Golf Vic Vol 60 No 1

golf report

Simon Brookhouse General Manager – Golf Operations, Golf Australia

Teamwork the Key to National Golf Structure

the new structure. To see a truly national Operations Team work together to put on both events after only forming in October was outstanding. Everyone in the team had their part to play and delivered wholeheartedly. Add to this the interaction of the national Development, Marketing and Communications, and Commercial teams and success of the events was there for the world to see. The ability to provide opportunities for staff from all around the country to experience world class events and share best practice from their own experiences is invaluable and stands as one of the greatest early successes of the One Golf model. In addition to the camaraderie exhibited by all the staff on the ground, in the short time since the restructure Golf Australia has been able to deepen its relationships with many existing commercial partners including ISPS Handa, TAC, Isuzu Trucks, Drummond Golf and build new partnerships with world class partners such as Qatar Airways. The ability to have one voice for golf has no doubt made these existing relationships not only stronger but enabled Golf Australia to be noticed by new global brands. This is something that is not lost when we can broadcast two great golf tournaments all around the globe. There have been many other great opportunities for our staff since the transition in October which may be as simple as learning a better way to do things from an interstate colleague or experiencing a development clinic at an interstate golf club.

Now that the dust has settled following the completion of the ISPS Handa Women’s Australian Open and the ISPS Handa Vic Open, I have had some time to reflect on the great success of both events. There is no doubt that when you have the privilege of playing golf tournaments on high quality golf courses such as The Grange and 13th Beach Golf Links, the fans experience excellent golf in a great atmosphere, which no doubt makes the tournaments so successful. The purpose of this piece is not to dwell on the success of the events but to speak about the integration of the One Golf model and how it has impacted not only on these events but on golf in general. Since October 1 2018, the five states and territories (Victoria, South Australia, Queensland, Tasmania and Northern Territory) have become fully integrated into Golf Australia, bringing together 90 staff from around the nation to drive the growth of golf in this country. The two tournaments mentioned have been the first events on which the new structure has had a major impact and, can I say, it was extremely successful. Whilst much of the reasoning behind the One Golf model was based on better governance, more efficient operations and a streamlined approach to managing golf in this country, there is no doubt that the impact on the staff has been a positive one and to bring the new team together to run these two events was a highlight for me and for Golf Australia. The collaboration and opportunities these two events showcased was a testament to

One thing is certain - we have great people who are relishing the opportunities and have adapted well to monumental change in our industry and as a group are all excited about what the future must bring. It would be ignorant of me to say everything has been perfect throughout the transition process, however when merging six companies into one, there is always the risk of some things not working out perfectly. Having said that, the issues that have arisen through the process have been minor and have been dealt with in a swift and professional manner. The experiences of the last four months have reinforced the view that a truly national structure is the best way for our sport to grow. There is more work to be done to achieve this truly national model and we all look forward to the continued work with Golf Western Australia and Golf New South Wales to make this possible. We hope their staff, too, can share in these exciting times. The full implementation of a truly national organisation will make golf an even better “Game for Life”.

4 Golf Victoria