Heavy rain through the week convinced Weatherly – in consultation with the match committee – to cancel Saturday’s members comp as parts of the course were already flooding.

Mooroopna’s resident PGA Professional decided to open the pro shop on Saturday morning in case some members wished to have a social hit.

By midday, he had moved his pro shop stock into the clubhouse and headed home before the Shepparton-Mooroopna Causeway was closed at 6.30pm that night.

It would be three weeks before he would be able to return.

The golf course itself was closed for almost a month but due to his insurance policy via Golf Business Australia, Weatherly had the peace of mind to know that he would not suffer financially.

Managing Director of Golf Business Australia, Daniel Bateup, has become a valued conduit between PGA Professionals and insurance companies and has formulated a policy that is designed to protect the business interests of PGA Members during difficult times.

Whether it has been bushfires, flooding, rain events or malicious or accidental damage, many golf clubs have been forced to close their doors temporarily the past few years.

Given that many clubs are unable to obtain insurance for flooding or it is prohibitively expensive, the Business Interruption (Loss of Attraction) cover sourced by Golf Business Australia provides a much-needed source of income.

It was a source of income that Weatherly insists saved his business.

“I don’t think I’d be here anymore if it wasn’t for insurance. Definitely not,” says Weatherly, who was also insured through Golf Business Australia at his previous posting at Craigieburn Golf Club.

“My business would have gone for sure.

“For a young family, the financials were our biggest concern. Rent, car payments, all that sort of stuff.

“All the stress about living within our means and making sure we could pay our bills because there was no income coming in.

“The insurance kicked in and that helped us to get back on our feet.”

Describing the service provided by Bateup and his team as “emotionally comforting”, Weatherly contacted Golf Business Australia on the Sunday, October 16.

Initially unsure whether his policy covered flooding, Weatherly says the communication and efficiency of the Golf Business Australia team was crucial in such a stressful period.

“You feel like you might be asking almost stupid questions about what’s covered and what’s not but Daniel and his team walk you through it all and provide that guidance that you need,” Weatherly adds.

“I didn’t know what my policy covered. Not exactly.

“Sunday night I messaged Daniel and said, ‘Not sure what’s going to happen here, am I covered?’ Daniel was straight onto it and said, ‘Yes, you’re covered for flood’ and that he would get back to me on what needed to happen.

“They had the assessors come out, all of the reports, all of the stock, all of the equipment listed out.”

For Bateup, it was another example of the specific cover required by PGA Professionals.

“GBA is very proud of the outcome achieved for Ben at Mooroopna Golf Club,” Bateup said.

“We will continue to work closely with our insurer partners so that PGA Members continue to receive the best possible protection and competitive premiums.”

Weatherly paid tribute to the golf club management and members who helped to strip out the pro shop while he was cut-off from the course and also Paul Jamison and the team at On Course Golf.

And he was extremely grateful for an insurance settlement facilitated by Golf Business Australia.

“The golf club was absolutely incredible. They had some members rip up the carpets for me because I couldn’t get over there,” Weatherly said.

“And I highly, highly recommend Daniel, Steve and their team.

“I can’t imagine where I’d be right now without that insurance policy.”

Golf Business Australia is a partner of the PGA of Australia. To get a free quote or take advantage of the Golf Business Australia discount offer available to PGA Members visit https://members.pga.org.au/MyPGA/MemberOffer/Member_Benefit_Detail.aspx?Id=17725&seqn=21

After completing his PGA Associateship to become a PGA Professional in 2021, Watson, who currently works as the Head Teaching Professional at Long Reef Golf Club in New South Wales, was thrilled to have the opportunity to start work in an industry that was booming in the wake of the pandemic and keen to take advantage of it.

“There’s no doubt that period has been great for golf as so many people got into it,” he explains. “So, coming into the industry as a PGA Professional at that time, it was pretty clear to me that my goal should be to keep all of these new golfers – be they young kids or older people – in the game for life.

For me as a coach, that is simply a process of picking apart different parts of a player’s game and working out where there is room for improvement.”

To aid that process and to elevate his offering as a coach, Watson sought further education opportunities. Certified with the Titleist Performance Institute, TrackMan University and abreast of all of the PGA’s Accreditation and Continuing Education programs, he was hungry for more. 

A chance to expand his thinking and round his perspective, he decided to complete a coach certification course with Circles.

A digital shot-data platform, Circles is designed to give coaches greater insights into the performance of their players, to help develop targeted practice plans. Purpose-built to drive precision and effectiveness for both the coach and the player, Watson is effusive in his praise, both for the platform and the process of upskilling.

“I spent two days doing the certification,” he recalls. “There was an introduction to the program, we went through the data categories and even learnt how PGA Tour players use Circles.

“The big thing for me was how we can use it to help players peak when it is important – understanding they can’t be at full peak year-round.”

That high-level insight is particularly relevant for Watson as a coach, as he works with ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia players, James Grierson and Jay McKenzie.

“Now with an in-depth understanding of the platform, I have all the data on what my players are doing on the course and it is my job as a coach to analyse that, work out where they are good and where they might be lacking.”

This process of staying at the cutting edge of industry trends is something that Watson is particularly proud of, too.

He feels it is especially relevant for golf coaches responsible for guiding the game’s next generation.

“I think the best coaches continue to educate and upskill themselves,” he says. “The more knowledge you have, the better for the student and ultimately that’s all I care about.

I’m still very young in the industry, I don’t take that lightly. I want to continue to learn and grow and spend more time with the other Professionals in the game.”

It is that process of bettering the student that has driven Watson’s other passion in recent months. At the age of just twenty-three, he, along with five other partners, opened Strokes Gained Studios in Brookvale.

An innovative all-in-one golf facility, Watson is proud to combine the most advanced in golf performance technology, with a purpose-built physical training centre to offer a one-stop-shop for golfers looking to realise their potential.

“Whether it’s through technique or skill instruction, personal training, physio, we feel like we are that one-stop shop to either prolong your career, or to help you towards your specific goals and get better,” Watson explains. “The whole team here is TPI qualified, has an interest in golf and a real passion to help people improve.”

Combining TrackMan simulators, SAM Putt Lab, Capto Precision Putting, Watson and his team have left no stone unturned in providing golfers the resources they need to succeed.

“You look at the best players in the world and they have got a swing coach, a personal trainer, a dietitian, a sports-psychologist – so we know that in order to perform, you need to be as well-rounded as possible,” he says. “So that all-encompassing approach to your game is what we are trying to offer.”

Evidently, they are scratching an itch, too, having registered more than 50 members in their first three months, and also signing deals with clubs in the local area to extend their innovative offering to more golfers than ever.

“We’ve definitely got a winning formula at Strokes Gained,” Watson smiles. “Whether we are helping professional golfers or everyday players, seeing them get better is our long-term goal.”

As he enjoys the process of running his own business, Watson has come to realise the appetite that currently exists for golf’s alternative formats, and is confident that the industry is heading in the right direction by embracing that.

I think it’s great to see the game moving away from just being played in traditional formats,” he says. “It’s only going to get more people into golf; all the indoor centres are awesome, interactive and attracting a new demographic.

“We also need to remember that because we are so time poor, people want things instantly and this new approach means they can go there and get their golf fix, rather than relying on spending a long time away from family.”

More broadly, Watson believes that PGA Professionals have the chance to utilise indoor golf facilities to offer a welcoming introduction to the game to ensure a positive first experience for more golfers than ever before.

“A soft introduction is an important thing – getting people involved in the first instance,” says Watson. “Understanding all of these innovations and changes, ultimately our role as PGA Members is to continue to give a good experience.”

The PGA will be running a coach certification course in partnership with Circles on March 8th and 9th at the PGA Learning Hub, Sandhurst Victoria. This programme has been delivered to over 350 leading coaches across USA, China, and New Zealand. The Circles’ Coach Certification Programme educates and supports coaches to understand & implement a data-led coaching program and  is most suitable for those who are interested in implementing data-led coaching insights, and are prepared to dedicate time to achieving this for the long-term profitability & success of their business.

 More information on the Circles’ Coach Certification Programme and registration is available: HERE

You can find your nearest PGA Professional, accredited to help you in all aspects of your game, using our updated Find a PGA Pro platform at: https://pga.org.au/find-a-pga-pro/

Australia’s newest PGA Professionals, they were joined by more than sixty attendees on the night, including General Manager of Membership and Education Geoff Stewart, Queensland Member Support officer Mark Weir, Training Manager Stephanie Jamieson as well as State Manager for QLD/NT, Broc Greenhalgh.

“It’s a great chance to celebrate their achievements over the last three years and to welcome them to the fold as Full Vocational Members,” Weir said.

“They have obviously navigated a challenging time throughout their Associateship with COVID, so it is wonderful that we can honour them tonight as they move into the industry as PGA Professionals.”

There were fourteen graduates on Friday night, including 2022 National PGA Associate of the Year, Mitchell Smith.

Additionally, the group included Zoe Maxwell, who competed at the 2023 Vic Open, as well as Jade Longstaff who completed the entirety of her Membership Pathway Program from Darwin.

“The class of 2022 was an outstanding group,” said Weir. “We are immensely proud of them all and looking forward to following their progress and supporting them on their journey as Full Vocational Members of the PGA of Australia.”

A full list of graduates from the evening is available below:

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.”