Coast the perfect spot
TAKING the Australian PGA Championship away from its home on the Gold Coast would be a mistake that could hinder the tournament for years.
It’s pretty simple. Big golf tournaments in Australia rely on, and are driven by, the dollars brought in by the government’s tourism and events arm.
PGA of Australia officials are publicly saying no decision has been made on the location of the tournament in 2020 but speculation is mounting it will shift to Royal Queensland in Brisbane.
Right now, players have the option to stay on-site at RACV Royal Pines, eat there and walk metres to the first tee or range.
Others prefer to drive minutes down the road to stay by the golden beaches that are rated as some of the best in the world. It’s a brilliant way to end a long and gruelling year on tour.
The location helps attract spectators from the city, surrounding areas, interstate and more importantly overseas where they return home to spread the word on the travel destination to those in and out of golf.
Around Royal Queensland,
located next to the brown Brisbane river, there is much less infrastructure immediately surrounding the course.
Sure, players can stay in the heart of Brisbane city but the traffic woes will be significantly more difficult, and fans will have the same issue.
Now, to the course. It is no secret the years following the redesign of Royal Pines by Graham Marsh over 2014 and 2015 have made things harder for the golfers.
Players say the right things in public but the past few years have delivered inconsistent scoring as the greens bed down.
But many, including Adam Scott, have said it is now getting to a stage where greens are receiving approach shots nicely. Why take it away just as it becomes a quality course?
Players enjoy Royal Queensland and its layout, while Royal Pines is similar to many others, but their standards aren’t vastly different and the players aren’t overly fussed on where it is played.
Once it’s gone, it’s hard to get back so the Gold Coast City Council and State Government need to fight hard to keep it here.