Golf Australia Announces the Winners of the 2026 National Awards of Excellence

Golf Australia has honoured clubs, community groups, volunteers, and industry partners that have driven meaningful change for the growth of the sport. Across 10 categories at the 2026 National Awards of Excellence, the awards demonstrate how golf in Australia is evolving far beyond play on the course.

award categories include metropolitan and regional clubs, off-course venues, participation programmes, sustainability, volunteer recognition, and industry suppliers. Recipients were spread across seven Australian states and territories.

Golf Australia CEO James Sutherland stated this diversity reflects the current direction of the sport across the country.

“The 2026 National Awards of Excellence showcase the extraordinary leadership, commitment and creativity thriving right across Australian golf,” said Sutherland.

Now in its second year, Sutherland explained the stories behind this year's award winners demonstrate how golf is growing deeper roots within local communities.

This includes remote communities in the Northern Territory, where 14 percent of local residents participate in junior golf programmes, while local government in Melbourne's west has taken golf into public parks to reach people who previously had no access to the sport.

“These are not just great golf stories – these are great Australian stories. They show golf is a powerful tool for building community connection, driving social inclusion, improving public health, and protecting the natural environment,” Sutherland added.

One standout example comes from Gove Country Golf Club in Nhulunbuy, Arnhem Land. Serving a town of approximately 3,000 residents, the club recorded 415 MyGolf registrations in the 2026 financial year – an 87 percent increase on the previous 12 months.

This figure represents around 14 percent of the town's total population. Gove also accounted for 35 percent of all MyGolf participation across the Northern Territory's 10 registered venues.

A very different success Story comes from Victoria's Maribyrnong City Council. Operating in an area where over 40 percent of residents were born overseas, the local authority brought golf into neighbourhood parks and community spaces through its Active Maribyrnong programme.

The approach received overwhelming public response. Sessions run during Girls Can Week reached full capacity immediately, while all places for Get Into Golf programmes sold out within just 48 hours.

In Townsville, women's participation has boomed thanks to the Townsville Golf Club's i-GiGL programme. The initiative combines professional coaching, on-course mentoring and structured social activities to create a welcoming, enjoyable experience for new players.

A total of 387 women attended Get Into Golf sessions, while the LGP programme recorded 58 new memberships and 879 social rounds played. This number of social rounds represents a 250 percent year-on-year increase.

Accessibility and inclusion are at the core of Half Moon Bay Golf Club's award winning work. The club has invested in two ParaGolfer mobility units, installed audio guided tee markers for vision impaired golfers, and employs PGA professionals with specialist disability training.

Meanwhile, South Australia's The Pat GC demonstrates how golf facilities can evolve into genuine community hubs. Formerly operating as West Beach Parks Golf, the venue completed a full rebrand in February 2025 built around the core ethos: "all golf is golf".

The results speak for themselves: junior membership grew 105 percent, while membership for players under 30 years old increased by 150 percent.

Short Course rounds rose 24.5 percent to 35,600 annually, while driving range bookings jumped 60 percent following the rollout of TrackMan technology.

Golf Does Not Need To Start On The 18 Hole Course

For off-course facility awards, Thornleigh Golf Centre in New South Wales sets the benchmark for introducing golf outside traditional full course environments. The venue operates a two-storey driving range, TrackMan simulators, mini golf, and has nine resident PGA professionals on staff.

Every year Thornleigh runs over 100 school group sessions, 70 junior development programmes, 50 adult beginner clinics, and hosts more than 100 children's birthday parties. This accessible model opens golf up to people of all ages and backgrounds.

Environmental stewardship was also prominently recognised in this year's awards. Tim McAuliffe of Mount Lawley Golf Club was named Volunteer of the Year, having led the club's grounds volunteer team since 2019.

Across 2025 this volunteer team contributed over 4,500 hours of work, and oversaw the planting of more than 20,000 native plants. McAuliffe also led work to establish Mount Lawley as a native fauna relocation site, including purpose built habitat that now supports a population of 37 quenda (native bandicoots).

The Sustainability Award was presented to Adam Marchant of Royal Sydney Golf Club. Serving as Director of Grounds for over 20 years, Marchant led the award winning environmental transformation of the club's Championship Course, which reopened in March 2025.

The project included planting over 500,000 trees and native vegetation, creating dedicated wildlife habitat and ecological corridors, alongside sweeping reductions to water consumption, chemical use and fertiliser applications.

In the industry supplier category, GolfSim Australia received the Peter Maddison Supplier of the Year Award. The company has installed golf simulation technology across a huge range of locations including private clubs, residential properties, schools, workplaces, hospitality venues and commercial centres.

Damien de Bohun, Golf Australia General Manager for Clubs, Facilities and Places to Play, noted that what unites every award winner is not just their ability to get people playing golf – it is their ability to make people feel they belong.

“The most striking thing across every single winner is this common thread. They don't just get people to hit golf balls. They make people feel that they are part of this sport,” de Bohun said.

He pointed to the Townsville Golf Club, which builds long term participation pathways for women by training programme graduates to become mentors for new players. In Kalgoorlie meanwhile, 76 percent of programme participants go on to become regular active golfers.

"Half Moon Bay invested in ParaGolfer equipment and audio tee markers so nobody is excluded. These organisations understand that the future of golf relies on belonging, and evolving to welcome the modern Golfer," he added.

For context, in Kalgoorlie 76 percent of the 167 participants who joined the local Get Into Golf programme had never played the sport before at all. This successful initiative is run in partnership between the City of Kalgoorlie-Boulder and Goldfields Golf Club.

The Changing Face Of Australian Golf

Across all award recipients, a clear picture emerges of an evolving, diversifying sport in Australia. From remote outback courses in Arnhem Land, women's participation programmes in Townsville, accessible facilities for disabled players, to native wildlife Conservation at golf clubs, the sport is growing far beyond formal competitive play.

De Bohun emphasised the critical, often unrecognised role played by volunteers, local governments and technology suppliers within golf's national ecosystem. While this work rarely makes front page news, he noted it forms the essential foundation for the sport's growth.

“These contributions do not always make the headlines, but they are the backbone upon which golf grows,” de Bohun stated.

Ultimately, the 2026 National Awards of Excellence are about far more than recognising achievement within the golf industry. The event demonstrates how this traditional sport is actively opening its doors to new generations, diverse communities, people with disability, women, young people – while also stepping up as a custodian for the natural environment.

Source: Golf Australia