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.

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.

Final scores

A field of 142 Associates from across the country came out firing at Club Tocumwal’s Captain’s Course on Tuesday, none better than the 5-under 67 posted by Deftereos-Brennan in ideal morning conditions.

Blustery winds made scoring more challenging for the afternoon groups, Deftereos-Brennan one of only four players under par heading into Round 2 on Wednesday.

Despite dropping a shot at the opening hole of the championship, the man commonly known as ‘Jack D-B’ unleashed a stunning stretch of holes to surge to the top of the leaderboard.

He made a hole-in-one at the 136-metre par-3 second and then backed it up with further birdies at three and four.

The flurry came to an end with a regulation par at the par-4 fifth but Deftereos-Brennan put it back into top gear with an eagle at the 495-metre par-5 sixth.

He moved to 6-under through seven holes with birdie at the 400m par-4 seventh and was 7-under when he picked up yet another birdie at the short par-4 13th.

Deftereos-Brennan had the tournament by the scruff of the neck, only to give the chasing pack a glimmer of hope with bogeys at each of his final two holes.

The nearest challenger entering Round 2 is Toby Walker (69) followed closely by 2023 National champion Levi Sclater (70) and Ben Campbell (71).

Round 2 teed off at 7am on Wednesday morning, the championship to reach its conclusion on Friday.

Live scores

The Women in Golf Scholarship was founded in 2021 with the intention of increasing the representation of women within the ranks of PGA Professionals and to promote women into leadership positions within the golf industry.

In the short time since it was established, it has already produced a number of success stories.

Having completed the MPP at Barnwell Park Golf Club in Sydney, Sarka Seifertova is employed as a PGA Teaching Professional at Education City Golf Club in Qatar while Nicole Martino was last year named PGA Management Professional of the Year for her contribution at The Western Australian Golf Club and represented the PGA of Australia at the 2022 Women’s PGA Cup.

A recipient in 2023, Shin is one of four to be awarded the Women in Golf Scholarship this year along with Nina Bohan (Toowoomba Golf Club), Julie Crafter (South Lakes Golf Club) and Aleisha Weidmann (Melville Golf Centre).

Each receive partial scholarships to assist their progress through the Membership Pathway Program, of which Shin is in her third year at Terrey Hills Golf and Country Club in Sydney.

Born with congenital deafness, Shin’s path has presented more challenges than most, yet she has overcome them all.

Eager to pursue playing opportunities and advance inclusive programs through coaching once she has completed the MPP, the Women In Golf Scholarship has played an important role in her development.

“As someone with a hearing impairment, effective communication is especially important in my role as both a coach and aspiring professional,” Shin said.

“The scholarship has allowed me to invest in developing these skills, helping me to connect more confidently with players, students and colleagues.

“Beyond the practical support, the scholarship has also given me the freedom to focus on my growth and learning without the constant stress of financial pressure.

“It’s bringing me one step closer to becoming a fully qualified PGA professional – ready to contribute meaningfully to the sport and help make golf more inclusive, accessible, and inspiring for others, especially women and people with disabilities.”

After learning of golf’s place within the Deaflympics just last year, Shin set her sights on representing Australia at Tokyo this November.

She was recently selected in the first Australian golf team to contest the Deaflympics from November 15-26 where Shin will have to compete without the use of her cochlear implants.

“Competing in the Australian Deaf Championship back in 2019 was the first time I played without my Cochlear implants, and it was a truly eye-opening experience,” she said.

“It felt different at first, but it also helped me grow as an athlete. I became more attuned to body language, timing, and staying focused in the moment.

“Training without my cochlear implants has now become an important part of my preparation for the Deaflympics.

“Beyond the competition itself, I’m inspired by the sense of community the Deaflympics fosters.

“It’s a space where barriers are broken and athletes with hearing impairments are celebrated for their talent and determination.

“I’m especially driven by the opportunity to inspire others – particularly women and those with hearing loss – to chase their goals and challenge perceptions.

“For me, this is about more than sport; it’s about proving that hearing impairment is not a limitation, and I’m proud to take this step forward.”

The PGA Women in Golf Scholarship Fund is proudly supported by PGA of Australia partners Acushnet and Callaway.

Now based at Alice Springs Golf Club, Longstaff’s transition from the Membership Pathway Program into a career as a PGA Professional has been a circuitous one.

Shortly after completing the MPP, Longstaff and her partner embarked on an eight-month trip around Australia, stopping to play golf courses along the way.

Longstaff also took time to offer the occasional golf lessons, including at Katherine Country Club three hours south of Darwin.

Yet when Longstaff’s partner was offered a job in Alice Springs, she didn’t immediately seek to return to the golf industry.

Challenges Longstaff faced while completing the MPP gave her cause to consider other potential careers.

She had stints as a flight attendant and working in the Northern Territory Police Force call centre, but when the chance to work under Justin Speirani at Alice Springs was offered late last year, Longstaff jumped at it.

As she introduced herself to the Alice Springs members, it was an opportunity to conduct MyGolf clinics that reminded Longstaff why she wanted to coach in the first place.

“When the MyGolf Girls program came up, my boss, Justin, said, ‘That’s perfect for you’,” Longstaff said.

“I’ve been doing those every week and we’ve actually been getting quite a few junior girls.

“Most of them are quite young – like five or six years old – but we’ve had about 15 to 20 kids rock up each week and we’re like, Where have you come from?

“A lot of them have never picked up a golf club before. The parents see free clinics during the school holidays on Facebook and they come down and we have to start from the very basics.

“It’s kind of hard to tell whether they’re going to be the ones that continue golf or if this is just a free holiday activity, because none of the girls have ever come to our Tuesday junior clinics.

“That’s why I was so surprised when I got so many of them.”

But it’s not just the little ones who are inspiring Longstaff’s coaching progression.

As she establishes her presence at Alice Springs, Longstaff is still connected with those she worked with during her time at Darwin Golf Club where she had a lasting impact.

“I feel like it’s definitely brought me back,” Longstaff said of her work with juniors.

“Even the couple of Alice Springs members that I’ve coached, they’ve come back to me after they’ve won the comp a couple of times since then.

“I saw a member from Darwin who was playing the Alice Springs Open.

“I gave him a lesson probably two years ago and he said that ever since that lesson, he’s been able to get out of bunkers first try.

“That sort of feedback is what is keeping me coaching and that’s what has made my passion come back.

“The more I do it and the more positives I see out of it, the more I realise that this is where my heart is.

“I’m glad that I came back.”

Priest had three birdies and three bogeys to finish on top at the PGA Professionals Championship of Tasmania played at Ulverstone Golf Club on Friday, three clear of Hickman.

The Head Professional at Devonport Country Club, Hickman birdied the par-5 17th to build a two-stroke buffer from Darren Spencer, a buffer he would need as he closed with a bogey for a round of 3-over 75.

The Teaching Professional at Tasmania Golf Club, Priest’s round of 72 ensured he qualified for the National Final for the second consecutive year.

Outright third with a round of 4-over 76, Spencer will also attend the National Final as the Senior PGA Championship qualifier.

The next qualifying event is the PGA Professionals Championship of North Queensland to be played at Mirage Country Club on Monday, April 28.