Golf Month, Australian golf’s national participation campaign, returns for another year this October following a successful 2016 in which 435 clubs and facilities provided more than 1350 offers and activities to consumers around the country.

Led by Golf Australia and supported by the PGA of Australia, all state and territory golf associations, Australian Ladies Professional Golf and Public Golf Facilities Australia, Golf Month has grown significantly since its South Australian pilot (as PlayGolf Week) in 2014.

Buoyed by recent insights from the Australian Sports Commission’s AusPlay survey, which indicate more than 200,000 adults (15+) are actively considering playing golf in the next 12 months, the popular initiative will once again aim to provide as many Australians as possible with a golf-related experience during the month of October.

Golf Australia chief executive Stephen Pitt is delighted that Golf Month will continue its contribution to Australian Golf in 2017 and emphasised the importance of clubs connecting with their local communities – something that made 2016 such a standout year.

“While 2016 saw a 64% increase in active Golf Month facilities across Australia and a 51% increase in activities and offers, the month’s highlights for me were the clubs who opened their doors to their local communities through family fun days and come-and-try days,” Pitt said.

“The most notable of these were at Rich River Golf Club, where more than 1000 people attended, and Bayview Golf Club, which held an incredibly successful twilight bazaar to promote the club and its family-friendly facilities.”

The 2017 campaign will give golf’s strongest advocates – club members and regular golfers – the chance to celebrate and share their love of the game, and Golf Australia marketing director Danny Bowerin is confident they will be able to point friends and family towards the right experiences at their clubs.

“We all know about the traditional views of our sport, but things are evolving,” Bowerin said.

“I’m sure October 2017 will have clubs and facilities around the country offering what we know newcomers and those with families are seeking from golf – welcoming, social experiences, shorter forms of the game and friendly, patient guidance.”

The marketing campaign for Golf Month 2017 will benefit significantly from Golf Australia’s recent reacquisition of the commercial rights to Golf Link, Australia’s handicapping database. Almost 210,000 club members checked their handicaps on the Golf Australia website – www.golf.org.au– in April alone.

The Golf Month website, to be housed on golf.org.au, is currently being refreshed, but will be relaunched in early June to enable clubs and facilities across Australia to upload their Golf Month activities.