Fuelled by networking limitations imposed upon them by the COVID-19 pandemic, corporates are realising the true power of golf all over again.
Feature image: istockphoto.com/jacoblund
As I sit down to type this, “The Times They Are a-Changin’”, written by legendary American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan, starts blaring in the background. I can’t help but chuckle. Fortuitously or not, Dylan’s title for the rather timeless track perfectly encapsulates everything about the sport of golf in 2022. Times are indeed a-changin’. Tradition, innovation, and a little bit of good fortune have all collided to create uncharted opportunity for those willing to take a punt.
Not many sports, industries or people can say they’ll come out of the COVID-19 pandemic stronger than when they went into it. And while the bastard virus is far from done spreading its evil, so too is golf from sharing its unadulterated joy and value proposition.
Sport Australia’s recent AusPlay survey revealed that golf’s vision to be a ‘sport for all’ was closer to becoming a reality, with an estimated 1,204,000 total participants playing nine-hole or 18-hole rounds in the 2020-2021 period. Yet perhaps the real growth lies in the sport’s genuine appeal to the business world, whether it be corporate days, sponsorship opportunities or even corporate memberships at golf clubs across the country. What was once a go-to activity for big corporations looking to reward their top performers and loyal clients, is now back in vogue for companies far and wide, big or small, via a variety of increasingly affordable channels.
With staff gatherings having to turn to virtual meeting rooms like Zoom and Microsoft Teams in these times of social distancing, could the traditional company boardroom soon permanently relocate to a fairway near you? Australian Women’s Golf Network founder Jessica Eden was unequivocal in her reply.
“I think it already has,” she says. “I haven’t scheduled one boardroom meeting since founding the Australian Women’s Golf Network (in March 2021). Working in construction and aviation media, our clients love the opportunity to meet on the range or for a quick nine holes. The relationships that are built on the fairways are strengthened and more business is discussed than in a stale boardroom environment with constant tech interruptions.”
Eden, whose business proposes to get women networking out of traditional spaces and onto the golf course, has a clear goal to build business relationships with golf clubs in hand. AWGN offers women a membership-based business network and facilitates monthly golf and special annual events that challenges a traditionally male-dominated arena. For Eden, the pandemic has only highlighted the increased demand for networking opportunities outdoors in fresh air.
“Golf is the ultimate vessel for business networking and opportunities as it’s unforced, unlike the traditional function room and boardroom settings,” Eden adds. “We can’t keep up with the growth and demand for social playing requests. The increased interest from the corporate sector to run in-house women’s wellness and golf days is obvious and has such enormous scope for growth.”
Eden intends to create an AWGN members business directory that will be accessible to both men and women within the network to further strengthen their relationships, all while trying to get a little white ball in a hole.
Yep, it’s safe to assume rumours of corporate golf’s demise have been greatly exaggerated. – Brad Clifton
Investing in a brighter future
With membership waiting periods in full queue and daily timesheets packed to the brim, golf-club revenue across Australia is enjoying a much-needed spike. As a result, intuitive clubs are taking the opportunity to invest in their facilities to not only appease members and guests, but to boost their chances of attracting non-traditional crowds – corporates on the lookout for a safe and fun environment to host their events.
One such club is Patterson River in Melbourne’s southern bayside suburbs. Its membership has grown from 650 to more than 1,100 in the past four years under outgoing general manager Rob Horrigan. While it doesn’t have capacity to add traditional corporate golf days to its calendar, Horrigan says the demand for corporate memberships has increased on the back of some major works being given the green light. The club’s main bar/bistro area is set to receive a $100,000 renovation, while bunker improvements in accordance with the club’s masterplan will be completed on holes four, five and six. The club is also updating its operating systems and website to ensure it remains one of Melbourne’s fastest growing clubs and the ideal location for a corporate golf event.
“The club is more than just a great course – it is the perfect venue to host a range of meetings and events,” Horrigan says. “Our main upstairs function room can seat 300 or hold cocktail-style functions for 400. Then there are our Patterson River corporate memberships, which are flexible and can be tailored to match every individual needs. Corporate members also get great prices on sponsorship opportunities at the club.”
Near Geelong, Curlewis Golf Club hadn’t left many boxes unticked when it came to being an all-encompassing venue. Boasting the 69th-ranked course in the country, a state-of-the-art driving range fitted with Toptracer technology, an impressive mini-golf facility, XGolf simulators, even its very own signature restaurant, this was a place that had it all… except somewhere luxurious to stay for the night. Now visitors can take advantage of the club’s eco-suite cabins that are nestled amid the indigenous native landscape. Sleeping up to 120, this is perfect for corporate getaways and larger groups and includes cutting-edge AV facilities.
“‘Experience exceptional’ is our tagline and we pride ourselves on delivering this,” says club manager Jamie Bridgen.
Two-and-a-half hours down the road, Warrnambool Golf Club is on a mission to expand well beyond its reputation as the course PGA Tour star Marc Leishman calls home.
“We are at a real turning point where we are no longer solely reliant on Marc’s endorsement, as wonderful as it is,” admits club manager Ashlee Scott. “We’re quickly gaining a reputation for the superior quality of our course and greens, with visitors almost surprised that a course three hours from Melbourne is just as good, in many cases better than, the metro courses they play at regularly.”
In the past two years the club has appointed Scott as its new boss, plus a new superintendent and a new professional, all young and dynamic and all firmly across the club’s vision to become a signature coastal course. “We are about to undertake the construction of a new clubhouse [see artist’s impression below], and this will really add to the overall golf experience here at Warrnambool,” Scott adds.
Across in the nation’s west, Kalgoorlie Golf Club may well be the most unique location in all of Australia to play golf, let alone hold a corporate gathering. The most isolated course in Australian Golf Digest’s Top 100 Courses ranking has been basking in the limelight as the host of the WA PGA Championship and continues to pump out upwards of 20 corporate golf days a year. “We’re pretty good at it,” smiles Jill O’Brien, the club’s manager of community and recreation. Indeed, they are. And they’re going to get even better with the construction of a 54-room on-site resort well underway. “What that will do for our capacity to host big groups is really exciting,” O’Brien adds.
Finding new ground
Will McLean doesn’t need any convincing about the power of golf. The Heritage Golf & Country Club marketing and events manager turned to the sport as a “safety net” after COVID-19 put a halt to his career in the entertainment industry. He figured if the pandemic was going to be around for a while, he wanted a job that could navigate around it, and golf was an obvious choice. “I saw golf as this bright light during the pandemic,” McLean says. “While almost every other industry was impacted in some way, shape or form, golf just powered on and welcomed more and more people to its fairways.” Ironically, it is McLean who is now rolling out the welcome mat, attracting a wave of new people and corporates to the much-improved Heritage facility. With Heritage’s St John course back in Australian Golf Digest’s Top 100 Courses ranking after a controversial few years, McLean now has added incentive to bring the corporates back to this Yarra Valley hot spot.
“I’m really focusing on delivering top-class corporate experiences to a whole range of businesses,” McLean says. Among his many clients making the most of the Heritage’s revival are AFL clubs and several small and medium-sized companies seeking a short getaway in a region famous for its wine and produce.
“Being a popular tourist destination, we can deliver a different angle to entice companies back,” McLean adds. “We know we’re on a winner when that repeat business is there.”
Corporate golf has become such a focus for The Cut Golf Club, near Mandurah in WA, the club is in the process of establishing its very own corporate club, which will offer up a limited number of memberships for businesses that deliver a range of benefits. Similar to Joondalup Resort’s ‘Quarry Club’, which offers an exclusive network for businesspeople who recognise that the game of golf can be a valuable business tool, The Cut hopes to entice local companies to bring their boardroom to the fairways more often.
“With a new management team in place, we are focused on increasing the awareness of the place outside our traditional golf circles,” says Paul Campaner, The Cut’s venue manager.
Hole sponsorships, guaranteed golf days for their clients, along with other personalised events are all part of The Cut’s plan to take advantage of golf’s boom.
On the Gold Coast, Links Hope Island and sister course Noosa Springs are revolutionising the very meaning of a corporate golf membership with a flexible solution for businesses. With one membership you can enjoy exclusive privileges of not one, but two of the finest courses in south-east Queensland. In what is the ultimate reciprocal rights agreement, cardholders can access all facilities at both properties, including exclusive members-only areas. The collaborative membership comes with a range of other playing benefits and conveniences and is yet another shining example of forward-thinking clubs making the most of golf’s newfound interest.
Location, location, location
Many clubs have found their niche hosting corporate golf days and needn’t change a winning formula. Kooralbyn Valley, situated in Queensland’s stunning Scenic Rim region, offers one of the best on-course accommodation venues anywhere, allowing corporates to feel like they’re swapping head office for paradise.
Just a one-hour drive from the Gold Coast and Brisbane, the resort boasts more than 100 accommodation suites, two restaurants, a health and beauty day spa, resort pool and various other on-site activities in a prime setting.
“We offer flexibility and can tailor all sorts of packages for large golf groups,” says Sarah Cargill, the club’s golf sales and reservations manager. “Importantly, we can accommodate corporate golf days all year round.”
It’s a similar scenario on the Murray River, where inconvenience makes way for location, location, location. Yarrawonga’s Black Bull Resort is the heartbeat of everything that is great about this region, dishing up the region’s best golf course with its most impressive new accommodation offering in the Sebel Yarrawonga, a 4.5-star boutique hotel allowing visitors to indulge their senses on the stunning shores of Lake Mulwala.
“Being so central to Melbourne, Sydney and Canberra, and obviously regional Victoria and New South Wales, we’re just a few hours’ drive for, literally, millions of people,” says James McCully, Black Bull’s director of golf. “Companies like BMW are already taking advantage of our corporate golf offerings. They see tremendous value in not just the golf experience here, but the conference facilities and the wider offering of the Murray River region itself.”
McCully said it was critically important for employers and employees to get “face-to-face” again after two years of being stuck indoors and communicating only via computer.
“We all want to get back to normality and be more engaged with each other, and a corporate getaway for a weekend is the perfect way to do it,” he adds.
Speaking of locations, they don’t come much better than the New South Wales South Coast, where Mollymook Golf Club is the talk of the region after the re-opening of its nine-hole Beachside course. Known in golf circles for its challenging 18-hole Hilltop layout, the wider population are set to be hooked by the renovated short course – and its stunning beachside location – that offers eight par-3s that even the most novice of golfers will appreciate.
“We’ve got two totally different styles of course here now,” says general manager Barry West. “Better yet, we have multiple facilities to cater for corporate groups, starting with the new Beachside clubhouse that offers amazing views, and our existing Hilltop clubhouse.”
With multiple accommodation options close by, West is bracing for an influx of eager travellers this winter.
“Businesses haven’t had the opportunity to hold many conferences in recent times but with some money in the kitty, they’ll no doubt be on the lookout for destinations that offer a bit of wow factor. Mollymook definitely ticks those boxes.”
Another destination that never fails to disappoint is Victoria’s beautiful Bellarine Peninsula, which in recent years has ridden a tidal wave of accolades as the host of the Vic Open. At the forefront of it all has been Thirteenth Beach Golf Links – a 36-hole showstopper that blends heart-racing excitement on the course with absolute tranquillity and luxury off it.
“When you combine our highly rated lodges and restaurant with our modern function and event facilities, corporate retreats are the cornerstone of what Thirteenth Beach Golf Links has to offer,” says Sally McKenna, the club’s accommodation and communications executive.
Throw in the five-star restaurants, wineries, distilleries and craft breweries opening up nearby, and this patch of paradise makes for one tempting corporate escape.
Sanctuary Cove Golf & Country Club is taking bookings for a limited number of corporate golf days in 2022. The perennial favourite on the Gold Coast has long been a corporate golf hot spot because of the “one-percenters” its staff do. Whether it’s the first-class bag-drop service and meet-and-greet upon arrival, personalised name plates on carts, or the corporate merchandise to truly personalise your day, this place understands the true value of repeat business. Corporate teams will love the golf clinics conducted by the club’s PGA professionals and the bonding it ignites.
The return of some old classics
Back in Australian Golf Digest’s Top 100 Courses ranking after impressive course renovations by Bob Harrison, Castle Hill Country Club is one of the most sought-after courses in Sydney for corporate days. Many are repeat bookings, and it’s no mystery why; a private golf club right smack-bang in the middle of Sydney’s thriving north-west corridor is an ideal setting for a company looking to host a corporate day. Throw in a fleet of 72 Club Car Tempo 2 carts, friendly and engaging staff, and a course that has welcomed some of the most famous names in the game, and you have a recipe for a successful day out.
Palmer Coolum Resort’s revival continues to gather pace on the Sunshine Coast with the club’s accommodation currently undergoing a welcome refurbishment. But make no mistake, one of the country’s most iconic layouts is back to doing what it does best, providing visitors with a memorable experience around its history-laden fairways.
“The hype is true,” says operations manager Paul Crangle. “The restoration of Palmer Coolum Resort is continuing, and corporate golf will be one of the big beneficiaries and a focus for us.”
A great day for business
It’s been said that corporate golf days are like a 10-hour sales call. Portsea Golf Club general manager Adam Hosie can attest to that. “We’ve been fortunate to witness first-hand how efficient a business transaction can be best when clients and colleagues are engaged and relaxed,” he says. “At the Portsea Golf Club, our corporate golf days create the perfect environment to develop relationships between your staff and their clients in a relaxed and friendly environment. Our experience running corporate days allows us to offer a tailored event experience to achieve the specific outcomes your business is pursuing. In addition to your golf event, we can assist with travel, accommodation, catering before, during and after your round.”
The Portsea course weaves between native trees and undulating dunes which adds to its beauty, while having wide fairways with not many obstructions, allowing novice or proficient golfers to equally enjoy themselves on the course.
Ninety minutes from Melbourne’s CBD, Portsea is the perfect location to create your own captive audience, where clients will commit to you for an entire day. “Our clubhouse sits at the highest point of the property and our 120-seat dining room enjoys expansive views across Portsea and onto Port Phillip Bay,” Hosie adds.
Many may not know it, but Victoria’s beautiful Mornington Peninsula inspired the creation of Moonah Links just down the road. The resort was designed to complement, rather than dominate, the beauty of this incredible landscape. Peter Thomson used the ancient, undulating dunes and natural contours of the land to shape and design the now famous Open course, which played host to the 2003 and 2005 Australian Opens. And that same sandy soil rewards Australians with year-round playability, making it the perfect location for any corporate golf day or social gathering. With the fully integrated Golf Pavilion, spike bar and terrace, Pebbles Restaurant and Lodge function rooms, companies needn’t look anywhere else for their staff getaway. With 80 motorised carts with GPS, outstanding practice facilities and 80 stylish rooms, suites and luxury lodges all on-site, Moonah Links should be on your company’s hit list.
