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

Find your Local PGA Professional here

“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

Swapping the white sand and crystal blue waters of the south-west of Western Australia for the famous red dirt of Kalgoorlie, Jemma and Correy will job-share at the host venue for the CKB WA PGA Championship.

The benefits to the golfers of Kalgoorlie are twofold.

Not only do they get the retail and golf operations nous of Correy, but the coaching and game development expertise of Jemma.

“The council agreed to let us split our rostered hours 70/30, so that we’re both still able to have a good work-life balance and be home more with the three kids,” said Jemma.

“We’re fortunate that we really enjoy working together and complement each other in terms of what our interests are.

“Correy’s an excellent coach, but he’s also very good at the retail and golf operations side of things, whereas I’m more interested in coaching and marketing.

“I enjoy running junior and ladies programs, so that’s where I get to focus my time.

“I think it’s a great opportunity for the club members to have more than one PGA Member, and we’re actually really fortunate to have three at the moment. Billy Minns from Broome also joined the team as a casual late last year as well.”

In the Prices’, Kalgoorlie is getting two PGA Members with a vast range of experience accumulated over the past decade.

Jemma completed the Membership Pathway Program in 2012 and Correy in 2018, their respective qualifications taking them cross country and back again.

“Our careers have had quite a few twists and turns,” said Jemma. “Predominantly we were Perth and Mandurah-based, then we moved over to Melbourne for just over two years, then came back to Western Australia.

“When we welcomed our very premature twin girls, we worked for ourselves, trading under South-West Golf Professionals at Nannup Golf Club and providing coaching and club-fitting services at some of the surrounding country courses.”

It was only an opportune visit to the 2023 WA PGA Championship that planted the seed of a possible move for the Price family.

While it is an extreme departure from the more coastal setting they have been accustomed to, Jemma is already seeing the opportunity that the move will afford them.

“Correy went up to the WA PGA last year, had a look around and was really impressed by the facility and the golf course is obviously amazing,” said Jemma.

“He thought that there could be a lot of opportunity here and said at that time that if the job ever became available, we’d have to seriously look at it.

“When Brendon Allanby contacted us to let us know the position at Kalgoorlie had opened up, we thought, ‘Oh man, we said we were going to have to look at it, so we better actually do some homework’.

“It’s all happened very quickly and been a big change for our family.
“It was a bit jarring to start with, because we’ve moved away from our support network of close family, but in a lot of ways it’s been really positive too. The members are great here, and we have a lot of support from the council.”

Correy and Jemma’s plan at Kalgoorlie to divide and conquer is a true demonstration of the vast skillset PGA Members have, and the tireless effort they put in to make sure club members have the best experience possible.

Wherever they may be throughout Australia.

To find the PGA Professional closest to you, visit pga.org.au/find-a-pga-pro/

If that doesn’t sound like a large number, consider that in the most recent Census, Theodore had a reported population of 438.

The Theodore Golf Club currently boasts just 24 adult members.

With lollies hidden beneath cones spread across the practice putting green, Webb conducted chipping and putting games, giving kids a taste of a sport they had previously very little exposure to.

Now in his 40th year as a PGA of Australia Member and honoured with the Sport and Recreation Award at the Gladstone Region Australia Day Awards last month, Webb’s philosophy towards golf is simple: Opportunity.

“That’s the key to it. Just make it available,” said Webb, who is based primarily at Calliope and Boyne Island Tannum Sands golf clubs in Central Queensland.

“If I can get the kids playing, it just teaches them a little bit of discipline. It teaches them a little bit of empathy for themselves and others, when you have bad scores and when you have good scores.

“And you have friends for life in golf.”

Introducing kids to golf has been a passion of Webb’s ever since he completed the PGA’s Membership Pathway Program under the legendary Bren Alman at Mackay Golf Club in 1983.

In the final year of his training, Webb sought to grow the junior numbers at Mackay, first by targeting teenagers attending the local TAFE College.

A big believer that even if kids take time away from the game that they will return and become golf club members later in life, Webb has seen first-hand the societal impact golf can have on young people.

During a stint coaching at Hamilton 20 minutes south of Glasgow in Scotland, Webb’s junior program at the local driving range brought plaudits not only from the Scottish PGA, but from leaders within the community who were struggling to come to grips with youth crime.

“Where I lived, at nighttime, you’d have to catch a cab to go up the corner shop. Pretty rough,” Webb said.

“I provided free golf lessons for kids at the driving range and we had 50 kids turn up.

“They were mainly teenagers I was chasing and just hitting golf balls got rid of all their worries and anxiety and stuff.

“Those kids kept turning up.”

Heavily entrenched in a host of sports in the Gladstone region, Webb is the driver of the Free Sports for Kids campaign and sourced a base for Special Olympics in the area.

He has introduced golf to Kin Kora State School and Calliope High School and would like to see more Government support for the provision of sport in schools.

“We’ve got to start with the schools first,” Webb believes.

“We’ve got to provide more money in schools so they can have inter-school sport in all the local little schools in all sorts of sports, including golf.

“That competition against other schools is a good start for kids because more kids will then start talking about it.

“When I first started off, I went to 17 different schools off my own bat and I did it for free.

“The good thing about golf is that if a child has a little bit of anxiety playing sport with other kids, the child can actually go out to golf and be in their own space.”

And those 26 kids in Theodore?

They’ll be back again in three weeks’ time for a free clinic, sausage sizzle and with plenty of lollies to be won.

Looking for a junior clinic near you? Head to Find-a-Pro, to find a Pro near you.

Graduating from the PGA of Australia’s Membership Pathway Program just before the COVID-19 pandemic, Collis had an unusual first few years in the industry.

Working at Yarra Yarra Golf Club in Melbourne, Collis was fostering his passion for coaching yet remained uncertain where his particular niche would be.

Starting a family, and a move to the Bellarine, landed Collis at Curlewis, which is where his career as a coach took an unexpected yet but endlessly rewarding turn.

“When I first landed at Curlewis, for me at the beginning it was ‘How can I get customers in the door so I can have a coaching business?’,” Collis explains.

“I had no real prior experience working with All Abilities players or multicultural youth programs, but I just thought, Why not?

“To be honest, it’s now my favourite part of my week.

“When I have my All Abilities players come through the door, it’s a very humbling and eye-opening experience.”

Under the guidance of Collis, Curlewis now boasts one of the most successful All Abilities golf programs in the country.

The progressive club near Geelong has upwards of 20 participants taking part in its All Abilities program every week where they not only learn about the game, but have dinner, interact with others around the club, and develop relationships. 

Curlewis is working with genU, a profit-for-purpose organisation who offer a diverse range of services that include disability support, senior services, training, and employment across Australia.

The partnership has blossomed and been able to thrive due largely to Curlewis’s willingness to open its doors with the aim to make golf as inclusive and welcoming as possible.

Collis explains that beyond just golf, this program has provided these All Abilities golfers with something that genU refer to as a “third place”.

A “third place” is an environment where the participants feel safe and isn’t their home or work. Unfortunately, many people living with a disability do not have a third place, but Collis and Curlewis have helped create one through this program.

“When they first walked in, they were very quiet and weren’t very familiar with the space they were in,” Collis adds.

“Now, fast-forward 20-odd weeks, seeing these participants walk up to a staff member and feel comfortable ordering their own dinner is awesome.”

The feedback from the participants has been humbling for Collis and is inspiring he and the team at Curlewis to do all they can to keep growing the program.

“For them to come to me and say, ‘We just want to part of a club’… It’s a good reminder that these little things can be such big things,” he adds.

“My motto now is, ‘Where there’s a will, there’s a way’. If I want to do these programs, and these participants want to keep going with golf, we just keep finding ways to make it happen.”

Becoming an All Abilities-accredited coach has helped Collis to become a more well-rounded coach and made him think about swing mechanics and other facets of traditional golf in completely different ways.

It also highlighted that there is opportunity within the unknown; an opportunity to impact the lives of people purely through the game of golf.

“I’d be lying if I said it was any more difficult than it is to do any other program that golf clubs offer,” he said.

“For other PGA members, if you think you could be interested in jumping into this space, or doing an All Abilities program, it’s actually quite simple.”

Collis urges all PGA members to consider obtaining All Abilities coaching accreditation and for club boards and management to consider how their club can facilitate an All Abilities program.

For information on obtaining All Abilities coaching accreditation, visit pga.org.au/play/all-abilities-coaches/

He saw opportunity.

With more than 20 years’ experience having completed the Membership Pathway program under Joe Moore at Glenmore Heritage, Northey understood the situation clearly.

Satisfy this member and not only will that win them over but set a tone that would permeate throughout the entirety of the membership.

Following 16 years at Castle Hill Country Club, Northey was appointed the Director of Golf at Concord in January 2021.

Last November, he was named the 2023 PGA National Club Professional of the Year at the annual PGA Awards, largely due to the connection he set about forming with the members at Concord from day one.

A concerted effort to deliver a warm and friendly atmosphere within the pro shop that has been a hallmark of Northey’s career as a PGA Professional saw Concord rank No.1 of 40 clubs – consisting of 20,000 member responses – who participated in the 2023 Member Survey.

How he achieved that was to simply inform the members that the lines of communication were now open.

“Listen to them,” is Northey’s simple piece of advice.

“I advocate for an open door policy. They can come and see me anytime of the day if they’ve got something they would like to discuss.

“Provide them with someone to lean on, talk to, vent their frustrations or express some ideas.

“Members just want to be heard.”

More than opening his door, Northey instilled responsibility on his staff to enhance the experience of every member at Concord.

Typically, there will be a staff member near the entry to the pro shop to welcome members and guests.

Every tee time on competition days is announced to the tee. That not only delivers clear communication of who is on the tee next but further embeds the sense that the pro shop staff know exactly what is happening at all times.

“The first few days at Concord I heard that members were frustrated because they didn’t know who was on the tee, whether they were behind this person or that person,” explains Northey, pictured with wife Kim at the PGA Awards last November.

“I explained to the staff that the members like to know exactly where they are. When there’s no calling to the tee, they feel like they’re watching the clock all the time.

“It’s giving members the confidence to know that the pro shop knows exactly who’s on what tee and at what time.”

With an attention to detail instilled by a father who built motorbikes and which has manifested outside of golf in the build of an award-winning Datsun 1600, Northey’s pro shops are renowned for their presentation.

Each month he asks staff to move the displays to give the shop a fresh look, further adding to the experience of members when they walk in.

That, and the trust he and the staff have built up, translates to a profitable business.

Northey allows for members to order items such as clothing with no obligation to buy if they are unhappy with the fit.

It is an extension of the member experience that Northey is trying to enhance every single day.

“It’s providing our members with the confidence to purchase through us with a level of service they won’t get anywhere else,” Northey adds.

As for that list of ‘suggestions’, Northey was able to ensure 59 were acted upon before his departure and has plans to institute a permanent suggestion box within the pro shop at Concord.

“I said to him, ‘Look, I can’t do anything until you write it down.’ So he wrote them down,” he says.

“I got 59 of those 63 fixed. He never complained again.

“All he wanted was for someone to hear what he had to say.

“They were all miniscule things that members typically notice but there was nothing where I didn’t think, ‘That’s fair enough.’

“A chipped paver, a slightly bent bubbler, a ball-washer leaking water, just little 1 per centers that were easy to fix.

“But the important thing was that someone took the time to listen.”

Neither man could possibly have imagined that the future of golf instruction would be found indoors, hitting off mats into a simulated golf course.

The proliferation of indoor golf centres is growing at a rapid rate.

Some are designed as entertainment options with food and beverage, some are the modern equivalent of a golf club but with hundreds of courses to choose from while others have a primary focus on game improvement.

Established in 2021 by PGA Professional Adrian Lawson, Golf24 now has centres in Brisbane, the Gold Coast and Melbourne and is helping golfers to lower their handicaps at a rapid rate.

“I’ve seen people halve their handicaps in no time, where they may well have beat their head against the wall forever,” says Lawson, General Manager of Golf24 Australia.

“I’ve got some people that have fully transitioned to the point where all the golf they play is now indoors.

“We run Australia’s largest tournament golf network on Trackman and provide our members with a vast range of tournaments to play in.

“They’re getting their golf competition and they’re doing it at time convenient to them and at a cost that suits them.”

Integral to maximising the experience of each golfer at each centre is the onboarding process delivered by PGA Professionals at each Golf24 location.

After a basic introduction to the facility, members are given a crash-course in Trackman and how to best interpret the data.

With members enjoying access 24 hours a day, seven days a week, Lawson says that this understanding is crucial in working on the right things in the swing.

“They’re getting accurate data feedback, which they get nowhere else,” Lawson explains.

“They get an understanding of what face-to-path relationships are to the ball direction and its spin. Getting more of an understanding of what dictates the ball going left or right in a controlled environment.

“We have video cameras in every bay so even while you’re playing virtual golf, when you hit a bad shot, you can look up and see why.

“You learn how it feels to hit the different shots and feels become real.

“That kind of data and that kind of learning of the swing, learning how to play better in a controlled environment, that’s why people are improving so much.”

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With further Golf24 centres planned for Adelaide, Hobart, Canberra and Sydney, Lawson is looking for new and innovative ways in which to bring the simulator experience to more and more golfers, including potential partnerships with green-grass facilities that will enable golfers to take their improved swings directly onto the golf course.

Yet as far as technology advances in the years to come, Lawson is adamant that nothing will replace the sensation of a golf club onto the back of a ball.

“Golf’s one of the few sports where you need to be hitting the ball itself with a real club,” Lawson adds.

“If you’ve played the Oculus or whatever, waving that wand like a Nintendo, do that for a week and then try and hit a golf ball afterwards. It’s impossible.

“That’s the great thing about golf. You can’t do it with a pretend club.

“In time we might move into a holographic environment but you will still be hitting a golf ball with a golf club.”