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Royal Fremantle Golf Club’s Ritchie Smith has been acknowledged as Western Australia’s best coach for a second time at the 2024 WA Sport Awards presented by SportWest.
Held at Optus Stadium in Perth on Thursday night, Smith was named Coach of the Year ahead of WA men’s cricket coach, Adam Voges and WA Institute of Sport Swimming Head Coach, Ben Higson.
Nominated twice previously, Smith was named Coach of the Year in 2021 and received the honour again after a year in which he had three players represent Australia at the Paris Olympic Games, guided Hannah Green to three wins on the LPGA Tour and saw Elvis Smylie win both the WA Open and BMW Australian PGA Championship.
Named PGA National Coach of the Year – High Performance at the PGA Awards in November for a third time, Smith’s stable continues to grow and flourish.
He has coached both Green and Minjee Lee since they were just 12 years of age, Minjee’s younger brother Min Woo making it three out of four Smith athletes wearing the green and gold for the Australian golf team in Paris.
“I’ve known Richie since I was 12 years old, since I first got into the junior squad for the Interstate Matches,” said Minjee after her third Olympic selection.
“Obviously he’s got great coaching skills, but he also knows us inside out so he knows exactly what to say when we need to hear it or words of encouragement or when we’re doing well.
“He just knows how to keep us grounded as well.
“It just shows how good his relationship is with all of us, having three out of the four in the Olympic team.”
Green enjoyed one of the greatest years by an Australian on the LPGA Tour in 2024 and finished just one shot out of a playoff for a medal at the Olympic Games.
An influential figure on WA golf for more than a decade, Smith’s reach continues to grow.
He and his team put the finishing touches to Queenslander Elvis Smylie that has already yielded a DP World Tour card and he is currently working on resurrecting the career of Victorian Su Oh.
Kelsey Bennett won three times in 2024 and secured a Ladies European Tour card at Q School. Here, long-time coach John Serhan, shares how they have established a winning mindset.
Kelsey won three times in 2024 but it was her finish to Ladies European Tour Q School that was the best example of having the courage to go for her shots.
Needing to make birdie on the final hole, Kelsey secured her 2025 LET card by hitting two shots when she needed them most when there was a temptation to play safe instead.
Can you win playing conservatively all the time?
The answer these days is definitely not.
If you can’t win playing that way, you need the courage to commit to every shot.
There’s a great deal of acceptance that comes with that because you may not hit the perfect shot. But it might go exactly where you want it to, and that should be your focus.
Everyone has those thoughts of where they don’t want to hit it, but those who do it better have awareness and strategies to get their focus back on what they want to achieve.
Find a divot a couple of metres in front of you, visualise the ball flying through the air and then landing on the green.
Trust that your body knows what to do and allow the subconscious mind to create the shot.
More than not being scared to win, it’s also about not being scared to fail.
John Serhan is the Head Teaching Professional at St Michael’s Golf Club in Sydney and was named 2022 PGA NSW Coach of the Year – High Performance. Among the athletes he coaches are Tour Players Kelsey Bennett, Harrison Crowe, Sarah Kemp and Nathan Barbieri.
Harry McMillan knows that the world of golf is now open to him after completing the Membership Pathway Program by being named the 2024 PGA of Australia Associate of the Year.
Now employed as an Assistant Professional at The Lakes Golf Club where he was offered an opportunity to begin the MPP after writing a letter, McMillan scored 69 in his final exam and finished with a playing average of 0.63.
Nominated for the award by his supervising Professional, Russell Skennerton, McMillan received the majority vote by the Vocational Members Council and has been lauded as a worthy recipient.
For McMillan, his PGA credentials represent the necessary grounding to build a career in golf.
“You’re always a little bit surprised when you receive such high praise and recognition is awarded to you,” said McMillan.
“It was just nice recognition for the efforts given at The Lakes, both with the assignments, playing well in the four-rounders this year and helping out around The Lakes both with member events and then helping with the juniors where I can.”
In putting forth the nomination, Skennerton highlighted the ways in which McMillan has positively contributed to The Lakes over the past three years.
“Harry has an outstanding work ethic and he always puts the business first before any personal needs that he has,” Skennerton wrote.
“He is always willing to stay back or work an extra shift where needed.
“He accepts responsibility for jobs that go way beyond his scope as an Associate Member.”
Introduced to golf by his father growing up in Coffs Harbour on the New South Wales North Coast, McMillan was a talented soccer player and cricketer.
It wasn’t until the age of 16 that he made golf his priority and saw a way to make a career in the sport through the Membership Pathway Program.
And he didn’t have to look far for inspiration.
Good friend Bill Stocks completed the MPP at Bonville Golf Resort south of Coffs Harbour and after stints at Cape Kidnappers and Kauri Cliffs in New Zealand is now working at prestigious Southampton Golf Club in New York.
“We’re lucky in that the PGA of Australia is so highly regarded amongst other countries such as the US, throughout Europe and Asia,” said McMillan.
“It’s pretty cool to be able bounce around the world off the back of being a PGA Member. And I think having The Lakes Golf Club as an employer for the past four years will go a long way, too, if I was to explore opportunities over there.”
Although he has aspirations to move into management roles at golf clubs in future, McMillan first wants to scratch the itch of seeing whether he can play on Tour.
Winner of the Wagga Wagga Associate Pro-Am and 12th at the PGA Associate National Championships in November, McMillan will attend Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia Qualifying School in April buoyed by how his game has developed through weekly matches over the past three years of the MPP.
“As a player, I’ve certainly become a lot more consistent through the program,” he added.
“Having to play majority of Mondays, different golf courses, different conditions each week, learning to adapt and know your game a little more rather than just playing at your home club week in, week out and then trying to go and win an amateur event or even professional events.
“It’s good just having something to play each week and just your game, develop your skills a little bit.
“The reason I went down the MPP path instead of putting all your eggs in the one basket, being able to get in and secure a PGA Membership as a Vocational Member.
“You can then explore management roles down the track, whether that’s immediately after or in 10 years’ time.
“That’s the advantage of doing the Membership Pathway Program.”
Director of Golf, Rodney Booth, has found the right balance of member play, visitor rounds and beginner programs for all ages to drive impressive growth at Catalina Country Club.
A favourite spot on the New South Wales South Coast for holidaymakers, retirees and young families, the 27 holes at Catalina have long been a popular playground for those who live in the area or those just in for the weekend.
That can create its own challenges in balancing member demand with the opportunity of visitor green fees yet Booth and his team have embarked on a range of initiatives that maintains member satisfaction while welcoming new golfers to the facility.
The result has been an explosion not only in membership numbers and visitor rounds but introductory programs that have proven popular for all ages.
“We have cadets from the age of eight beginning their lifelong journey all the way up to 70-year-olds that have decided to take the game up for one of many reasons,” said Booth, who was named the PGA National Club Professional of the Year at the 2024 PGA Awards.
“Within this age gap, we cater for an array of individuals and groups ranging from schools, work organisations, community groups, people with physical or mental limitations as well as those that just want to give golf a try who haven’t up until now.”
At either end of the age spectrum, newcomers to Catalina are relishing the start of their journey in golf.
In an area popular among retirees, the junior base has more than tripled while the beginner ladies programs have proved so popular there are now as many as four sessions per week.
“Our junior program’s gone from around 30 juniors up to more than 100 now,” Booth added.
“Our beginner ladies engagement programs are really kicking some goals now. We’ve got three or four clinics a week and even membership’s just grown exponentially over the last three or four years.
“We’re putting through more than 200 people a day at the moment so it’s busy but having that personal contact as much as you can goes a long way.”
Key to Catalina’s success has been a focus on making sure that each experience, no matter how frequent, is an enjoyable one.
“We’ve got a great product at Catalina – the clubhouse, the facilities, the service, the golf course – so it is then about making that day-to-day experience one that they remember,” said Booth.
“Whether it’s a member that’s frequenting two or three days a week, a visitor that comes out once a year or those participating in our various programs, making sure that their time and their experience is worthwhile and they want to come back in again.
“If they walk out of the pro shop with a smile on their face and appreciating the journey, then my job’s partly done.”
With three wins on the LPGA Tour, Hannah obviously had a fantastic year in 2024. But when we looked at her play from the year prior, it was only a couple of putts a week that was the difference between a win and a top 10, explains coach Ritchie Smith.
What we saw with Hannah’s putting stroke in the pre-season was that the swing path was very square, but there was a lot of rotation at the face.
We wanted to discourage that rotation so that it matched up with the path better.
To address that, we changed the putter to a centre shaft.
It was the better choice of the equipment that helped to create a better pattern of movement.
Many club golfers use equipment that they like the look of, rather than what works best.
By spending as little as 10 minutes with a PGA Professional, you can work out what equipment you need by analysing the data.
The result won’t be instant, but with enough reps you will see a change in performance.
Which ultimately means more putts going in.
Based at Royal Fremantle Golf Club, Ritchie Smith was named the 2024 PGA National Coach of the Year – High Performance, the third time he has won that award. Ritchie’s athletes include Hannah Green, Minjee Lee, Min Woo Lee, Elvis Smylie and Hayden Hopewell.
When you’re the only girl in Geraldton who plays golf, finding friends to play with – let alone learn the game with – never enters your mind.
Rachel Campbell grew up the daughter of a PGA Professional, so found her way into golf via that path. She has since discovered since joining the team at Lake Karrinyup Country Club in Perth that many women desire a more collective entry point.
Since taking over the Women’s Introductory Program six years ago, Rachel has introduced 48 women to golf over a 22-week period each year.
Last year, 37 of those women took up the transitional membership offered by the club. Next year’s program, which starts in March, has just six of the remaining 48 spots still available.
Each program consists of six groups of eight women and Rachel believes that it is the shared experience that makes it such a success.
“It’s often safety in numbers,” says Rachel.
“There’s always two or three friends that are doing it together because one won’t do it without the other.
“It’s very social. There’s a lot of chatting that happens in our classes and it’s a pretty relaxed atmosphere, but that’s what they’re there for. They’re there to have some fun, do something with their friends.”
Rachel herself was an outstanding junior golfer who attended New Mexico State University on a golf scholarship before spending time on the Ladies European Tour, Futures Tour in the US and the WPGA Tour of Australasia.
But through offering the group lessons where half the time is spent on course to make ladies feel comfortable and aware of golf etiquette, Rachel is seeing the wider benefits that playing golf offers, even if you don’t carry a scorecard.
“One of the ladies who was in the program my first year in 2019 is now nominating to be on the committee,” says Rachel.
“Six years ago, she didn’t know anyone in the club and had never played golf.
“She said that the program positively transformed her life and that she has ‘found her tribe’ with a passion for golf.
“Some of these ladies will never play a comp. They just want to play nine holes on a Monday morning with their friends and have a coffee.
“There are a group of ladies who now go away on golf trips together who met doing the introductory program.
“They’ll go down to Margaret River; one lady has a boat so they’ll go to Rottnest Island for the day and play the Rottnest Cup. They recently went to Adelaide.
“It’s quite amazing. They didn’t know each other well and now they’ve just formed this nice group.
“Golf’s probably not the highlight – it’s the eating and drinking and a bit of travel along the way – but golf brought them all together.”
PGA Professionals throughout Australia offer introductory group lessons. To find the one nearest to you visit www.pga.org.au/find-a-pga-pro/
Sustainability and a more actively engaged membership are the key tenets that Robert Blain is using to elevate one of Sydney’s busiest golf courses.
Nestled amongst a collection of courses that includes Bonnie Doon Golf Club and sharing a lake with The Lakes Golf Club, Eastlake Golf Club not only offers affordable membership options in Australia’s most populous city but also access to public play.
Blain joined Eastlake as General Manager in July 2023 after a stint as Director of Golf at New South Wales Golf Club.
Sensing the opportunity to maximise the potential Eastlake Golf Club presented, Blain went straight to work on key projects, including the installation of a 100kW solar panel system, consultation with Greater Sydney Landcare on a commitment to plant 4,000 native trees and a streamlining of membership categories that included new models aimed at encouraging cadet, junior and colt participation.
The nett result was an almost 10 per cent growth in membership and a nett profit of $250,000 despite $400,000 in capital expenditure, Blain paying tribute to the position the club was in when he became General Manager.
“It is one of the busiest courses in Sydney, so it’s a matter of capitalising on that popularity,” said Blain, who was named the PGA National Management Professional of the Year at the PGA Awards in November.
“The club has been going from strength to strength before my time and I’ve seen it myself in the time I’ve been there.
“For myself and the management team, it’s a case of improving it where we can, listening to members’ feedback and taking them along on the journey.”
Part of that journey will be further course and infrastructure upgrades that will include construction changes to five of the club’s 18 holes.
These will be aligned with Eastlake’s course safety development applications which also includes the planting of more than 4,000 native trees in accordance with the club’s Environmental Management Plan.
Eastlake has also engaged an architect to revamp the clubhouse amenities, further enhancing the member and guest experience.
“We’ve made a fair push in the sustainability area,” said Blain.
“We installed a large solar panel system on the roof of the clubhouse and we have engaged in a detailed native tree planting program with Greater Sydney Landcare.
“It’s all part of the course safety plans that we’ve got coming in the next 12 months or so.”
After completing the Membership Pathway Program under Colin Hunt at Twin Creeks Golf and Country Club, Blain was the Head Professional at Hamilton Island Golf Club, became Golf Operations Manager at Royal Sydney Golf Club and then Director of Golf at New South Wales Golf Club.
He says that grounding, and the fellow PGA Professionals he has worked under, put him in a strong position to take on the General Manager role at Eastlake.
“I started with Colin Hunt at Twin Creeks and then worked with him again at Royal Sydney when I was there,” said Blain.
“I had David Burton at New South Wales, Rob Selley at a couple of the courses that I worked at and Paul Hinton at Royal Sydney.
“I’d like to think that I have taken bits from each of them and tried to build them into my own management philosophy.
“Everyone says the door is always open but I do just to chat to the staff and make sure things are going smoothly and address any issues that might arise before they become bigger issues.”
For Jake Newbery, the key to engaging kids in golf is to show them just how fun the sport is, something that comes naturally to him.
Announced at the PGA Awards during BMW Australian PGA Championship week as the 2024 MyGolf Deliverer of the Year, Newbery credits his grandfather for introducing him to the game and fostering his love of the sport from a young age.
“My inspiration comes from being amongst golf,” he said.
“My grandfather was my sole inspiration into me being a part of the golf industry.
“I just fell in love with the sport and I love everything about it. I love showing kids just how much fun golf and our sport can be.”
Working out of KDV Sport on the Gold Coast, Newbery completed his PGA Membership Pathway Program at Keperra Country Golf Club.
KDV is a multisport facility, and the ethos of the MyGolf program fits in perfectly. MyGolf takes a fun above all approach, and incorporates a number of different games and sports.
“To get kids engaged, you’ve got to have energy,” said Newbery.
“You’ve got to have multiple different stations that they can go through and learn. You’ve got to ensure they understand it because if they can understand it, they’ll be able to do it.
“Show them how to have fun, and show the love of the sport.”
In his pursuit to unearth the next stars of the sport, and help pass on his love of golf to the next generation, Newbery says the MyGolf program has been transformative.
“The MyGolf platform is absolutely incredible,” he said. “Not only does it create links between parents and coaches, it gives parents the ability to see what’s going on in their local area and then get their child involved in the game.
“It’s so easy to use on the Golf Australia website. Honestly, I can’t recommend it enough. If you haven’t got it, get it.”
Newbery receives countless messages (see below) from parents praising him for helping their kids, but it is the instant feedback from his students that he cherishes the most.
“Their smiles are the most special. Seeing them hit a shot that they can’t hit. Seeing them make their first putt, making their first birdie, then they just go, ‘Wow! Did I just do that?’.”
Messages from parents included in Newbery’s nomination below:
After almost a decade in the police force, the PGA’s Membership Pathway Program offered the career change Luke Porritt needed.
“It was my sister who encouraged me at the time,” says Porritt.
“She said there was no reason I couldn’t take a risk. Her advice stuck with me, it helped me to take the leap and I am so glad I did.”
Porritt was in a dark place when he and his sister shared that raw conversation.
After nearly a decade in the police force, Porritt was struggling with a range of mental health problems, including post-traumatic stress disorder and depression, directly related to his work.
“I had a pretty bad time of it and, ultimately, I just needed to get out,” he reflects.
Thankfully for Porritt, golf – the game he grew up loving with his dad and grandpa as they played together on sand greens – provided hope and possibility in the form of a drastic career change.
For Porritt, that meant enrolling in the PGA’s Membership Pathway Program; the PGA’s accredited education program to help translate a passion for the game into a career as a PGA Professional.
“The timing all worked out really well,” Porritt explains.
“A job popped up in Thurgoona where I was at the time, and it was a chance to do something I had always had a passion for.
“Up until that point, I just didn’t think a career in golf was something I could do.”
Now in his third and final year as a PGA Associate, 34-year-old Porritt is thriving.
His is a busy schedule as he balances completing his education with his hours at Thurgoona Country Club, as well as finding time to practice and improve his own game.
“There is no doubt I’ve got a lot on, I am also a father of two now,” he laughs.
“But from where I was, I think being busy – and enjoying what is making me busy – is a really wonderful thing.”
At Thurgoona, Porritt is splitting his time between the shop, where he spends three days a week, and coaching. A nice split, he loves engaging with club members and already understands the role that a PGA Professional can play in enhancing golfer experience.
“I love building that connection and rapport with people around the club. I think it is a unique and special role in that way,” he adds.
To that end, he is eternally grateful to the club for being supportive of his journey. From the work opportunities to creating the time and space to continue improving his own game, Porritt has found a home at Thurgoona.
The practice is paying off, too.
Porritt has recorded two third-places finishes at the NSW/ACT Associate Championship and cites a start at the Victorian PGA as a highlight of his time as an Associate.
“I really do love playing and competing,” he says. “I am hoping to get some starts in Tour events next year and really keep that side of things going.”
Recognised for his hard work, improvement and outstanding results through his time in the MPP, Porritt was also named Victorian Associate of the Year in 2023.
“I am very proud of that to be honest. It is really nice to be recognised for your hard work.”
Although the hard work is far from over, Porritt could not be more content with the decision he made to look after his health and follow his passion. With a career as a PGA Professional waiting for him, the possibilities are many.
“I love coaching but would never rule out the idea of becoming a Director of Golf or General Manager in the golf industry,” he says.
“The chance to follow my passion is wonderful, and I am so grateful for the support of my wife, family and all the wonderful people at Thurgoona for helping to make it a reality.”
To explore the myriad of career opportunities available through the PGA of Australia, visit pga.org.au/education
The two leading teams could not be split at the NSW/ACT PGA Foursomes Championship held at Pymble Golf Club on Monday.
Faced with temperatures in excess of 35 degrees, the team of Jordan Mullaney and Jason Perkin and the pairing of Steve Vail and Neil Rolfe sharing top spot with rounds of 4-under 68.
Incredibly, both teams completed their rounds bogey-free, Mullaney and Perkin adding to their foursomes win of two years ago.
The condition of the greens received widespread compliments from the players in the field and the two winning teams both made special mention of Pymble Golf Club, in particular General Manager and PGA Member Jason Atkins, Head Professional Christian McGill and his team and the course staff for the presentation of the golf course.
