Want to recieve exclusive news, videos, tournament highlights, golf important tips and more ?
Want to recieve exclusive news, videos, tournament highlights, golf important tips and more ?
Twelve PGA Members have secured their place at the PGA Professionals Championship National Final following state qualifiers held in South Australia and Western Australia.
Twenty-one PGA Professionals teed it up at Mount Osmond Golf Club to determine the South Australian qualifiers, 28 WA Members fighting it out for seven spots at Cottesloe Golf Club.
Based at Thaxted Park Golf Club, Cody Sherratt shot 72 at Mount Osmond to win the PGA Professionals Championship of South Australia, finishing one shot clear of Legends Tour regular Simon Pope (73).
A playoff was needed to determine the third qualifier for the National Final after Damian Wrigley, Patric Kroschel and Benjamin Stowe all shot 75, Stowe clinching his place at the National Final at The Heritage Golf and Country Club from November 11-13.
As the leading senior player on the day, Pope also earns a place in the field for the Australian PGA Senior Championship from November 7-9 while Anne-Marie Knight qualified for the National Final as the leading female Professional.
A playoff was needed also at Cottesloe to finalise the WA qualifiers.
Scott Barr, Stephen Herbert and Conor Brown (pictured top) each shot 3-under 69 to finish tied at the top and guarantee their spots at The Heritage in November.
Two-under 70 was enough for Brody Martin to clinch the fourth spot but four players – Damian Chatterley, Joshua Madden, Ackzel Donaldson and Michael Draper – were forced to play extra holes to decide the final three qualifiers.
Draper would be the unlucky player to miss out as Nicole Martino finished top among the female professionals to also advance to the National Final.
The NSW PGA Professionals Championship scheduled for this week had to be postponed due to the wild weather in Sydney, the Queensland qualifier due to be played at Nudgee Golf Club on July 29.
Sunshine Coast Professional TJ King will be joined by three new faces when the PGA of Australia team travels to Canada to contest the 2025 Four Nations Cup.
To be held at The Pulpit Club an hour outside Toronto from September 2-5, the 2025 tournament marks the third playing of the Four Nation’s Cup that brings together PGA Members from Australia, New Zealand, Canada and South Africa.
King, the Assistant Professional at Mount Coolum Golf Club, has been a constant in the Australian team since 2022 and was part of the victorious Australian team along with Scott Laycock, Jayden Cripps and Brad McLellan at Moonah Links in 2023. The Four Nation’s Cup was not held in 2024.
The past two winners of the PGA Professionals Championship National Final, Matthew Docking (2023) and Samuel Eaves (2024), will make their Four Nations Cup debuts along with Sanctuary Cove Teaching Professional Mitchell Smith.
Smith finished tied second alongside Docking at last year’s PPC National Final at The Heritage Golf and Country Club and will now try to play his part in Australia’s title defence on foreign soil.
PGA Member Director, Steve Hutchison, will travel with the team as the non-playing manager and is excited that three Members will experience the Four Nations Cup for the first time.
“The Four Nations Cup is not only a chance to compete and represent the PGA of Australia internationally, it is an opportunity to learn and establish relationships with fellow PGA Members across the globe,” said Hutchison.
“The issues faced by our Members on a day-to-day basis are very similar to those that PGA Professionals around the world are experiencing.
“Sharing what we know and hearing how other Professionals deal with certain challenges can be of great benefit to our Membership as a whole.”
Eighty golf leaders of tomorrow have spent the week connecting and building the knowledge base for their future careers at the 2025 PGA National School in Brisbane.
Conducted over three days at VOCO Brisbane and Victoria Park Golf Complex, Year 1 Associates in the PGA of Australia’s Membership Pathway Program (MPP) engaged in a range of immersive sessions and heard from golf industry experts.
Attendees were given the opportunity to learn, network, and refine their craft through practical workshops on full swing technique, junior golf delivery, and long game fitting with Titleist, to deep dives into coaching technology, career preparation and customer service, all integral skills that will help to shape their futures in the sport.
The program featured presentations from respected PGA partners Coca-Cola, Titleist CoachNow and Trackman and valued insights from a plethora of PGA Professionals.
In addition to Year 1 Associates in the MPP, the National School also welcomed four students from the Tour Professional Articulation. Adam Bland, Max McCardle, James Grierson and Shane O’Brien have extensive experience playing on both domestic and international tours and are now entering an exciting new phase of their golf careers. Their attendance was only possible due to the support provided by the program partner, Titleist/FootJoy, who are committed to supporting these students on their journey to Vocational Membership with the PGA.
With tailored breakout sessions and whole-group presentations, the National School continues to be an essential stepping stone in the journey of every PGA Associate, equipping them with the knowledge and confidence to thrive in Australia’s golf industry.
Applications for the 2026 intake for the Membership Pathway Program open on July 1. To register your interest in taking the first step to becoming a PGA Professional, click here.
“Want to go play?”
It’s a sentence all but guaranteed to elicit excitement in any kid, and the foundation behind the junior golf boom that is happening at Belmont Golf and Bowls Club.
The coastal layout south of Newcastle long played an important role in elite amateur golf as host venue of the Lake Macquarie Amateur up until 2016, yet their junior numbers had waned.
PGA Professional Andrew Walkley joined Lake Macquarie Golf Schools at Belmont just over five years ago. In that time, he has been a part of rebuilding Belmont’s junior base from 25 just a few years ago to the current number of around 150.
To help achieve that increase, Walkley went looking for a way to not simply coach kids, but to get them on the golf course playing the sport they were showing an interest in.
“There’s a big disconnect between being on the range and chipping and putting to actually playing golf,” said Walkley, the 2024 NSW PGA Coach of the Year – Game Development, in a recent PGA ACE Webinar on game development initiatives.
“Because Belmont is such a busy facility, it’s difficult to get the kids on the weekend, especially out onto the golf course.
“Last year, I took the opportunity to start a junior development program that asked the kids who came to the Sunday clinics whether they wanted to go further with their golf and come to golf on a Tuesday afternoon as well.”
Those who double up with a second session on a Tuesday alternate each week between skill development and precious time on the golf course.
And if Walkley senses they would prefer to play, he gives them more game time.
“They’re really enjoying that experience of getting out on the golf course and actually playing the game, rather than just standing on the range and hitting one ball after another,” he added.
“It just takes their enjoyment to another level.
“It’s important for the kids to be exposed to that from an early age.
“I know when I was a kid all I did was play. I never practised.
“With sports psychology and coaching development, it has gone the other way but playing the game’s the true art of playing golf.”
Key to providing a positive environment in which the juniors can foster their love of the game is clear communication with club executives and members.
After identifying Tuesday afternoons as a generally quiet period where the membership would be least impacted, Walkley said the support for the program has been overwhelming.
“We try to make sure that if any of the members come out for nine holes, we guide them to go the other way, so the juniors don’t feel as though they are holding anyone up,” Walkley added.
“With two groups of five or six kids, we might only play a couple of holes in an hour. Sometimes we’ll even play as a group of 12 if we just want to have some fun.
“We make sure we get that space and the club’s well on board with that.
“They can see that golf is developing and that junior golf is developing as well.”
To find a PGA Professional running a junior program near you, visit pga.org.au/find-a-pga-pro
To watch the full game development webinar with Andrew Walkley, Andrew Thomas and Anne-Marie Knight, click here
Tim Elliott has booked his place in two major events this summer after navigating wet and windy conditions at the Victorian PGA Professional Championships at Portsea Golf Club.
A prolific winner on the PGA Legends Tour for more than a decade – including recently besting the likes of Jason Norris and Scott Barr at the Cottesloe Senior Invitational – Elliott birdied his final two holes in a round of even-par 71 and a one-stroke win.
A regular on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia since graduating from the Membership Pathway Program, Lachlan Armour had earlier surged to the lead on the back of three straight birdies late in his round.
But disaster would strike on his final hole, making a triple bogey at the par-4 14th to finish tied second with David Tapping with matching rounds of 1-over 72.
By virtue of his win, Elliott not only earns a spot in the PGA Professionals Championship National Final at The Heritage Golf and Country Club from November 11-13, he is also exempt into the Vic PGA Championship at Moonah Links Resort and the Australian PGA Senior Championship at Richmond Golf Club. Armour and Tapping also receive invites to the Vic PGA.
A field of 74 PGA Professionals teed it up at Portsea with the top 15 to advance to the National Final.
Sheradyn Johnsonwas one of five players who finished tied 14th but secures a spot at the National Final as the highest-finishing woman in the field.
Qualifiers for National Final: Tim Elliott, David Tapping, Lachlan Armour, Shane Johnson, Simon Angliss, Alex Pitty, Matthew Howell, Levi Burns, Ben Ford, Ben Murphy, Daniel Defilice, Matt Voglas, Nick Dastey, Michael Isherwood, Jack Chrystie. Reserves: Finlay Bellingham, Kevin Conlong.
The PGA of Australia has entered a new era with the first women appointed to the Vocational Members Council (VMC) at the 2025 Annual General Meeting.
Anne-Marie Knight (West Beach Parks Golf Academy), Nicole James (Coolangatta-Tweed Heads Golf Club) and Nicole Martino (The Western Australian GC) were elected by their fellow PGA Professionals and will now join the nine-person VMC to provide representation and direction on behalf of Vocational Members to the PGA Board.
The VMC has never had a woman Member in the 114-year history of the PGA of Australia and Geoff Stewart, General Manager – Membership, is excited about what their appointment represents.
“The Vocational Members Council performs a critical function in representing PGA Members to the PGA Board and I have no doubt these three PGA Professionals will fill these roles with distinction,” said Stewart.
“Anne-Marie Knight, Nicole James and Nicole Martino are all decorated PGA Members in their own right, with a wide variety of experiences and expertise.
“Anne-Marie was an accomplished tournament professional before moving into coaching, Nicole James has risen through the ranks to now be the General Manager at Coolangatta-Tweed Heads Golf Club and Nicole Martino spent time as the PGA’s Member Services Coordinator in Western Australia and is now the Golf Manager at The Western Australian Golf Club.
“I was thrilled that they nominated to join the VMC and am now equally excited to see how they contribute having been elected by their fellow PGA Members.”
After 13 years playing on the ALPG (now WPGA Tour of Australasia) and the Ladies European Tour, Knight (pictured, centre) became a full Vocational Member of the PGA in 2009.
She was named South Australian PGA Teaching Professional of the Year in 2016 and South Australian Game Development Professional of the Year in 2019. Knight hopes to further increase leadership opportunities for women in golf.
“I believe the PGA has come a long way to improve opportunities for female PGA Professionals with many initiatives such as women on boards/committees, increased playing opportunities with the introduction of the PGA Women’s Cup and the alignment with the WPGA Tour of Australasia,” said Knight.
“I’m passionate about continuing to grow and explore further pathways for our female PGA Membership.”
Like Knight, Nicole James spent eight years playing on tour before joining the PGA as a full Member in 2000.
Before moving into management, James (pictured, left) worked as a Tournament Coordinator for the PGA and wants to expand opportunities for Members in both of those areas.
“I have a deep understanding of the importance of providing playing opportunities for our Members,” said James.
“I am passionate about creating and expanding these opportunities to ensure that more Members can develop their playing ability here in Australia.
“Having progressed to a General Manager role, I also recognise the importance of supporting our Members in advancing to managerial positions.
“This is vital for their personal growth and for the continued success and recognition of the PGA of Australia.”
A PGA Professional since 2013, Nicole Martino (pictured, right) has been employed in a variety of roles across the golf industry over the past 20 years.
She has already served twice on the former PGA WA Vocational Committee and is passionate about member engagement and education.
“I feel that the time is right for me to give back and use my knowledge and experience to listen to our Members and to represent them well,” said Martino.
“I have had some great PGA role models who encouraged and supported me to achieve my career goals and I would love to contribute to increasing opportunities for Members to engage with one another and continue their own personal and professional development.”
PGA of Australia CEO, Gavin Kirkman, was delighted to see three such outstanding candidates added to the VMC.
“All three women are proud PGA Professionals who have already made significant contributions to the Australian golf industry,” said Kirkman.
“As the first women voted onto the VMC, they will bring a fresh perspective that can only benefit the organisation and its objectives.
“I very much look forward to working with them and all members of the VMC in further advancing the career opportunities for all PGA Members.”
Damon Stephenson is the new Zigrete Queensland PGA Associates champion after a rollercoaster final day at Windaroo Lakes.
The leader after all three rounds, building on his gap to his nearest challengers each day, Stephenson surrendered a four-shot advantage early in the final round before rallying on the back nine to score a one-shot victory – his first in a four-round professional event.
A second year associate pro at nearby Gainsborough Greens Golf Club, Stephenson finished at 8-under-par for the tournament after his closing 3-over-par 76, holing a curling three-metre par putt on the final hole to see off ACT’s Lachlan Chamberlain (73) by a single shot.
Drew Herbert’s best of the day 6-under-par 67 moved him into outright third place, two back.
Stephenson’s hard-earned four-shot overnight lead disappeared within six holes today thanks to a double-bogey and two bogeys and a charge from former champion Jack Wright who went 4-under-par through the same stretch.
“I went out with a four-shot lead, not being complacent at all, but it disappeared really quickly and then it was a mental reset,” Stephenson said.
“It was like ‘okay, we’re tied for the lead. How do we approach this now’?”
While Wright, who had started the day seven behind, fell away on the back nine, Stephenson showed great resilience to birdie 10, 12 and 13 to regain his advantage.
Chamberlain moved back in touch thanks to an eagle on 16 and had a real chance to force a playoff when the leader bogeyed the 17th to see his margin cut to one and then missed the final green with his approach shot.
“I was reading the putt (to win) and I could feel myself getting emotional about it, thinking about making it,” Stephenson said.
“I had to snap back and realise you’ve just got to hit a good putt here. You’ve still got to make it, otherwise you’re going to a playoff.
“I got back in the present and just read it perfectly. It was lightning fast, broke about three cups and it went right in the heart. It was awesome.”
Next on his target list – a bottle of celebratory red wine with his father and maybe a late start at work at tomorrow.
With the support of Brisbane-based concreting company Zigcrete, this year’s championship boasted minimum total prize money of $47,500 and has become one of the most prestigious tournaments for those on the path to becoming a PGA Professional.
Leaderboard
1 Damon Stephenson 74-69-72-76 (284)
2 Lachlan Chamberlain 69-70-73-73 (285)
3 Drew Herbert 72-71-76-67 (286)
T4 Dylan Knox 73-70-69-76 (288)
T4 Justin Morley 71-74-73-70 (288)
6 Jack Wright 70-72-73-75 (290)
T7Jordan Rooke 79-69-71-73 (292)
T7 Campbell Jones 73-75-74-70 (292)
T9 Conor Whitelock 69-77-70-79 (295)
T9 Samuel Reece 74-74-73-75 (295)
Social clubs that provide golf clubs across the country with crucial green fee income are built upon a foundation of bringing golfers together.
In establishing Birdie Links, PGA Professional Tammy Wong recognised that women were looking for a social outlet; she simply used golf as that outlet to unite them.
An enthusiastic junior golfer growing up in Sydney, Wong was invited to coach juniors at Bexley Golf Club after taking a job in the pro shop under Paul Davis.
That exposure encouraged Wong to pursue coaching as a career, starting the Membership Pathway Program under Davis before transferring in her final year to The Ridge in Sydney’s south.
Two years ago, as a mother of three, Wong established Birdie Links.
Its’ aim is to not only provide women an entry point into golf, but to build an ecosystem that goes from beginner clinics to golf tours… and everything in between.
“I wanted to make sure that there was one streamlined pathway where they could feel like I was able to hold their hand the whole way through the process,” Wong said in a recent PGA ACE webinar.
“That was really important and I think we do now have that in place.
“The ‘Hits and Sips’ class runs every three months and gives people an opportunity to come and try the game in a fun way.
“From there, they might want to join the eight-week beginner program, which I will be running three of next term. A couple of evening sessions and one during the day just to cater to two different target markets.
“Once they graduate from the beginner program, they’re then able to do the on-course bootcamp, which is more of an intermediate program to get themselves past that beginner stage.”
What is unique about Birdie Links is the monthly subscription model that combines connection and instruction.
Graduating from a WhatsApp chat group with all of our clients where Wong tried to encourage women to coordinate games together, the social club element offers as many as four opportunities to play each in a nine-hole league with monthly prizes on offer.
The next phase are golf tours, the first of which took a group of women to the Hunter Valley in April, the next a trip to Queenstown in November.
At its core, this holistic approach to building a collective of women through golf has meant that Wong’s coaching calendar has never been busier.
“Without the social club and ladies playing, I wouldn’t be anywhere near as busy as I am coaching. It’s one big system,” Wong explained.
“Since the social club has become a thing, I have found so much more retention rather than somebody coming into a program for eight weeks and then saying, ‘OK, I’ll see you again next term.’
“They’ve got beginner programs, on-course programs and from there you’ll split it up between playing in the social club with other ladies and coming back into the learning environment if you’re not happy with where your golf is at.
“They’ve always got that fallback to come back into a safe learning environment where they feel comfortable, often with other ladies that they’ve already been playing with and learning with.”
Wherever you are in your golf journey, a PGA Professional is available to help. To find your nearest PGA Professional, click here.
For more information on Birdie Links, visit birdielinks.com.au
The complete webinar with Tammy Wong can be viewed below.
2024 PGA Victoria High Performance Coach of the Year, Brandon Rave, details the ground work undertaken to make two-time Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia winner Brett Coletta a complete player.
When Brett and I started working together three years ago, he found it difficult to hit a draw due to his short backswing and restriction in his hips.
Brett was very successful hitting predominantly a fade but knew to take that next step he needed to be able to work the ball both ways when applicable.
To unlock Brett’s hips, we used force plates to examine how he was using the ground and what impact that had on his body position to hit certain shots.
During Brett’s backswing, we worked diligently on pushing into his right foot to ultimately create ground force reaction, pushing his right hip back. This dramatically lengthened his backswing range.
Slightly before he gets to the top of the swing, Brett redirects pressure towards the ball off the left foot and this facilitates explosiveness and range through his pelvis.
Don’t think ‘turn’ into the backswing. Instead, push into the right foot to facilitate range and then push forward into the ball of your left foot just prior to the top of your swing.
From there you can hit whatever shot you need.
Based at Metropolitan Golf Club, Brandon Rave was the 2023 and 2024 PGA Victoria Coach of the Year – High Performance. Players Brandon works with include Brett Coletta, James Marchesani, Nathan Page and No.1-ranked disabled golfer, Kipp Popert.
City Golf Club Associate Minami Inoue has continued to thrive in the biggest events on the Membership Pathway Program calendar, taking out the Norris Motor Group Associate Pro-Am at Royal Queensland Golf Club.
The third year of a tournament reserved exclusively for Queensland Associates, the Norris Motor Group sponsorship of $25,000 and support of Royal Queensland Golf Club made it the richest one-day prize purse ever for an Associate tournament.
As such, it drew a field of 59 Associates from across the state, Inoue needing to make birdie at the 180-metre par-3 eighth for a round of 3-under 69 and a one-stroke win from Pacific Golf Club’s Campbell Jones (70) and Zane Lowe (70) of Yamba Golf and Country Club.
Winner of the $3,000 PGA Associate & Employer Challenge at Keperra Country Golf Club in January, Inoue admitted that the larger prize purses seem to bring out his best.
“I can show off for money I suppose, don’t I?” Inoue joked.
“When I play Open matches, for some reason, maybe the ease or something like that, maybe I’m not focused enough, but then as soon as there’s a bit of money…
“That’s why it’s so good to have major sponsors like Norris Motor Group and Liberty One so we can play for this sort of money and we can start focusing more a bit.
“Putting was off the chart today. I sunk two or three 25-30-fotters for birdies, the highlight boxing a 25-footer to win it.
“I drove it really well too, probably the best I’ve done in probably about two months, so that really worked out too.”
Inoue moved from Japan to Australia with his family when he was six years old, the family settling down in the unlikely surrounds of a cattle farm in Tenterfield in the New England region of New South Wales.
It was his grandfather who first introduced Inoue to golf, shooting 51 the first time he played nine holes an indicator that he possessed natural talent for the sport.
But it was a knee injury suffered playing rugby league when he was 14 that convinced Inoue to pursue a career in golf instead.
“Not a lot of Japanese or Asian people would have the experience like I did. Mine was a pretty interesting one, let’s just say that,” said the 20-year-old Third Year Associate.
“First nine holes, I shot 51 and I was like, Yeah, righto, this is really fun, I want to do it.
“Back then I was playing league and I did my knee when I was 14 years old. Then I’m like, golf it is, I’ll just play golf.
“Just started to hit it a bit better and better and better and now I’m here.”
While Inoue took the bulk of the prize money, Jones and Lowe did not go home empty handed.
Sponsors Liberty One contributed 10 nights’ accommodation at their Liberty One Apartments in Melbourne for Inoue, five nights for runner-up Jones on a countback, and four nights for third-placed Lowe.
