way around! We’ve just started another huge project with Rix Developments, so my golf is suffering. Peter Senior is a close personal friend of mine and he says it to me all the time; when he goes to the range, I go to the office, so therein lies the difference.

I am proud to say that Peter and I go way back. I remember one time in the early 90’s, when he shot the course record at Royal Pines – 62 – and I also shot the amateur record. It is one of the proudest achievements to see on the Royal Pines wall, Peter Senior’s Professional record, and my amateur record next to it. I think he is an asset to the world of golf, a decent human being and I think he is exactly what all Professional golfers should be, and also a very successful businessman. He is a fine example to all golfers young and old about what can be achieved.

Ultimately, I think golf and the PGA is in a very strong position in Australia. COVID helped golf at a time when you’d think it might have hurt it, and obviously the sport has boomed. I also think the PGA is doing the right thing getting Australian golf back on television.

I think golf is continuing to shine and it is important that we invest in things like the PGA Membership Pathway Program; it is the future of the game. I see it on the Tour all the time as well, there are so many children who want to play, we run clinics and they are always popular. There is just such a great appetite for golf.

Having found her passion as a coach, she now takes great pride in helping All-Abilities players get into golf, driven to help everyone love the game.

After turning professional at the end of 2012, Michie played on the ALPG Tour in 2013. A life-long dream achieved, she took the bold step of opening her own business – EM Golf Coaching, as Michie realised that for her, fulfilment in golf lies in helping others.

“That’s when I really found my passion,” she recalls.

“Working with golfers of all ages and abilities to help them reach their potential.”

Having coached under her Membership with the Australian Ladies Professional Golf Association (now WPGA) for a number of years, Ellesha completed a transition program in 2021 to become a Full Member of the PGA of Australia. A source of great pride, it has also allowed her to advance her work in All-Abilities coaching.

“It’s a very proud feeling for me. To associate my name with the PGA badge has opened up a number of opportunities – in particular my All-Abilities coaching,” Michie adds.

Now the Head Teaching Professional at Gunabul Homestead Par 3 Golf Course, Michie is taking All-Abilities golf to the next level in the Gympie region just north of Queensland’s Sunshine Coast. Alongside Empower Golf and Wellness Australia Group, Michie provides free monthly clinics to NDIS clients, dedicated to making the game more accessible to more people than ever before.

“We just give them the chance to come along, have a hit and see if they like golf,” she explains of the clinics she offers.

“From there, if they like it, we move into regular one-on-one golf lessons.

“The whole idea is to get All-Abilities golfers more engaged, to get them to give it a go and have some fun.”

Determined to give her students the best possible instruction, Michie has worked hard to ensure that she can engage every golfer.

Having reached advanced status in every category of the PGA’s Accreditation and Continuing Education (ACE) Program , she also credits her time playing professionally for setting her up for success in coaching.

“I learned skills of patience and perseverance during that time,” she explains.

Skills required for any teacher, Michie now works with six NDIS clients for regular one-on-one coaching and enjoys tailoring her coaching to the individual.

“We regularly have conversations to understand what each individual player is capable of doing,” she says.

“I’ll have a chat to the parents and support workers as well. It’s my job to understand what each person can do.

“I’m a big advocate for working through it slowly. We’ll make one or two changes each time and if they don’t feel comfortable, we dial it back and work together.”

Regardless of the technicalities of the golf swing that each client might be working on, Michie’s boundless positivity extends to everyone.

“I’m a big wrap for giving lots of words of encouragement, big high-fives and even pretending there is a big crowd going crazy in support,” she laughs. “I love to help them have a good time on the golf course.”

With a simple measure of success, Michie finds contentment every time her clients leave a lesson with a smile on their face.

“It makes me happy to see them happy,” she says. “It really is as simple as that for me.”

“I just love being able – it doesn’t matter who the person is, or what disability they may have – to give them the opportunity to get out there and play golf and enjoy it.”

Keen to keep growing All Abilities golf in Queensland, Michie has a vision for the future, too. Determined to host an All Abilities social golf day at the Gunabul Homestead, she is looking forward to sharing the benefits of golf with everyone.

“We’ll get everyone along, play nine holes and share a lunch afterwards,” she says. “It will be a great chance to get everyone, including families and support workers involved and share in the special memories our sport provides.”

After all, helping Australians create special memories on the golf course is what inspired Michie to become a PGA Professional in the first place.

Hundreds of PGA Professionals across Australia have now completed the PGA All Abilities Coach Accreditation. To find the nearest All Abilities-accredited coach near you visit www.pga.org.au/find-a-pga-pro/

Although the wind blew for the duration of the round, it wasn’t enough to phase the boys from Pinjarra, whose barnstorming round of 54 off the stick saw them come from fourth place to overtake Ulverstone, Sarina and Yamba Golf Clubs.

“We just got off to a great start, we had real momentum from the start,” said PGA Professional and team captain, Greg McClurkin. “The boys were holing monster putts and we just kept going from there.”

On a day where they made only three pars – everything else birdie or better – McClurkin, who works at Whaleback Golf Course in Western Australia, was full of praise for the team.

“We got some momentum and then the boys really just started feeding off each other. We had some tunes going all week and I think some Eminem really got us going for a while there this morning,” he laughed.

Thrilled to be part of the winning team, it could have been different for McClurkin, who was playing in his first Championship Final. Playing as Pinjarra’s ‘Adopt-A-Pro’ this week, he took the spot of fellow PGA Professional Scott Barr at the Regional Final, and wasn’t about to give it up this week.

“I’m essentially a ring-in,” he laughed. “I’ve got to thank Scotty for that one, he let me play alongside them and gave me the chance to come away this week and obviously it’s been very special the way it has panned out.”

Not without incident, the Pinjarra team still needed to fulfill their drive quota up the last two holes. Perhaps a sign that it was destined to be their day, tee shots down seventeen and eighteen both found the fairway and each led to birdies.

For McClurkin himself, the experience of getting out on the course this week was particularly freeing – the final result something of a bonus.

“I still absolutely love playing,” he said. “I probably don’t get the chance to do it as much as I’d like to, but it’s just wonderful.

“They were a great bunch of fellas this week, so to get out there, have a laugh and play some golf was a real thrill.”

On the Women’s side of the draw, the team from Launceston Golf Club overcame nearly missing the cut to storm home for victory today.

After finishing the last two holes yesterday in 1-under just to be in contention, the team, captained by PGA Professional Dan Smith, waited until the back nine to make their charge.

“To be honest, we all thought we were out of it after that first side,” said Smith. “The putts weren’t dropping and we didn’t think we had enough on the board.”

Things changed when 5-handicapper Maree Coulson managed to put one to a foot on the par-3 thirteenth hole, a birdie there kick-starting some real momentum.

“That shot was the highlight of the day for mine, from there we made another short birdie putt on the next and holed one from off the green on the fifteenth.”

So hot was their streak, that Launceston finished with six straight birdies, narrowly missing a closing eagle as they entered the clubhouse at 45.5-under par for the Championship.

“We thought that might give us a little bit of a chance, and in the end it was enough to hold on,” laughed Smith who was playing in the Championship Final for the second time.

Sitting in the clubhouse enjoying lunch when they heard that they had secured the title, Smith is pleased to continue his positive relationship to The Scramble.

“I’ve been lucky enough to be to a couple of Championship Finals and have reasonable success throughout,” he smiled. “It’s a great way to get out there and get to know your members and show that you are part of the club.

“That a really important part of being a PGA Professional.”

Additionally, Smith enjoyed the experience of bringing together the Launceston Ladies to ensure that everyone enjoyed their week and had the best chance to succeed.

Blending together a group that included handicaps ranging from 5, right through to 44, he felt there was an important balance to be struck.

“For me, it was just a matter of making everyone feel comfortable to hit their shots and embrace their strengths.”

Thursday’s round also gave the top teams the chance to play par-3’s with Tour Professionals; Aaron Pike and Anthony Quale teeing it up on the second and sixteenth holes respectively.

“It’s wonderful to have some of Australia’s best and brightest here playing alongside amateurs and our PGA Professionals,” said Tournament Director, Broc Greenhalgh. “It certainly gives the players out there a real buzz and that is what the Championship Final is really all about.”

For a full list of results and final standings, click HERE

The team from Ulverstone in northern Tasmania – captained by Head PGA Professional Darren Spencer – fired 57 off the stick to catapult themselves into the lead of the Mixed draw in sunny conditions on Tuesday morning.

“It all just clicked for us today,” said Spencer who has played in The Scramble every year since its inception, but who is making his first appearance in a Mixed Championship Final. “There was no particular strategy, we all just got out there and had a heap of fun.”

Responsible for the day’s major highlight as well, the Ulverstone boys had an eagle on the par-4 third hole, as the team’s two highest handicappers combined for a moment to remember.

Avoiding water down the entire right side, they found the shortest way home to kickstart their charge up the leader board.

“Our 36-marker found the fairway and then our 34-handicapper put it in the hole from 80 meters,” laughed Spencer. “I couldn’t believe it but it was certainly a very special moment.

“We are all just here for a good time and suddenly we are at the top end of things, so hopefully we can go well again tomorrow.”

Playing the back nine in just 28 shots was enough for the Tasmanians to secure a lead of 1.9 strokes ahead of the team from Brisbane River Golf Club. Incidentally, the Queenslanders fired the day’s best gross round of 56, to enter the clubhouse at -20.3

It was a day for low scoring, as three of the Mixed teams finished at better than 20-under par after handicap adjustments, impressing Tournament Director, Broc Greenhalgh.

“It’s certainly some of the best scoring we’ve seen in the first round for a little while,” he said. “It’s not uncommon for teams to go low once they know the course, but the quality out there today was outstanding.”

On the Women’s side of the draw, Lucindale Golf Club were the best of the bunch; the South Australians posting an imposing 17.2-under par to lead by 0.7 of a shot ahead of Coffs Harbour.

Captained by Craig Davis, they were in control right the way round, shooting 31 on each nine to finish with 62 off the stick.

“It was just such a fantastic day out on the course in wonderful conditions,” said Davis who is based at Mt Gambier’s GolfnMore. “The team all played really well, we have gelled superbly and we are just loving being up here.

“It’s a privilege to be their Adopt-A-Pro this week. I get to Lucindale throughout the year for some coaching and club-fitting so to spend time with them out here is fantastic.

Davis has a deep connection to The Scramble, having played in his first more than fifteen years ago, before working plenty of Championship Finals during his time at Twin Waters. Now on the other side of it again, he recognises just how valuable it is to incorporate PGA Professionals into the event.

“I think it’s vital. It’s a different environment and important to engage with the people you work with every day in a more relaxed and casual basis,” he said. “It’s a great way to make friendships and develop a stronger connection.”

Tight at the top in the Women’s draw, Lakelands Country Club sit just 0.2 of a shot adrift after the first round. The Western Australians shot 59 off the stick to come in at 17-under. Set to be hotly contested for the remainder of the week, Coffs Harbour are only a further half shot back after an opening 16.5-under par.

The Scramble Championship Final continues tomorrow, as teams fight to make the cut. In the Mixed field, the top ten teams after tomorrow will play for glory on Thursday, with the top three in the Women’s draw set to battle it out on the final day.

For a full leader board, click HERE

For more information on The Scramble Final, click HERE