Max Garske: Changing the Face of Golf
IN: News | by Anthony Powter | 19 May 2008
Max Garske comes across as a quiet, yet confident man. He is passionate about his role of head of the PGA of Australia, but mindful of both his responsibilities and the work to be performed, by arguably the most influential golfing body in the country.
Garske’s appreciation of the game’s influence, from both a commercial as well as recreational position, and the contribution PGA members make are at the forefront of his thinking, strategies and implementation measures. It’s the way he approaches his role, open minded yet aware of the challenges the game is facing.
“Golf needs to appeal to the broader community,” Garske remarked during our recent interview in Sydney.
There are enormous challenges towards ensuring golf remains relevant in an increasingly time-starved society and commercially tight environment. Tournaments are losing sponsors, commercial interest is waning, and the instabilities of the global economy only add further challenges in an increasingly unstable market.
Garske had just returned from Augusta and had been open that golf needed to become an Olympic sport. His rationale behind this was simple.
“It’s about funding from government for sport,” says Garske.
“Olympic sports are disproportionate in funding to other sports. The funding that golf attracts from government, both federal and state, is minuscule as opposed to the Olympic sports.”
It’s Garske’s belief that golf being included in the Olympics will openly increase the accessibility to the sport.
“Golf around the world is developing, if it becomes an Olympic sport, the support from governments across the world would significantly increase. With that goes accessibility with people who would normally not be able to play the game getting a start.”
Garske is known for his lateral and forward thinking and considering the options.
He maintains that the PGA of Australia is well positioned to respond to changes and challenges, and from the PGA’s recent successes with re-invigorating its flagship tournament, the PGA Championship of Australia, there’s substance behind the Garske’s reasoning.
Under Garske’s control, the Australian PGA Championship has evolved into what many consider the principal championship on the Australasian Tour.
“We only really got the tournament back in its entirety from various joint ventures in 2000-2001,” remarked Garske.
“At that time we sat down with Queensland Major Events, who’d come on board through Greg Norman, and worked out a strategy so as to make the PGA Championship a pre-eminent tournament in the Asia-Pacific region.”
Whilst international influences have and continue to present challenges to the local golfing industry and tournament growth in Australia, Garske sees a key attribute behind the Australian PGA Championships success is the ability to work cohesively with the various stakeholders and deliver a core quality product which attaches not just brand ownership, but loyalty.
“Hyatt Coolum presents one of the most user friendly tournament locations, where we can run our championship in a closed and controlled environment, take care of the players and their guests, sponsors and dignitaries, so to allow them all to do business.”
“It’s just too difficult to move around and try and re-engage local sponsors each year.”
“We made a concerted effort to base the tournament out of a major city, as for some reason that simply was not working. When the Maroochydore Shire Council came on board, in what was probably a first in Australia, we worked to create what we call a ‘festival of golf’ and to give a level of ownership with the event.”
With commercial sponsorship lacking, or even lost all together, with other main tournaments in Australia, the PGA has retained their core sponsors under Garske’s tenure. The Australian PGA Championship each year strengthens, no more so than last November with major drawcards including Rory Sabbatini, Adam Scott, as well the customary return of Australia’s elite, provided a showcase of entertainment and golf.
“Australian golfers are amongst the best in the world and to have so many of our top players each year returning home to support our event is fantastic,” says Garske.
Yet there’s considerably more to the PGA of Australia than staging the Australian PGA Championship. During our interview, Garske reiterated the Association’s core aim is to help more Australians enjoy golf more often and to provide a pathway for aspiring players.
Garske is quick to highlight the PGA’s position within the golfing industry.
“PGA Professionals are the public face of the PGA and provide direct access to over 1.4 million golfers who take to the fairways each year,” remarked Garske.
It was only six years ago through an association with the PGA Tour of Australasia that the PGA devised a national ranking system. At the time they were two different organisations and the PGA were running what was then called the Foundation Tour, which was mainly State Opens and PGA Championships.
“The Foundation Tour was really only giving players four round experiences and not leading to anything else,” remarked Garske.
“It was through our association with the Tour, that we formulated a ‘pathway’ system where players could progress from the four-hundred odd pro-am’s that we were running, to qualify for the Von Nida events and then progress to the national Order of Merit events and that could then take them to the world stage.”
The PGA agreed to underwrite a minimum of ten tournaments and the success of the Von Nida Tour is evident with the likes of Nick Flanagan, Jarrod Lyle, Michael Sim and the many others who cut their teeth on that tour before progressing to America.
Since being appointed in September 1989, Max Garske has overseen many changes, both within the PGA and in the development of golf. His achievements are varied, and include, the introduction of the club-based pro-amateur event, the Holden Scramble, the creation of strong corporate and business alliance programs with over 100 corporate partners nationally and state level.
This has also included maintaining the long term relationships with Cadbury Schweppes (since 1989) and Holden GM Australia (since 1991), the development and continued success of the pathway tours, international recognition of the PGA’s traineeship and coaching programs, as well as the establishment of formal links with all the major PGA’s around the world.
Max Garske is in the hot seat of golfing administration, he feeds off the daily challenges and in the process maintains complete diplomacy, within an industry often fragmented by self interested “patch protection”.
With over 24 years experience within the PGA, Max Garske has learnt a few things in his time. They say nothing beats experience and going by Garske’s list of achievements and the benefits the PGA is delivering, both to its members and the golfing community, Garske is giving back all that he has learnt in a role that he loves and with his forward and lateral thinking, it’s for the betterment of golf itself.
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