9 October, 2022
Kilcoy Golf Club becomes award finalist for first time
KILCOY Golf Club members are excited that their club is one of five finalists in the Golf Club of the Year Award in the category of clubs with less than 400 members.
Kilcoy has never been a finalist in the Queensland Golf Industry Awards until now, and club representatives look forward to being at The Star Gold Coast when winners are announced on October 25.
Biloela, Goondiwindi, Maleny, and Pioneer Valley are the other clubs in contention for the award.
Kilcoy Golf Club president Don Thrupp said one of the main strengths of the club was the number of volunteers who put in time helping to maintain the course and the clubhouse, and to run events.
The early part of this year was tough for the club as there was a huge amount of damage to the course and clubhouse from the storm which hit Kilcoy in February.
With hours of volunteer work and assistance from Somerset Regional Council, the club committee moved forward with improvements during the year.
Thrupp said a real effort was made to attract more members and social players, which may explain why Kilcoy became an award finalist.
The club’s junior golf program expanded in the space of 12 months. Kilcoy juniors have had access to weekly lessons with a Golf Australia-qualified community instructor and lots of bonus lessons with visiting golf pros all included in a $60 yearly membership.
Extra competition days were added to the calendar, and the club took part in Golf Australia’s Play 9 promotion.
The club’s opening hours expanded, with the bar open from 2pm every Saturday, as well as the usual weekdays and from 11am on Sundays.
The committee also worked on a business plan to make sure Kilcoy Golf Club would remain financially viable and have a program to continually improve the course and the facilities.
The club had success with grant applications in the past year, which allowed for facility improvements and the purchase of equipment.
New practice nets were installed, and a new deck was added to the clubhouse.
The club is also developing a new website which will incorporate online booking, and is due to go live this month. Memberships will also be available online, and can be paid monthly for the first time.
This year has also featured many social events at the club. Saturday dinner and dance nights have been popular, and the next one is on October 22.
As part of the business plan, the club is developing a strategy to become drought proof and is working with Somerset Regional Council as well as seeking further grant funding to make this become a reality.
Thrupp would like to welcome everyone in town to call in to the club to enjoy a drink on the new deck and “see why this little club is making its name as one of the best golf clubs in Queensland”.
