The field made up of both on-campus and remote students, they took to the Champions Course at Sandhurst Club – home of the PGA Learning Hub – embracing the chance to blend a passion for the game with ongoing industry education.

The PGA’s RTO Manager, Suzanne Burns, was thrilled to see the students out on the course and is excited by the range of benefits that actually playing the game will provide the students.

“It really is a great chance for them to get out there together and network in an inclusive environment,” she said. “It was fantastic to see our diverse range of students all out playing and enjoying the game together.”

The handicap event was ultimately won by Diploma of Golf Management student, Nikki Shen, who claimed victory by one shot ahead of Byron Tan.

Runner-up on the day, Tan was also responsible for organising and managing the entire event, as part of one of his core units in the Diploma of Golf Management.

“Byron was responsible for everything over the course of the day,” said Burns. “From organising the field, to booking the tee-times, a pre-round briefing and even collecting and collating the scores.

“It is important that we give the students the chance to understand every aspect of working in golf and Byron did a wonderful job.”

General Manager of the PGA Membership and Education Department, Geoff Stewart was also keen to emphasise the importance of PGA Institute students getting out and playing regularly.

“By playing your sport more, it improves your underlying knowledge and informs your understanding of every aspect of what you are doing in a vocational sense,” he explained.

“General knowledge of golf is so important if you are going to set yourself up for a career, so I think it’s vital that we give our students the chance to get on the course together.”

The Student Challenge Series, which will run monthly, forms one part of the practical learning on offer to Institute students, as they earn a qualification to prepare them for any number of careers in the golf industry.

The PGA Institute is also working with a range of partners to offer students work experience placements across Course Maintenance, Golf Operations, Tournaments, as well as Hospitality and Events.

“We are very excited by the work experience program,” Burns said.  “It will ensure that our Diploma of Golf Management students will have a solid grounding in working in golf and really understand what they want to do.”

The work experience program will begin in October.

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The PGA Institute offers Australia’s only Diploma of Golf Management. A qualification developed in partnership with golf industry bodies, it covers the best practice principles to prepare you for a career in golf. Successful graduates from the PGA Institute are best-placed to succeed throughout the industry. For more information, click HERE