The 2016 Queensland Golf Industry Awards Night and PGA Trainee Graduation was celebrated in style last night at Jupiters Casino, joined by 440 of Queensland golf’s finest in the industry.
The evening recognised the achievements of those from the Queensland Division of the PGA of Australia, Golf Queensland, Golf Managers Association Queensland (GMAQ) as well as the Golf Course Superintendents Association of Queensland (GCSAQ).
With 31 awards presented, it was a strong representation of the positive direction of the Queensland golf industry.
Golf Queensland presented six awards, including Rowes Bay Golf Club’s Matt McCarthy for Volunteer of the Year, Charlie Dann for Male Amateur Golfer of the Year, Karis Davidson for Female Amateur Golfer of the Year, presented by Club Super, Jediah Morgan for Junior Male Amateur Golfer of the Year, Karis Davidson for Junior Female Amateur Golfer of the Year, and joint recognition for Carmel Smith and Tom Crothers for the QGI Services to Sport Award.
Winners Background:
Charlie Dann – 2016 Golf Queensland Male Amateur Golfer of the Year
Charlie Dann enjoyed an exceptional breakout in 2016, consistently finishing with top results.
The 23-year-old Sunshine Coast resident was elevated to the Queensland Academy of Sport squad and Queensland State Team, paying dividends in May where he remained undefeated in the Australian Interstate Series.
In May he also travelled to Scotland with a Golf Australia squad returning with a Top 20 result at the Carrick Neill Scottish Open Stroke Play Championship. The trip prepared Charlie for his biggest triumphs on home soil taking out the Mandurah Amateur in Western Australian and his first Queensland state Championship title, the Keperra Bowl.
Charlie’s spectacular results have enabled him to break inside the top 60 of the World Amateur Rankings and become Australia’s second ranked Male Amateur.
Karis Davidson – 2016 Golf Queensland Female Amateur Golfer of the Year presented by Club Super
Karis Davidson enjoyed her most successful year in 2016, finishing as the third ranked player on the Australian Women’s Ranking System.
Karis’s successful season started with claiming the Bowra & O’Dea Women’s Classic in Western Australia, followed by the Australian Girls’ Amateur Championships in Tasmania.
Among other highlights, Karis was also named on the Queens Sirikit Cup Team, Australian World Amateur Team, and the Queensland Women’s Interstate Team, notably claiming Queensland’s first win in six years.
In November Karis secured another Championship in the Dunes Medal, projecting her as the highest ranking Australian in the World Amateur Rankings.
Jediah Morgan – 2016 Golf Queensland Junior Male Amateur Golfer of the Year
Jediah Morgan boasted outstanding results in 2016, capped off by claiming individual and team honours at the prestigious Australian Team Asian Pacific Junior in Taiwan.
The 17-year-old Hattonvale member enjoyed success in his home state with third-place finishes at the Queensland Boy’s Amateur Championship and as part of the Queensland Boy’s Interstate Team.
Jediah also relished interstate victories taking out the NSW Junior State Champs, with Top 10 finishes at the Northern Territory Amateur and the Dunes Medal.
Karis Davidson – 2016 Golf Queensland Junior Female Amateur Golfer of the Year
In 2016 Karis Davidson also exceeded in junior company, further imprinting her name as Australia’s enterprising and up-and-coming female players.
Karis’s most outstanding junior accomplishment includes taking out the Australian Junior Championship at Devonport in April, further earning her the number one place on the Australian Girls Amateur Ranking System.
As a result of her continuous effort and determination, Karis was awarded the prestigious Karrie Webb Scholarship receiving mentoring and a trip to California last July where she went on to qualify for the US Women’s Amateur.
Matt McCarthy – 2016 Golf Queensland Volunteer of the Year
Over two years ago, a very passionate father and golfer Matt McCarthy took over the reigns as Junior Golf Coordinator of Rowes Bay Golf Club.
Matt's vast administrative, organisational and communication skills, has transformed the junior golf program by installing his love for the game to his three active sons, and all the juniors under his care.
His personality and straightforwardness along with his ability to bring everyone together, including staff, volunteers and parents, delegating them all into specific roles, is exceptional.
The inclusion of the MyGolf Program has seen tremendous success with the nomination of the MyGolf Centre of the month last June, and the club hosting a two-day MyGolf Camp with 32 junior participants aged from 5 to 12 years.
Rowes Bay attributes the success of junior golf development and the club’s program entirely to the special efforts and extraordinary commitment of Matt. Matt is an exemplary example of a perfect volunteer, demonstrating sheer passion, determination, and love for the development of the game.
The unbelievable amount of time and effort put into the junior development has ensured the longevity of junior golf within the region and Rowes Bay Golf Club, making Matt a very worthy winner of the Volunteer of the Year Award.
Carmel Smith & Tom Crothers – 2016 QGI Services to Golf Award
This year will be 10 years since the establishment of Golf Queensland through the amalgamation of the Queensland Golf Union and Women’s Golf Queensland.
Two people, Tom Crothers and Carmel Smith, played pivotal roles in the creation and successful establishment of Golf Queensland. Both have records of service to golf spanning decades and together they have contributed a lifetime to golf although each of them continues to serve golf as volunteer administrators.
Tom Crothers’ association with golf administration started as Captain of Warwick Golf Club in 1984 and continued for another 33 years with involvement at all levels of amateur golf in Queensland and Australia. Tom later played a pivotal role as the first President of Golf Queensland from 2007 – 2012 before resigning in 2013 and returning to club administration.
Tom is remembered for his diligent and strategic approach to the development of the game of golf with Golf Queensland taking on a number of new initiatives and directions in order to develop the long-term viability of the game. He was a strong advocate for the development of junior golf participation, support to talented amateur players and was a stalwart for country golf and the establishment of state-wide services by Golf Queensland. We thank him for his service.
Carmel Smith has been an advocate of golf since stepping her first administration role at Murgon Golf Club in 1969. Since then, Carmel has served the game for 49 consecutive years in numerous roles with her club, zone, district, state and national golf associations.
Still with a desire to do more for golf, Carmel served on the Golf Queensland Board as a Director and Vice President from 2007 to 2011, including taking on the role of Chair of the Match Committee. Due to her strong abilities as a board director, she was successfully nominated for election to the Golf Australia Board later in 2011 and was re-elected for another term in 2014.
Carmel is a role model for women’s golf administration with her boundless energy, love of the game and leadership skills that have taken her from a small Queensland country town to the highest level in Australian golf administration.
Congratulations to all finalists and winners.
For a full list of winners, visit the PGA website.