Q Golf - Official online magazine for Golf Queensland Summer 2016 | Page 11

She was an exceedingly popular winner.
“It was a total surprise. I never expected anything like
that,’’ she told me at the time. “You just do your job and
never think about awards or accolades.’’
Golf Queensland chief executive Lindsay Ellis described Rae
Clarke’s commitment and dedication to the development
of junior golf as “unquestionable”.
“It has been motivating to work with her and see the
passion she has for helping kids grow through the game of
golf,’’ said Mr Ellis.
“In coming across to Golf Queensland (from the GNJGF)
she brought that passion and, as a result, has played an
important role in growing the new junior golf program.
“Rae is still doing her upmost to deliver the best Greg
Norman Junior Masters ever this year. She is a great team
player and will be missed around the Golf Queensland
office.’’
Rae’s career in golf started working in the bar at McLeod
Country Golf Club in Brisbane’s western suburbs. Within
two years she was appointed secretary-manager of the
club, a position she held for the next 11 years.

“In those days we had to start the competition fields,
collect the cards, work in the bar when it got busy,
organise corporate days and functions and run the office.’’
She was the first woman elected to the board of the state
club managers’ association and learnt the “ropes” from
respected old hands like Ted Coker (Royal Queensland) and
Don Gregory (Pacific).
In the early 1990s, Rae moved to another facet of the
game as administrator of the then Queensland Ladies Golf
Union.
Then, in 2001, she joined the Greg Norman Foundation as
chief-executive.
The transition of the state’s peak junior golf body to Golf
Queensland in December, 2015, has gone smoothly. Under
the banner of Junior Golf Queensland a focus has been to
develop a model to improve resources for development
across the state.
If the latest crop of juniors are of any indication,
Queensland will continue to be a pace-setter in producing
golfers of the highest calibre. Rae Clarke has had a bit to
do with that.

Her duties were vastly different to the job description of
club managers today.

The Junior Golf Queensland team

www.golfqueensland.org.au

Summer 2016

Q Golf 11