SHANX, who produce some of Australia’s best mini golf courses, has facilities at Regency Park Community Golf Course in Adelaide, Links Shell Cove on the New South Wales south coast and has just commenced construction of a new facility at Pacific Harbour Golf & Country Club at Bribie Island in Queensland.

“We’re thrilled to welcome SHANX Mini Golf as Principal Partner of Golf Business Forum \ PGA Expo 2022,” said Gavin Kirkman, Chief Executive Officer of the PGA of Australia. “SHANX provides a great way for Australians to play golf, have fun, and get them involved in our great game.  Also, it provides a great commercial proposition for golf facilities and clubs to encourage the broader community to be involved. ”

Golf Australia Chief Executive James Sutherland said: “It’s great news that the Golf Business Forum \ PGA Expo has partnered with SHANX, an organisation that is doing a wonderful job introducing people to golf and providing great entertainment and fun experiences for golfers young and old.

“SHANX continues to provide inclusive and fun experiences and it’s great to have them on board with us as we grow golf as a sport that offers something for everyone.”

SHANX Managing Director, Peter Vlahandreas, said: “We have long been advocates of innovation and change within the golf industry and now with SHANX Mini Golf we have an opportunity to deliver our messages and deliver that change. SHANX was born from a need to be different, do different and achieve new outcomes in our industry. The Golf Business Forum, when established, set out to do the same and now combined with the PGA Expo, in partnership we can truly deliver an innovative message and offer for the Australian golf business community.”

The event will attract more than 550 attendees from across the Australian golf industry and beyond, and will be held at CENTREPIECE at Melbourne Park from 12-13 October 2022.

Kirkman said: “So far, we’ve been delighted with the response to the commercial partner opportunities for Golf Business Forum \ PGA Expo 2022.  In addition to SHANX, the six major partnerships have all now been confirmed — Mizuno, Acushnet (Titleist and FootJoy), American Golf Supplies (PING and Ecco Golf), Callaway, TaylorMade, and Srixon, along with a range of other category partnerships.    

“There are still plenty of opportunities to join the industry, get involved, and partner with Australia’s most influential golf business event.’’

Learn more and download the partnership and exhibition prospectus via: https://www.golfbusinessforumpgaexpo.com/partnership

THE SHANX PARTNERSHIP 2022

A Q&A with SHANX Managing Director, Peter Vlahandreas

Interview by Martin Blake, Australian Golf Media Manager

1. How do you feel about this partnership, Peter? Do you think the Golf Business Forum \ PGA Expo is a good fit for what you are doing at SHANX Mini Golf?

SHANX was born from a need to be different, do different and achieve new outcomes in our industry. The Golf Business Form when established set out to do the same and now combined with the PGA Expo, in partnership we can truly deliver an innovative message and offer for our industry.

2. Has your organisation had this kind of involvement before with such a significant golf business event?

We have long been advocates of innovation and change within the golf industry and now with SHANX Mini Golf we have an opportunity to deliver our messages and deliver that change to the wider golf business community.

3. Tell us some more about SHANX Mini Golf? Where did it all start for you? How quickly is it growing?

SHANX Mini Golf was born from creating a need within the facilities that we manage at GreenSpace Management and providing golf facilities with a sustainable revenue stream whilst diversifying their demographic catchment.

We wanted golf to be more about fun than rules.  

Our concept is unique to the Australian market whereby our mini golf courses are not ‘amusement based’ with clown heads, windmills and rocks in the middle of putting surfaces, but rather golf as we know it, miniaturised. A concept that caters for the pro golfer to the ‘never played before’ and everyone in between.

There is no mini golf product like SHANX in the Southern Hemisphere.

All work is undertaken in-house and we can provide clients with a turnkey service providing everything from feasibility, business modelling, design and construction through to operations and branding. That’s an appealing offer for facilities to be guided from day one on how to best optimise their investment.

4. It feels like with the new Australian Golf Strategy emphasising the need for the industry to connect with all forms of golf, that this is a perfect fit for 2022? Do you agree?

Absolutely! All golf is golf!

5. What is your feeling about where golf in Australia is at, particularly at the grassroots level where you operate? We all know that the pandemic has led to a boom in participation … have you seen that in your space and do you see it continuing?

Golf is in a renaissance – there is a lot of great things coming out of our industry right now. SHANX is one of many innovative new forms of golf within traditional golf-focused facilities; public access and private.

Entertainment based golf will continue to grow; and grow fast.

Its reach is well beyond the traditional golfer market and that for us is exciting – we’re tapping into the family entertainment market, young adults and every other cohort you can imagine. When the rules are broken, the barriers are lifted and the focus is on fun… we reach a broader audience and that’s exactly what our industry needs to do in order to continue its growth trajectory.

6. What should golf be doing to capitalise on the gains of the past couple of years?

Keep looking forward, evolve and adapt to a changing market.

The importance of using additional funds over the past few years to future-proof operations with diversified revenue streams has never been more important. Facilities need another motor beyond green fees and membership to drive their strategic outcomes.

7. Overall, do you have any thoughts about how golf can grow and move forward in this country, areas of concern and improvements that can be made?

SHANX was formed on the basis to provide a golf amenity that is fun, family focused and entertainment based. There should be more of this. All golf is golf, and the more we can complement existing facilities with these kinds of amenities the more sustainable that facility, and ultimately our industry will be.