Industry news
Industry news
GOLF BUSINESS FORUM
HITS ITS STRIDE
JULIA BOLAND ELECTED AS
ALPG PRESIDENT
F
ormer LPGA Tour player Julia
Boland has been elected to
succeed Shani Waugh as the
President of the ALPG, effective
immediately.
W
ith delegate tickets now available
for purchase and the full gamut of
speakers in place, the 2018 Golf
Business Forum is firing on all cylinders. “The
process of engaging our speakers has been
really interesting,” enthused Forum Director
Andrew Davies. “We’ve been talking to some
amazing people - all of them have a fresh
perspective and delegates will really benefit
from that.”
Bringing together a wide range of experts
from Australia and overseas, the two day
event will cover topics relevant to golf
businesses across the industry. “There will
be a focus on the customer experience,”
explained Director Guy Chapple. “The Forum
will look at what golf facilities are offering,
how they are performing, and explore how
that lines up with what the golfer wants.”
As the industry continues its ongoing
discussion on the future of golf participation,
so the Forum will begin with an exploration
of key trends in sports participation and
delegate will hear from industry leadership
on their plans for golf in Australia. They
will also learn more about the Topgolf
phenomenon sweeping the USA from Topgolf
itself, via International COO Zach Shor.
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From this top-level discussion, the Forum will
dive into the world of marketing, focusing on
the “how-to’s” of marketing a golf business,
as well as exploring hospitality and retail best
practice, drawing from facility profiles along
the way. Chris Helder will close the Forum
with his unique brand of motivation, asking
the delegates to cut the noise, focus on what
they really want, and what really matters.
“Today we have published the full list of
speakers on the Golf Business Forum
website,” said Davies, “I really believe the
agenda will deliver great insights for anyone
operating a golf business, and for suppliers
and partners across the industry. We’re also
looking forward to a great night at the Garden
State Hotel for our networking event - we’ve
packed a lot of value into our two days.”
Tickets are now on sale, with a limited
number of passes at early-bird rates available
for purchase. Further savings apply if you
bring three or more delegates from one
organisation, and PGA Members again enjoy
special rates. Don’t delay, make sure the Golf
Business Forum 2018 is on your #golfbiz
agenda on 30-31 July in Melbourne.
Early Bird Delegate Passes available at:
www.golfbusinessforum.com.au/register
The Golf Marketing Professionals I www.golfindustrycentral.com.au
At the ALPG AGM held on
Sunday 11 th March, Shani Waugh
informed the membership that
she would not be re-standing for
President of ALPG. Waugh had
been the ALPG President for 6
years, having served on the ALPG
Board for 11 years.
The outgoing President said that
she felt that now was the right time for her to
move on,
“Having been on the ALPG board for 11 years and
President for 6 of those the time is right for both
the organisation and me personally to step away. I
do so feeling completely comfortable knowing that
our Vice President Julia Boland is moving into the
President’s role. Julia has served on our board for
two years and is an extremely sharp and articulate
woman who cares very much for the ALPG and its
members. Given the push to improve the industry
for all women I know Julia is the perfect person to
lead our organisation into his very exciting phase”.
Boland was honoured to be asked to take
on the role of President commenting on her
predecessor,
“It is with mixed emotions that I take on the role
of ALPG President. It has been an honour to serve
as Vice-President under Shani and I have learned a
lot in the past 2 years. The ALPG is in a very strong
position and there is so much positivity around
women’s sports in Australia at the moment which
we need to build upon. We have been working
closely with our colleagues at Golf Australia and
the PGA of Australia and it can only be beneficial
to all of us in the industry to continue to work
together for the betterment of our game in
Australia. I would like to very sincerely thank
Shani for the enormous contribution she has
made to the ALPG over the past 11 years and wish
her and her family all the best for the future”.
Karen Lunn ALPG CEO also thanked Waugh for
her dedication,
“I want to say a huge thanks to Shani for all of
her hard work over the past 10 or so years. There
have been many times when I have witnessed
Shani making personal sacrifices to fulfil her
role as President and I feel that we have been
fortunate to have her involved for this long. I wish
Shani nothing but the best for her Shani Waugh
Golf School in WA and trust she will also enjoy
spending more time with her daughter Alex.”
Lunn also paid tribute to new President Boland,
“Julia has played at the very highest level as a
professional which obviously is an advantage,
but it is her off course accomplishments which I
believe make her an outstanding candidate for
President. Julia was one of the most respected
players on tour when she played, she is honest,
respectful and is never one to shy away from
a challenge. In my opinion, these strengths
combined with Julia’s scholastic achievements and
common-sense approach make the perfect recipe
for the ALPG Presidency”.
Golf Industry Central I Autumn 2018
17