After completing his PGA Traineeship (now Membership Pathway Program) in Perth under Graham Johnson and spending a couple of years playing on tour in Asia and Australia, Declan decided to join a number of his countrymen and teach golf in Germany.

There was a growing enclave of Aussie PGA Professionals within Germany and Declan saw it as a way to see a new part of the world, experience a new culture and return home to Australia to resume his playing career.

“I really went with the idea of going for a year to see what it was like, save some money and go play again,” Declan says.

“I ended up staying 12 years in Germany.”

Thirty years on from that initial exploration, Declan was named the 2023 PGA International Member of the Year at the PGA of Australia Awards in Brisbane last November.

His current role as General Manager of the Prestige Golfshire Club in Bangalore in India prevented Declan from attending in person, his career now serving as a blueprint for just how widely PGA qualifications can take you.

Through his association with Troon Golf that is coming up on 24 years, Declan has worked in Portugal, Russia, Italy, Morocco, the United Kingdom, Dubai and Switzerland as well as a stint back on home soil managing Troon properties such as Brookwater, Golf Club Kennedy Bay, Pelican Waters, Peregian Springs and The Cut.

He is adamant that his experiences in different countries among different cultures have armed him with the skills to be able to work anywhere and urges other PGA Professionals to invest time working internationally.

“I would recommend to all young graduates to go overseas for at least a period of time and experience what it’s like overseas,” Declan says.

“Even if it’s for one year or two years because it’s great to see what’s happening somewhere else and how different it is to the Australian system.

“If you go to a private club in Singapore, for example, seeing first-hand how they operate at such a high level is an invaluable experience.

“Any young Professional that gets that experience and has the opportunity to work in that environment, comes back with such a better understanding of how to work in the service and hospitality industry and deliver to your members.

“It’s a big feather in their cap and, when they come back, they will be highly desirable to Tier 1 clubs around the country.”

Although Graham Johnson’s acronym for FIFO may not be fit for publication, Declan insists that the principle remains the same for those who wish to work worldwide.

“You have to have the ability to adapt,” Declan says.

“I first went to Dubai not long after September 11 so there was lot of cautiousness about being in that part of the world.

“My thought was that if I make the decision to go there, it’s their country, I have to live by their rules.

“If you’re going to go somewhere, you need to fit in and you need to assimilate and behave in a professional manner.

“I think this is why Australians do so well overseas. We have the ability to adapt to any culture or race of people whereas other people perhaps don’t have that ability.”

Thirty years in, Declan continues to supplement his in-workplace development with continuing education through the PGA ACE Program.

Wherever he is in the world, Declan believes that continued learning is critical to success.

“It’s important to me, and it should be important to all Members because knowledge is everything,” he says.

“You cannot stop learning. If you stop learning, it’s like applying the brake to everything. It then gets to the point where everyone’s passed you by so far that it’s hard to catch up.

“The guys that have been really successful have never stopped learning and knowing how to adapt and grow their business.

“That’s very important. And the PGA has now realised that and are giving us the tools to be very knowledgeable, very well-rounded and understanding of what’s happening outside of the golf industry.

“That can only benefit us within our own industry.”

“We take people to the best golfing locations in the world, and we make sure they have a good time doing it,” says Mosher, PGA Professional and Director of Golf at one of Australia’s premier golf travel companies, Teed Up Golf Tours.

From Augusta to every course on The Open Championship rota – and most places in-between – Mosher and his team of staff are dedicated to ensuring that with them, customers can enjoy the golf experience of a lifetime.

Now a thriving business with more than 20 years’ experience, Mosher recalls that the idea behind Teed Up Golf Tours came about largely by chance when he was the Director of Golf at Mount Broughton Golf and Country Club in Bowral.

“A member bought a travel agency business and asked if I could help to organise a trip to The Masters,” he reflects.

“That was in 1999, but in 2004, a friend, who is now my business partner, encouraged me to start running tours as a business full-time.

“We took a risk, but we thought we had found a niche in the market. We did it as a bit of fun; a way to see the world, play some golf and have a good time.”

It is that approach that has sustained Mosher, as Teed Up Golf Tours has expanded from 8-10 person trips, to regularly hosting hundreds of keen golfers on trips to Augusta alone.

“We started small, but when we grew to getting about 40 people on those early trips to The Masters, it became a reality that we had something to work with,” he adds.

“When you step back from it for a moment, it’s really cool.”

Mosher credits much of the business’s success to his willingness to create and maintain strong relationships throughout the industry.

From his playing days when he recalls having to fax fellow players to stay in touch, to now engaging with a network of other PGA Professionals to get the word out about his tours, Mosher is a people person.

That, alongside his engaging personality, has helped to foster a sense of goodwill that continues to benefit the business.

“I really believe that PGA Professionals are very personable people, who want to help,” Mosher adds.

“When I look back on those early days, I was just keeping in touch and being friendly, but it also helped to build a database of people who wanted to be involved later down the line.”

That attitude enhances the experience for golfers on the tours as well, as Mosher and fellow PGA Professionals connect, cater to and care for each member of the touring party.

“These guys are engaging, friendly and want to help,” he says. “We will play with a different group every day of the tour, and it is in our nature to help – whether that is by offering a swing tip, or just talking golf.

“We are all there for the same reason and just love being around the game. Our passion rolls through the trips, and we know the customer feels that, too.”

The quality of golf courses is something that Mosher is meticulous about, wherever in the world Teed Up Golf Tours might be.

“On all of our tours, golfers will play all the best courses that are available,” he explains. “We don’t play average courses. Our motto is that we will drive a long way to play the best golf.”

Something made increasingly possible by his friendly nature of strong golfing network, the list of courses available to Mosher and his clients continues to grow.

“Over the journey, I’ve met a lot of people overseas who have helped us get on to courses I didn’t think was possible,” he says.

“From Pine Valley to Cypress Point and Whistling Straits, you keep building those relationships and more becomes possible.”

Having played in elite amateur teams, it was a natural choice for Dengate to turn professional.

However, while she was plying her trade on the WPGA Tour of Australasia (then the ALPG Tour), she was also completing the PGA Membership Pathway Program at Yarra Yarra Golf Club, becoming a PGA Professional in 2017.

“I tried to play a little bit, wasn’t quite good enough, but I had some pretty awesome experiences on tour as well,” says Dengate.

“I came back in 2017 to settle into, I guess, normal life if you will, in club-land.

“I wanted to use my PGA qualifications, work in pro shops and coach for a little while.

“I gradually found my way into the admin team where I am now at Latrobe.”

Working as the Operations Manager at Latrobe Golf Club in Melbourne’s north-east, Dengate is making use of her vast experience in the world of golf, as well as her learnings from studying at the PGA Institute.

Then known as the PGA International Golf Institute when she was a student, Dengate undertook the Diploma of Golf Management. That created several opportunities for a Tour player such as herself looking at the next step in their career.

“Leaving the Tour, I knew I had to find a bridge between the practical sense of the game and getting some business education,” she adds.

“I wasn’t quite ready for the step into full-time university yet, so the Institute was a great stepping stone.

“That first year, getting those credits for a university degree provided a great pathway into the golf industry.”

The PGA Institute has a proud list of partners with higher education providers. Students today can go on to study selected bachelor degrees with Griffith University, Deakin University, Torrens University, Victoria University and Holmesglen TAFE with the credits they earn.

On top of the pathways the Institute opened for Dengate, the flexible nature and self-driven study options suited her well.

“The flexibility was great too, working as well as studying, being able to do both and figure out my path,” she says.

“The opportunity to do it remotely, rather than on-site, for me made the biggest difference.”

As well as her role at Latrobe, Dengate has been a proud WPGA Tour of Australasia board member since 2016.

Now Vice President, her passion for women in golf stretches from the professionals all the way down to grassroots at club-land.

“When I started on the board, we only had three tournaments for the 2017 season,” Dengate says.

“To see where the Tour is now is pretty special in terms of growth for women’s golf.

“Golf Australia, the PGA, and the WPGA all working together in a much closer sense than they used to has definitely helped equality in the women’s game at club level.”

Dengate is an invaluable asset to both Latrobe Golf Club and the WPGA Tour of Australasia.

With her wealth of knowledge within the golf industry, coupled with her PGA Institute studies, she understands the needs of the members she works for, and represents them in a meaningful way.

For more information on additional education and training available through the PGA, visit pga.org.au/education/.

Leon Trenerry was good. Good enough to turn professional and spend six years playing on the Sunshine Tour in his homeland after quitting his job with a telecommunications company.

But, deep down, he knew he wasn’t good enough to make a career purely out of playing golf.

“Eventually you’ve got to buy bread and milk,” he explains matter-of-factly.

In March, three months shy of his 49th birthday, Trenerry graduated the PGA of Australia’s Membership Pathway Program, opening the door to the career in golf he never thought possible.

Trenerry’s journey is unlike many who seek to become a PGA Professional, yet is living proof that it is never too late to pursue your passion.

After more than 10 years in the restaurant business in South Africa, Trenerry followed his sister and parents and immigrated to Australia in December 2020.

Seeking an entry point into the golf industry in Australia, he enrolled in the PGA Institute’s Diploma of Golf Management while working at Brookwater Golf and Country Club west of Brisbane.

During his studies he was encouraged to apply for the Membership Pathway Program, a program he was able to complete in two years rather than the standard three due to his prior education with the PGA.

Not only did that put a golf club back in his hands – Trenerry won the Queensland Associates Order of Merit in 2022 – but has now given him the scope to plot a career path intertwined with golf.

Currently the Assistant Professional at Oxley Golf Club in Brisbane, Trenerry hopes that his experience in and out of golf will make him a desirable candidate for management positions in future.

“I always thought maybe I’d be able to get into management or part ownership of a golf course in the future, where I can be the jack of all trades with my food and beverage background,” said Trenerry.

“I’ve managed quite substantial amounts of staff in the restaurant businesses I was involved in and obviously with having the qualification through the PGA that may be able to open up a pathway into management.”

Being an accredited PGA Professional will also provide Trenerry the opportunity to scratch the itch of playing tournament golf again.

He understands that occasionally competing against active Tour professionals on the adidas PGA Pro-Am Series is unlikely to yield many victories. But he is savouring the idea of being able to enjoy the best of both worlds in what he describes as his “second chance”.

“When I gave up playing full-time golf as a 28, 29-year-old, I never thought I’d put the scorecard in the back of my pocket again, per se,” said Trenerry.

“Making a cut or top 30 amongst these youngsters would be a great result for me but the Program has given me the opportunity to be able to go do that and have a stronger financial backing than travelling around trying to make money just to get to the next tournament.

“The next step for me would be an Operations Manager role and then maybe in three or four years from now I’ll be looking for a General Manager role somewhere.

“Given the amount of people I’ve worked through my life in the restaurant business and so forth, that would be a good fit and a nice challenge for me.”

Hailing from Sydney and starting his PGA training in the 1970s at New Brighton Golf Club (Brighton Lakes), Hearn travelled Australia playing the game professionally before settling in the South Coast of New South Wales.

Hearn took over the contract at Bermagui on April 1, 1999, and raised his children with wife Joan.

Following a run of professionals who were in the role for short periods, Hearn took the job with the full intention of staying on at Bermagui, and went straight to work, including personally being on site for 63 straight days.

Reflecting on his time as a highly respected teaching professional and friendly face to the members and visitors to the spectacular South Coast, Hearn remembered asking a player from the ‘Chook Run’ to mind the shop after those 63 days to go to the bank.

However, mostly his memories are of the people during his time that ended on March 31, 2024.

“I like talking to people and stuff like that. If someone came into the shop, I’d say, ‘How you going? Where are you from?’,” Hearn said.

“I’m just always interested in where people played. Basically, just the social side of it with the people and all the members.

“It’s been so good for us here. It’s just amazing. We are not going anywhere. I’ll see if I can play a couple of tournaments and teach a bit down here and just keep myself occupied.”

Speaking on the changing nature of Bermagui, where Hearn claims you couldn’t buy milk after 5pm when he arrived before the turn of the century – and where membership was $69 a year at the time – the 66-year-old will continue to teach at local clubs. But perhaps with a little more time spent at home.

Noted around the country for his teaching, with Gary Barter a regular sharer of swing thoughts, Hearn’s ability as a player has likely been missed by the thousands he has served with a smile on his face behind the counter, or on the teaching tee at Bermagui.

Playing four Australian Opens, including teeing it up with the likes of Ian Woosnam, Rodger Davis, Ian Stanley and Graham Marsh, Hearn remembers once driving a young Vijay Singh from a Pro-Am at Tullamarine to Flinders Street.

But while he has mixed it with big names from both here and abroad, many of Hearn’s favourite memories often include two fellow PGA of Australia members.

Travelling with the late AIS coach Ross Herbert led to Hearn meeting Joan on a blind date, while his great mate Larry Canning is a regular in tales.

Canning was one of those to speak at the Chris Hearn Golf Day held on March 23, when 144 players teed it up, that number swelling for the dinner that evening to honour his time at Bermagui. Brett Officer, Peter Lonard and PGA of Australia Chair, Rodger Davis, were among those to send messages of congratulations.

“It was fantastic,” Hearn said of the day and night.

“A lot of the guys sent messages. Brett Officer spoke and wished me all the best. I can remember playing with him in my first tournament, the 1978 New South Wales Open at Manly Golf Club.”

Beyond the countless stories with some of the biggest names in golf, and his love of the South Coast and Bermagui Country Club that will forever be linked with his name, Hearn also speaks proudly of his 45 years as a member of the PGA of Australia.

“I’ve always been proud to be a PGA member,” he said.

“It’s the camaraderie and stuff like that. I went to all the trade shows and all the seminars where they had all the guys that come out, Hank Haney, Jim Ballard, Gary Edwin and all those guys.

“It’s been so good, beautiful to us.”

His stable includes 2022 Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship winner Harrison Crowe and Sarah Kemp, who at 38 is playing arguably the best golf of her career on the LPGA Tour.

To watch Serhan at a tournament is a tiring experience for the observer, the younger brother of former New South Wales Open winner George Serhan constantly watching and filming his players.

Serhan is often unable to help himself from jumping in as caddie, too.

His commitment to his charges is admirable, and when speaking to his players it becomes clear he is more than just the PGA Professional they trust with their game.

“As a person, probably one of the best blokes I’ve ever met. Easy going and easy to talk to when you need him, almost like a second dad,” says Nathan Barbieri, pictured with Serhan and runner-up at the 2019 Australian Amateur.

Adds Crowe: “He’s rare. He’s extremely selfless. He’s always putting everyone else in front of himself. He’s just a top human being.”

Serhan, too, notes his closeness to students that become like family through the amount of time spent together. However, beyond the personal touch to his coaching that sees Kelsey Bennett suggest he is “like my therapist”, Serhan’s eye for the golf swing and simplistic methods are more than proven.

“I think we have just got a great relationship,” says Crowe.

“We work really well together in just kind of gelling, working through things together, not necessarily him just telling me what I need to do.

“It will always be a two-sided conversation. He’s such a great coach, such a great person.”

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Those conversations don’t come via a strict methodology that can so often be the criticism of elite coaches, despite Serhan admitting he does have his preferences. His ability to work with a player’s natural movements is arguably one of his greatest traits.

“It’s about trying to lay a foundation – a good technical foundation – and getting them to play lots of different shots I think is really important,” Serhan says of his philosophy.

“I know there are two trains of thought out there, whether you’re teaching just to play one side all the time. For me, I want to have awareness of the club and be able to move the ball around so they can create shots while they’re out there and it’s more fun when they do that.

“I think it’s important to understand that we are all unique. Obviously we all have systems, we have all preferences in our head that we like. I like to think that actually most of my players look different, because we try and embrace their uniqueness.”

Discussing the importance of club face at impact, attack angles, repeatability and removing any strain on the body to achieve those all-important elements, Serhan’s approach to elite golf revolves around fun. Particularly when it comes to embracing a young player’s enthusiasm, rather than stifling it.

“Just making sure that whatever they are doing is fun, so they’re finding a way to make it fun for themselves, so they are enjoying their practice,” he says of young students.

“Balancing out really the ‘range rats’ to being on course and playing games and setting little targets on course.”

Although Serhan might be best known for his work with the Crowes, Kemps and Bennetts of the world, he approaches the game and teaching in the same way for the St Michael’s members, be they nine or 90, with fun the overall driver.

That includes Kemp who he jokingly calls “an old big kid”.

“Whether they are 17 or 37, I honestly hope the same principles still apply because I believe there is a child within all of us, who wants to get out and muck around and have fun,” he said.

Believing his work with young players, including the St Michael’s junior program that Crowe calls “the best I’ve ever seen”, keeps him young, Serhan’s simplicity in his approach and personable nature is indicative of many PGA Professionals coaching at all levels. And comes down to a simple driving force.

“You want to see good people do well.”

He believes that members should be able come to their club as a one-stop-shop for anything they might need in the game.

Thanks to a recent installation of an indoor Trackman simulator, he is proud to say that is now what golfers can expect at Wolston Park Golf Club in Brisbane.

“People are looking for the full package when they go to their golf club,” says Egea.

“There should be an offering for everything they need; be it lessons, equipment, club-fitting and more – and they can know that they don’t need to go anywhere else.

“Now, we have it all at Wolston Park.”

Having taken up the role as Head Professional in 2017, Egea has seen the club change dramatically throughout his tenure.

He believes that increased play – from members and social players alike – is an indication that the team at Wolston Park are doing a lot right.

“When I first came here, we were what you would describe as a smaller club,” Egea concedes.

“But since 2018 we have doubled, to the point where we are doing 60,000 rounds a year.

“Our membership is growing every year, and we are busy all of the time now.”

As the club continues to thrive under the watchful eye of Egea and his son Jesse, also a PGA Professional, the pair felt it necessary to expand the club’s practice offering and a Trackman simulator was the perfect way forward.

Although Wolston Park has a small practice fairway and modest short game facilities, an indoor hitting bay, powered by industry-leading Trackman technology, means that the coaching, club-fitting and overall user-experience at the club has been enhanced.

“Jesse drove a lot of it; being from that younger generation he really understands what benefits the Trackman technology can offer both golfers and the club,” Egea adds.

“The Board supported it, and we are very glad they did, because it has just been wonderful.”

Sitting proudly next to the pro shop, the hitting bay is open to members and the public, where the uptake has been strong since it opened in December 2023.

“It has been really good since it opened. We have made it available to the public, which has meant we have seen players who are new to the club and have never been here before, turn into return customers,” says Egea.

“We have definitely seen a boost to the club’s business as a result.”

Additionally, the hitting bay has seen club-fitting go to another level at Wolston Park, as golfers put their trust in the Trackman simulator data before making a purchase.

“We can now club-fit with the best of them,” Egea smiles.

“We have a really good selection of different brands, shafts and options in our fitting department and now it’s backed up by data and technology.”

Now a thriving hub for golfers of all ages and abilities, Egea is excited for what is next at Wolston Park.

He believes that continuing to offer the game to more women and girls will help the club to go from strength to strength.

“We are always looking for more women and girls and we are still working on more ways to keep growing that sector at our club,” he says.

“We have a drive about to start, with free clinics for women and girls, as well as some other bonuses for new members.

“You just hope we can keep doing the right things and tracking in the right direction.”

For more information on Wolston Park Golf Club and to book a spot in the Trackman simulator, click here

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“I had fun and I learned something new.”

After returning to Eastlake in Sydney’s eastern suburbs at the start of last year, Edge pushed strongly for the club to introduce the program that provides the opportunity for girls aged 9-16 to develop a love of golf in a nurturing environment.

And, as Edge is quickly discovering, it is as much about who they learn with as it is what they learn.

“In our second lesson, we split into two groups for a short period,” Edge says.

“When I left one group to their own they started their own conversations about whatever’s happening at school and what happened on the weekend.

“That’s a good thing and is important in building those social connections that are so valuable but then, from a coaching perspective, eventually you have to get them back on task.”

With an older brother, Alex, who plays on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia, James grew up playing with his brother, his friends and his own friend group.

It was a ready-made golf group that he is aware is not available to all girls who play golf from a young age.

It is a big reason that Edge sees such value in providing a way not only for girls to get started in golf, but to establish their own cohort within the golf club.

“There doesn’t tend to be many girls of a similar age at golf clubs so they’re kind of just going it alone and it can become lonely for them,” Edge adds.

“With the way the AGF program is set up, you have girls pushing each other, they’re chatting to each other, asking each other for help on certain shots.

“That’s the best thing about it, they feel like they belong at the club with girls of a similar age. Golf is the vehicle for them to have that social connection.”

But it is not simply a way to bring girls together.

Edge believes that from a coaching perspective, the emotional attachment that comes from a fun experience with friends makes them much more likely to continue to play golf and to seek to improve even further.

“The way you deliver information is critical because there will be an emotion attached to it,” he explains.

“You might receive the best information available but if the way it is delivered is not great, then you will attach a somewhat negative emotion to it. And then when you consider having another lesson, you remember how it made you feel and are less likely to go back.

“If you can relay the information in a way that energises people and makes them feel good about themselves, they’re much more likely to want to do it again.

“It’s about sharing your passion with someone and giving them the space to share that with others.”

For more information on the Australian Golf Foundation Junior Girls Scholarship Program visit australiangolffoundation.org.au/women-and-girls