Director at Luxury Golf and Scenic Tours Victoria, Lacey, who is originally from Beaumaris and is now based in Shepparton, is one of the PGA Institute’s Diploma of Golf Business and Management scholarship recipients for 2024 and is excited to be broadening his horizons through study.

“I’m really looking forward to getting to know more about the golf industry, and even just connecting with people as well,” he said. “I’m loving who I meet in the golf industry; it’s very different to the construction industry.”

Having worked as an electrician once he completed his schooling, Lacey noticed as his career was progressing his work life was becoming less fulfilling while his passion for golf kept growing.

Knowing that he wanted a career change, Lacey had an idea that had been brewing for some years and took the opportunity to act on it when he met the Director of Luxury Golf and Scenic Tours Tasmania, Adam House.

“I had always thought of doing something similar to Adam in Victoria, trying to combine a lifestyle around golf trips and wine tours,” said Lacey.

“When I met him, I just thought, let’s approach him about partnering up and starting Victoria. That’s sort of been the last 12 months.”

Lacey has conducted trips to several regions in Victoria, highlighted by trips to both the Mornington and Bellarine peninsulas, where golfers were treated to world-class courses, as well as the chance to witness the Vic Open and Victorian PGA Championship on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia.

Planning on using his learnings from the PGA Institute to help grow his business, Lacey is especially grateful for being chosen as a scholarship recipient.

“The scholarship was really helpful because starting a new business, the cash flow is pretty tight so that definitely helped,” he said.

Having made the leap of faith and changing careers, and now reaping the rewards of following his passion, Lacey is a strong advocate for those thinking about exploring careers within the golf industry through the PGA Institute.

“Definitely do it, follow your passion,” he said. “For me, the simple thing is it’s easier to get up in the morning and do something I love.

“I’m not doing it for the money as much as for the love of the game.”

For more information on entry points into a career in golf, CLICK HERE.

In his years as a PGA Professional in Darwin and Queensland, Darwin head pro Kurt Watts has never been moved so much as he was by this four-hour trip south from the NT capital for a set of school clinics.

The clinics came about after Mataranka School applied and succeeded in winning a Sporting Schools grant via Sport Australia, aimed at increasing sports participation. The school wanted to follow it through with some golf clinics, and as it happened, GA’s Relationships Manager in the NT, Brodie Morcom, had previously dropped a MyGolf kit at the school.

GA has run clinics in Katherine before but never so far south as tiny Mataranka, where three days of clinics took place under the watch of GA’s Sam Wright and Watts at the end of term three. Almost 20 children of all ages from five to 18 took part.

For Watts, it was not only an eye-opener but highly rewarding.

“It was an opportunity for us to expose golf to kids who might have never get the opportunity,” he said. “It was a pretty cool experience, that’s for sure.”

Watts and Wright found a level of keenness that was off the charts, and a glimmer of knowledge of the sport, in particular Tiger Woods. “I said to this kid, ‘you’re seven or eight, how do you know Tiger Woods’?”

There was also some talent on show. “There are some gifted athletes,” said Watts. “We asked them to duplicate what we were doing and they were like ‘no worries’. Twenty minutes into the session, they’re loving it.

“I think contact is important. From a holistic perspective, it’s above and beyond golf. Some of these kids are in off stations or farms, some of them are from indigenous communities, and having that contact with us makes a difference.

“I think it was a massive success. It was the most rewarding school trip I’ve done. I’ve done my fair share – probably 25 different Sporting School grants over the last five years – and this was by far the most rewarding.

“I don’t think any of those kids, regardless of demographic, would have had the opportunity to access golf as a sport.”

The clinics at Matarenka are set to continue in 2025.

Focusing on the power of on-course coaching, Robins (pictured) will present multiple times during the two-day conference, hosted by Golf Australia and PGA of Australia, at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre on October 16-17.

It was the announcement of Robins’ attendance that led Jewell to investigate his background, ultimately reaching out to learn more of his philosophy.

Jewell implemented Robins’ strategies from April and has not only transformed his business, but been infused with a new-found enthusiasm for coaching.

“It was pretty disillusioned with my coaching business at that point,” said Jewell.

“It had been a while, probably 12 months, of starting to lose any passion I had for it. It was so transactional.

“It wasn’t giving me any pleasure at all to be doing it that way.

“I reached out to Will and it’s just absolutely changed my coaching outlook and the results I’m getting and the people I’m working with.

“I’ve turned it around in well under six months and I’m so excited to come to work now.

“I’m probably going to make three times the amount of money I did in this season of golf that I did last year. It’s just unbelievable.”

At the heart of Robins’ coaching methodology is to position the PGA Professional as the expert in golf, not someone employed purely to serve the membership.

“We’re in the pro shop, we’re serving the members and we’ve got to make sure they’re happy but when we go down to the driving range, it doesn’t work,” says Robins.

“The member says what they want to work on and, as such, they don’t get given true expert advice because we’re having to put it into a broken framework.

“The impression is that they are paying for our time when what they should really be paying for is our expertise.”

With a coaching program now booked out until Christmas, Jewell has had no problem in transitioning those who he coaches to longer-term programs that deliver the result every golfer is seeking; lower scores.

“I’ve only completed one group so far and in that group of four I’ve saved 30 shots between them in six weeks,” Jewell added.

“It is really easy to fall into the trap of being a servant and then no one gets results.

“It’s a long-term commitment. This is your best chance to score lower; are you in or not?

“If they’re not, then I say, ‘Thanks, see you later.’ And if they are, ‘Let’s go do it.’”

Joining Robins as keynote speakers at the 2024 Golf Summit is NRL legend and Queensland Maroons coach, Billy Slater, NBL CEO, David Stevenson, Former PGA Tour caddie, Steve Williams,

Paralympian, Elle Steele, Richmond Football Club triple-premiership player, Bachar Houli, PING VP Engineering, Dr Paul Wood, CEO PGA of Australia, Gavin Kirkman, CEO Golf Australia, James Sutherland, CEO WPGA Tour of Australasia, Karen Lunn, Deputy General Manager – 13th Beach Golf Links, Sally McKenna, 2023 PGA National Coach of the Year – Game Development, Asha Flynn, General Manager – Pacific Golf Club, Amber Williams, PGA Professional – Golf coach and golf educator, Hugh Marr, Biodiversity and Sustainability expert, Monina Gilbey, Biodiversity and Sustainability expert, Kate Torgersen and Lecturer – The University of Melbourne, Emma Power.

Limited tickets to the 2024 Golf Summit are still available by visiting golfsummit.com.au.

Photo: Courtesy PGA of America

Darrell and co-founder Michelle Dalton were awarded Best Sunshine Coast Community Service or Organisation of the Year for their work at Golf Programs Australia Incorporated, a charitable organisation that uses golf to “drive inclusion and break isolation” for various individuals and community groups in the Sunshine Coast region.

Among the services offered, GPAI delivers golf programs every Tuesday at the Glenview Par 3 Course and operates a charity golf shop and retail shop that provides learning and employment opportunities through their Social Enterprise program.

Established in 2014, Dalton’s dream is a purpose-built golf facility that will not only enable expansion of their golf offering but to provide even greater employment opportunities for people with a disability.

Dalton believes that the recognition by Sunshine Coast Council and Mayor Rosanna Natoli is a step further towards bringing their vision to fruition.

“It provides that endorsement and recognition of where we’ve come from, where we are now and where we’re going,” said Dalton.

“The community that we’ve created and work in the disability sector here on the Sunshine Coast, that is the highest accolade that we could have achieved within our sector.

“Moving forward, working with the Chamber of Commerce, Sunshine Coast Council, and of course, the PGA of Australia, absolute gold as far as we’re concerned.”

This week is double cause for celebration for Golf Programs Australia as they mark their recent move to Glenview Par 3 Golf Course with an official welcome function on Tuesday night.

It was a move made necessary after a change in ownership meant that GPAI had to vacate their previous venue on short notice.

Welcomed with open arms by PGA Professional Wade Hooper and those associated with Glenview, the search for a new home for their golf program highlighted to Dalton again the need for a facility they can call their own.

“Venue is key for us, and that’s why our mission and vision to establish a purpose-built golf facility is such a big thing,” Dalton added.

“We operate the largest inclusive disability weekly golf program – we run 48 weeks a year – so to be suddenly homeless was a huge deal.

“I’d been reaching out to Glenview and fellow PGA Pro, Wade Hooper. As soon as he saw our crew and saw the program, he just fell in love with it.”

With community awareness now growing and support coming from both the PGA of Australia and Golf Australia, Dalton is optimistic that the work of the past decade will pave the way for a bright future.

“People are now coming to us because they know what we do. They appreciate what we do,” he added.

“Because we have a charity golf pro shop, the golf community itself has come on board.

“Pacific Golf Club in Brisbane, Caloundra Golf Club, the Oxley District Vets, they donate all this golf equipment that we can sell in the shop.

“That sort of response is enormous and helps to fund us.”

To read more about GPAI and how to donate so that they can continue the wonderful work they do, visit gpai.org.au.

Cassie has wanted to play in America from the time we started working together when she was just 14 years old.

There are elements of her game that we have worked on to make that possible but, more importantly, we had to work out what worked best for Cassie so that she could play her best golf.

Part of that process has been becoming comfortable in doing things differently.

Some players will tell you that they play their best golf 10 weeks into a stretch on tour.

That’s not Cassie.

In her last year as an amateur, I told her that I thought four to six weeks in a row was her max.

Now, the bulldog in Cassie compelled her to spend 13 weeks straight in the US last year for her rookie year on the Epson Tour and it took its toll.

She feeds off the energy of being around family and friends. That’s what makes her happy, and her happiness is our No.1 priority.

We decided that in her off weeks, she would fly home, put the clubs away for a short period and spend time with family and friends before ramping up practice for the next stretch. Be a 21-year-old and go back refreshed.

It’s not really the done thing but you have to be willing to go against the grain and do what’s best for the player.

Only then will you bring out their best.

Daniel Morrison is a PGA Professional with 20 years’ experience. He played on the PGA Tour of Australasia from 2006-2012, founded the Twin Waters Golf Academy and was an Acushnet club fitter from 2013-2015.

Every week that David is playing on Tour, we know that the greens are different, the speeds are different and the surfaces are different.

I’m big on making sure that the ball rolls end over end so that is an element of David’s putting that we will check every day.

Loft of the putter, shaft lean and ball position can all impact how quickly the ball begins its true roll so we will make whatever adjustments we need to get that ball to roll correctly.

Ideally, that true roll will happen as soon as possible off the putterface and I will monitor it by taking a video of the first couple of feet after the strike.

There’s a simple way that you can check your roll.

Head out to the golf course early when there is some dew on the ground and practice hitting putts from 30 feet.

You will immediately see when the ball starts to stick to the ground and roll properly.

Move to a different spot, play with your hand position and ball position, and try to get the ball rolling end over end as soon as possible.

Make it a complete putting drill by picking a spot on your intended line and see whether the line that the ball leaves through the dew travels over it or not.

Rolling the ball correctly on the target line is a great start towards making more putts.

Based at Spring Valley Golf Club in Melbourne, Martin Joyce is the High Performance Director for Victoria and National Coach for Golf Australia and has been a PGA Member since 2005.

If you can’t get a four-year-old to put their clothes away, brush their teeth or contain their toys to one section of the house, how do you expect to teach them the intricacies of the grip and proper takeaway?

Quite simply, Kasey doesn’t even try.

Not straight away, at least.

A PGA Professional offering junior programs at Lane Cove for the past 17 years, Kasey dedicates herself to bringing beginners into the game and giving them the grounding to want to stay.

Her youngest golfers are in the Peewee Program for 4-to-6-year-olds, some of whom suggest more experience in golf than you might expect.

“They tell us, ‘I play golf all the time’,” says Dive.

“They think they know how to play golf because they’ve played it on the Wii or Nintendo Switch.”

Kasey doesn’t overload her enthusiastic newcomers with technique or theory; she provides the opportunity to hit balls in a game-based environment that is constantly evolving.

There is an element of repetition to build fundamentals but done in such a way that the kids don’t even know they’re learning.

“If you’re trying to build the perfect swing or the perfect set-up straight away, they’re not going to take it in,” Kasey explains.

“They just want to hit the ball.

“Let them hit it, let them make mistakes and if you see an element of frustration, that’s an avenue to step in and offer some advice that they’ll actually listen to.”

Kids are hitting balls in their very first lesson at Lane Cove, with games focused initially on short shots building into longer swings and then, ultimately, time on the golf course.

The success of Kasey’s program shines through in that there are now teenagers attending the Saturday squad classes at Lane Cove who began in the Peewee Program.

And for those who shudder at the thought of teaching young kids how to play golf, Kasey says her students have taught her how to be a better coach along the way.

“It’s finding how to relate to each child,” she explains.

“If they’re showing signs of not wanting to be there, then that’s not their fault. That’s on me.

“You’ve got to find a way to engage with them to capture their interest.

“You should be able to bring in every single child and find a way for them to love the sport.”

A PGA Professional since 2003, Portelli was one of the first to complete the 20-hour All Abilities Accreditation course that is a joint initiative by the PGA of Australia and Golf Australia.

Seeing an opportunity to expand his coaching business and bring a whole new realm of golfers into the game, Portelli completed the course in 2016. Shortly thereafter he reached out to local disability organisations to offer golf as an activity.

One of those to take up the offer was the Sale and District Specialist School, a school that caters specifically to children aged 5-18 with an intellectual disability. The school brought more than 40 kids out to Maffra Golf Club to try golf, including a boy with cerebral palsy who was confined to a motorised wheelchair.

As kids moved forward to try their hand at golf, the boy found himself at the back of the class, until Portelli asked the teachers whether he might like to try, too.

“They sort of looked at me blankly like, Oh, I’m not quite sure how this is going to work,” recalls Portelli, who has been coaching at Bairnsdale Golf Club for the past four years.

“I asked him first if he was able to have a go and he could communicate with me in what I would say was fairly non-verbal. He would grunt and nod to let me know he understood what I was saying.

“I pushed an alignment stick into the ground, put a rubber driving range tee on top with a ball so it was probably three feet off the ground.

“We used one of the bigger-headed All Abilities kit clubs which he could hold with his right hand and put a hoop out five metres out on front as a target.

“I got him to swing the club and hit the ball towards the target. His eyes lit up like a Christmas tree.

“You could see the teachers react like, Oh cool, he can have a go. He can participate.’”

Given close to a decade of experience coaching All Abilities golf it is just one example of how Portelli is not only changing the lives of those he coaches, but also those who are witness to what is possible.

Seb McCormick is a Special Olympics athlete that Portelli has coached for the past two years at Bairnsdale Golf Club.

McCormick has represented both Queensland and Victoria in Special Olympics competition and regularly plays in the member comps at Bairnsdale.

The relationship between Portelli and McCormick has developed so much in the past 18 months that where Portelli would once get only one word answers to his questions, now when they play the coach struggles to get a word in.

“He just yaks to me now the whole time. He just talks to me the whole time,” says Portelli.

“He’s completely come out of his shell. He loves his golf, he’s always excited to be there.”

So excited is McCormick to be at the golf club that he has told Portelli that he is getting a job there; news that he hadn’t yet shared with his parents.

“I’ve learned too, that he can be quite creative sometimes,” Portelli adds.

And when Sebastian rips a drive 180 metres down the centre of the fairway, it’s not only a thrill for coach and player but a demonstration to members of golf’s enormous reach.

“There’s a lot of members that know him now and will say g’day to him,” says Portelli.

“It’s opened up those members’ eyes that people with those disabilities can get out there and play golf.

“We can make it possible.”

To find an All Abilities accredited coach near you, visit www.pga.org.au/find-a-pga-pro/