Sandy Creek Golf Club named South Australia's best small regional course

The Sandy Creek Golf Club has been named the 2016 Club of the Year – Regional Small at the Clubs SA Awards for Excellence.

The South Australian awards recognise outstanding achievement and service across a number of categories and were presented at a gala dinner at Adelaide Oval last weekend.

With the Club which having undergone some significant changes in recent times, including a change in name, and now making its mark as one of the premier clubs in South Australia, General Manager David Rice stated “it’s fantastic to see the Club recognised at this level, as well as the tireless work of so many people that have contributed to this success.

“The turn-around is significant, from a Club that just a few years ago was facing a very uncertain future.”

Rice, who joined the Club in 2015, attributes the turn-around in fortunes to the appointment of PGA Professional Brayden Wauchope (from Royal Adelaide Golf ClubC) in 2013, followed by some very important strategic decisions made by a new and energised committee.

He explains “in a Club with such a rich history - dating back to 1904 - change is often difficult, but change was exactly what was needed.

“The changes at the Club have been driven by a unified team and would not have happened without the overwhelming support of the majority of our members, who have embraced the exciting new direction we are taking.”

The name change from Gawler Golf Club to Sandy Creek Golf Club – Barossa Valley, to better reflect the Club’s physical location and its proximity to the world famous Barossa Wine region was couple with a new, Barossa focussed food and wine offering and embraced a very strong focus for engaging families and the wider community.

An example of this is the Club’s very successful family fun days and involvement in this year’s Barossa Gourmet Weekend, which included local food, wine, music and a bouncy castle and face painting for children.

Rice adds “while golf is our core business we are looking at ways to engage families and utilise our facilities outside of golf also.

“We want to make our Club and the game of golf more accessible for families and for those who are time poor, so providing an environment where the whole family can enjoy a day out is key.”

The award for Club of the Year is the highest accolade presented at the Clubs SA Awards for Excellence.

In addition to receiving the 2016 Club of the Year – Regional Small award, the Sandy Creek Golf Club was also a finalist in the categories for Sports Club of the Year, Best Club Operations, Best Dining Experience and Volunteer of the Year.

Welcoming the acclaim Rice concluded “making it to the finalist stage for so many categories is a reflection of how much work has gone into improving the Club and our offering.

“At an operational level we have achieved a 93% turn around in our financial result in just 12 months, largely thanks to our team of dedicated volunteers.

“Gail Sweet and our team of bar volunteers put in countless hours and ask for nothing in return, they have allowed us to reduce our overheads significantly and have been key to our success – it was fantastic to see them all recognised as finalists in the category for Volunteer of the Year.”

Images: The Sandy Creek Golf Club (top) and award winners at the Clubs SA Awards for Excellence (below). 

12th August 2016 - INAUGURAL GOLF BUSINESS FORUM ATTRACTS OVER 200 INDUSTRY LEADERS 

30th July 2016 - FLEXIBLE NEW SOLUTION TO ATTRACT AND RETAIN GOLF CLUB MEMBERS

22nd July 2016 - LATEST COMPETITION GOLF ROUNDS CONTINUE POSITIVE GROWTH TREND 

11th July 2016 - GROUND BREAKING RESEARCH POINTS TO POSITIVE FUTURE FOR AUSTRALIAN GOLF INDUSTRY

29th June 2016 - NEW RESEARCH SHOWS WOMEN WANT FASHION AND FUNCTION IN ACTIVE WEAR 

16th June 2016 - BELGRAVIA LEISURE WINS MANAGEMENT CONTRACT FOR LITTLE PARA GOLF COURSE IN ADELAIDE

31st May 2016 - FUTURE OF GOLF PARTICIPATION BASED ON FAN ENGAGEMENT

27th May 2016 - GOLF AUSTRALIA AGREES NEW SPONSORSHIP WITH HYUNDAI

24th July 2014 - SWING FIT AIMS TO BOOST FEMALE GOLF PARTICIPATION THROUGH SOCIAL AND WELLNESS ENGAGEMENT

12th July 2014 - FUNDING BOOST FOR SOUTH AUSTRALIAN EVENTS AND FESTIVALS