When roving Far North Queensland PGA Professional Luke Newman took his trusty red sedan in for a recent service, there were more than 200,000 kilometres on the odometer.
You won’t get a better indicator of how far and wide he operates to help service the burgeoning demand for group and individual lessons, ladies clinics and junior coaching.
Newman, 47, fills an invaluable niche outside metropolitan Cairns at those smaller golf clubs which don’t have their own PGA Professional under a contract with Golf Australia.
His regular week is a mix of working at Drummond Golf in Cairns and hopping in his red Suzuki Swift for his roaming role.
In the weeks ahead, he’s heading to Atherton Golf Club to coach junior girls (June 23). A week later, he’ll be in Innisfail Golf Club guiding the juniors, boys and girls (June 30).
In July, Atherton (July 16 and 23) and Innisfail (June 28) are booked for visits.
You can add Mareeba Golf Club, Mossman Golf Club and Ravenshoe Millstream Country Club as well.
“The vision was to become a roving coach and it has worked out that way because the smaller golf clubs don’t have a PGA Professional,” Newman said.
“Since COVID and the boom for golf, the number of people through the store and those wanting a lesson has gone through the roof. It’s the same with player numbers at the smaller clubs.
“You do get a positive feeling of making a difference when you are coaching the ladies or developing juniors who might not otherwise get instruction.
“It’s a buzz when you see good juniors progress into adult squads.”
Newman had a thorough grounding at Cairns Golf Club, between 2000-12, where he began his PGA training under Brett Wilson and became a PGA Professional in 2004.
He had a hand in the early development of leading Queensland amateur Sarah Wilson, who was a junior playing out of Half Moon Bay Golf Club when she attended a coaching camp in Mareeba.
“You never know where talented youngsters are going to begin their journey in golf. It’s satisfying to play a part and I joke with the kids when they move on ‘Don’t forget the little people in your first victory speech’,” Newman said with a laugh.
Country clubs can register for MyGolf and Get Into Golf programs through Golf Australia which streamlines the whole process when it comes to those new to golf being linked with coaches such as Newman.
Over the past four years, the juniors and ladies at Atherton Golf Club have got to know who is behind the wheel when a red Suzuki Swift arrives in the car park.
“My mates call it a hairdresser’s car or Rudolph’s red nose but the little car has put in the kilometres over the past 10 years,” Newman said.
So has our roving pro.