If there’s a perception that operating a golf business in a regional area can be a struggle, then Rich River Golf Club’s Richard Caiolfa hasn’t heard about it.

As far as the recently crowned Bruce Green Victorian Club Professional of the Year is concerned, you can’t beat a career at a country golf club.

"I started here as a junior member and to be honest I would never move to the city. I’m quite happy out here. My family and my wife’s family come from here. We’ve brought our kids up here and all their friends are in the local area," he says.

"So I’ve never had an inclination to leave. That’s also my nature, it’s the kind of person I am, and I think it’s part of why I’ve been successful out in the country. It has never impacted my ability to achieve what I’ve wanted to achieve in golf."

While Caiolfa consistently goes above and beyond in his mission to put Rich River on the map, he’s not as comfortable with self-promotion. "No I don’t put myself out there much. Before winning the (Vic Club Pro of the Year) award I didn’t even realise anybody knew who I was. I’m not even sure who nominated me so it was a real shock. Somebody must have noticed something I was doing out here. Just to be nominated was exciting enough, but to actually win was amazing. When they called out my name I couldn’t believe it, I was humbled."

Rich River Golf Club Resort is located in Moama, a town in the Riverina district of southern New South Wales, and is connected by a bridge over the Murray River to Victoria’s larger town, Echuca. It might not be the first destination on every Australian golfer’s wish list, but Rich River hosts top talent at its annual Trainee event, the Rich River Classic – the longest running PGA event in Australia at the one course – which helps attract an impressive stream of visitors throughout the year.

"We had record numbers for this year’s Rich River Classic which was fantastic. Our members love it and it’s great advertising for us. Obviously being in the country means we’re a little bit out of sight out of mind sometimes, so events like this are very important," Caiolfa says. "You need to do things. You need to spend money. We put $30,000 up for that tournament and the result is that people go back to their clubs and say how great we are, then other members want to come and visit us or if they’re driving through they’ll remember us and stop by to play a round."

Rich River relies on a 50-50 breakdown of members to guests. Caiolfa says that with two golf courses supporting the local population of around 30,000 there is no option but to promote the club and reach beyond the membership. "We have to put ourselves out there like that to survive. Visitors are very important. We run a number of tournaments throughout the year.

At our most recent event we had about 450 rounds of golf played over the week along with all the associated functions. That’s all positive for the club. We have a ladies only event in May and the club’s annual tournament in October. And then we have other different events throughout the year based around public holidays or things like the Melbourne Cup," he says.

Of course you don’t achieve results like that without strategic planning and hard work. "The club has its own marketing manager who is always flat out. We do plenty of email marketing, for example. About 20-odd years ago we didn’t have a marketing person, but now you’ve got to have one. That’s the way it is," says the Certified PGA Member.

Caiolfa completed his Traineeship at Rich River in 1993 under then Head Professional Alan Eacott. As a consummate promoter of golf, he loves introducing young players to the game and creating a welcoming environment for all levels of golfing ability.

"Alan retired seven or eight years ago and that’s when I took over and moved into a Golf Operations Manager role. I wanted to work in this area of the golf industry since I was 12 years old," he says.

Does that make it extra special to be where he is today?

"Before the award I’d never really thought about it that way, but after talking about it I’ve realised how great it is for me to be here at the club where it all started. It was nice to have the opportunity to think about and talk about where I’ve come from and what I’ve done here."

Caiolfa recalls the early days of the Rich River Classic in the 1990s as a highlight. "It was tied in with the seniors event back then and it was fantastic. But overall I’ve just enjoyed working with our members in my time here. They are a great bunch of members and we have wonderful ladies members. It really is a great place to work," he says. "I’ve never worked at a city club so in a way I’m guessing about why I love it so much here, but I think in the country you do build up a certain bond with the members and the locals. I really like that and it suits me. I know everybody here and while it takes half an hour to get from one side of the street to the other because you’re stopping to say hello, I actually don’t mind."

Surely the isolation has caused challenges along the way? "Doing my Traineeship was a bit tough, I suppose. We drove to Melbourne every second week to play 18 holes and then drove home, so that wasn’t easy but it was worth it. Apart from that I don’t feel like there have been any major challenges in my career. I love what I do and I love where I’m doing it."

Caiolfa mostly splits his time between the Pro Shop and giving lessons. "The majority of the work now is admin and preparing for tournaments and things like that. But we also have a few pro-ams around the area soI still get to play golf tournaments now and then," he says.

"We have three Pros here at the moment so I look after the juniors who are a bit more developed with lower handicaps. I focus on trying to get them to a level where they can do what I did and reach a single-figure mark or even a scratch mark. We’ve had some quality players here but we tend to lose them around the age of 18 when they go to university or to the AIS," he says.

"It’s a bit of a shame to lose them but I keep in touch. I still talk to Jack Wilson (the first PGA Trainee to win a PGA Tour of Australasia tournament) and I’m teaching his brother now. And I keep in contact with Emma Bennett (former number one amateur in Australia). Emma works for Acushnet now but her family still lives here."

Maintaining relationships with his local community – Richard Caiolfa wouldn’t have it any other way.