Category: News

In The Media: Social Golf Australia featured in Inside Golf Magazine

Golf mag: Social Golf Australia (SGA) is # 1 Social Golf Network

In December 2015, Inside Golf Magazine ran a feature on Social Golf in Australia. Below are some excerpts from the feature.

The Social Network – December 2015, Inside Golf Magazine

Social Golf in Australia is, in a word, booming. What was once a small (and often disdained) segment of the golf arena has now become the majority player in a flourishing industry, with the words “Social Golf” becoming the hot buzzword at many clubs.

Social Golf numbers have outpaced the private clubs in terms of growth over the years, as time-poor families and individuals have changed their habits when it comes to playing this great game of ours. This has led to the establishment of many highly respected Social Golf Networks and clubs. Social Golf Australia led the way in this regard back in 2006, and they have now been joined by other professionally-run organisations/groups throughout the country*, with many offering official Golf Australia handicaps, professionally-run events, golf tours and more.

* New businesses such as The Social Golf Club and GenY Golf are examples of recent attempts by competitors of SGA to imitate the model that has been developed by SGA over the last decade.
Social Golf Australia

Social Golf Australia (SGA) is Australia’s largest and longest-running Social Golf network and has long been considered to be innovators in the Australian social golf market.

SGA founder Matthew Pitt says the idea for SGA formed in 2006 when he learned there were 700,000 social golfers in Australia. He and his pals were in that group but there were few options for social golfers to get a handicap and play competitions.

After meeting with Golf Australia, it was clear to Pitt that there was an opportunity to offer handicaps and events for social golfers. Pitt qualified as an official handicapper, became a national handicap provider and started organising events for golfers around Australia.

“We decided to go with the name Social Golf Australia at a time when the words ‘Social Golf’ weren’t popular. In some circles there was an unfair stigma attached to being a social golfer. My wife Sally and I have always been social golfers and we decided to go with the name SGA even though many advised us against it,” says Pitt.

A family business which started from a home office, SGA now has event managers around Australia hosting over 100 SGA Tour events each year. Today, SGA events feature over $75,000 of prizes thanks to major  sponsors Srixon, Golf Clearance Outlet, Good Food Gift Cards, Heathcote Winery and Garmin. The SGA Golf Club has also provided handicaps for 1000s of Australian golfers.

In 2014 SGA partnered with GOLF Link to be the official event manager for the GOLF Link Race Series. SGA continues to go from strength to strength but, according to Pitt, SGA being an innovator and the first in the Social Golf market means very little.

“Social Golf is the flavour of the month now and we have competitors jumping on the Social Golf bandwagon, some even imitating the model that SGA has been developing for years. That’s ok – it’s a free market and it gives golfers options.”

“It’s not important that we were the first - our priority is continuing to offer golfers an affordable alternative with flexibility and choice. We are a family business offering personal service and we want golfers enjoying the game and friendships built on the golf course. SGA offers an inclusive club culture that all golfers are welcome to share and enjoy. We think that approach has served us well for a decade and fostering a fun and friendly golfing community is important to our golfers and is what sets SGA apart.”

In The Media: Hacker Golf Quarterly magazine profiles Bushranger Golf / SGA

In the Media: Bushranger Golf (SGA) featured in Hacker Golf Quarterly

Bushranger Golf (SGA) is now appearing in glossy print in newsstands across the land with a November 2006 feature in Hacker - The golf magazine with attitude! Following on from this month’s Growling Frog course review in Inside Social Golf, Bushranger Golf has become a publicists dream and there are already rumblings that we are risking becoming over-exposed, a bit like The Beatles, or Jesus or Hamish & Andy. Hopefully this news item will help dampen the media frenzy.

Richard Fellner spoke with Freddo from Hacker who writes the Social Club Corner. The piece is over three pages and includes a range of full-colour photos of several of our most handsome members. Taking centre stage is Bushranger Golf stalwart, Mikey Dee, who features in the “What’s in my bag?” section, which is a rather titillating. Some of the other juicy bits include the startling revelations on who are the best golfers at BRG and who is the worst. The nominee for the latter category won his place, not so much for his game, as for his consistent and ongoing commitment to shabbiness.

Hacker is a quarterly magazine written by and for golfers like us who could win the Grand Slam if they wanted but are content with a hit and a laugh with mates. It has news, trivia, profiles and reviews on all sorts of golf matters of interest to Aussie hackers. It is available at all good newsagencies and the current issue edition features ‘our’ Geoff Ogilvy on the cover in a dashing pink shirt striking a rather nice pose. Inside there is a rating of Victoria & NSW's top public access courses and details on entry into the 3rd annual Hacker Cup being played at Eagle Ridge next January. I think I can hear some Bushrangers saddling up for that already!

In a remarkable twist, Freddo enjoyed writing about Bushranger Golf so much he became a member. We look forward to seeing Freddo out on the course sometime soon.