07 Jun 2024 | Outback Queensland Masters | Clubs and Facilities | Participation | Amateur golf |
Golf goes remote with Outback Queensland Masters
by Golf Australia
Australia’s most remote golf series tees off next Saturday with golfing nomads descending on Birdsville on the edge of the Simpson Desert.
The award-winning Outback Queensland Masters, which began in 2019 will see golfing enthusiasts, some travelling from as far as Tasmania and Western Australia, visit Queensland’s most remote and unique golf courses this June and July.
The event is staged across six locations in Queensland’s Outback starting off in Birdsville on June 15 before travelling 1600km to the towns of Boulia, Winton, Barcaldine, C,harleville and finishing in Quilpie with a Million-Dollar Hole-In-One opportunity.
Birdsville Dunes Golf Club president Neil Brook said the club is looking forward to welcoming OQM participants and friends for the first of six events.
“The Birdsville Dunes Golf Club welcomes the OQM family. The golf course, meandering through the sandhills, is challenging but fair," he said.
"Memories will be made, emotions tested, and lasting friendships forged,”
Golf Australia General Manager - Events and Operations Therese Magdulski added: “It has really proved that amateur golfers are willing to go the extra mile to not only to play for Australia’s largest amateur golfing prize pool but to experience Queensland’s most western frontier.
“The Million Dollars isn’t the only lure for players and spectators taking on the 1,600km+ outback road trip. It’s all about having fun on and off the golf course.
"It’s about the Outback experience, discovering new places and meeting new people, and we can’t wait to share that with those joining the competition in 2024.
“With the Official Program released we have announced our signature experiences exclusive to the players and spectators on tour with us, allowing them to make the most of their adventure in Outback Queensland.
"These experiences on offer showcase the very best of the region off the sand greens including guided Indigenous heritage experiences, local farmer and grower tours, and a local short-film showcase evening with the Vision Splendid Outback Film Festival.”
To top it all off, players and spectators joining the adventure in 2024 will be able to laugh out loud and dance the night away under the outback stars at the Dinner Under the Stars evenings.
The line-up of Queensland acts includes two-time Golden Guitar award winner Brad Butcher kicking off the series in Birdsville, rising indie-pop star Jem Cassar-Daley, comedy veterans Mark McConville, Anne Ferguson Howe and Kat Davidson, and magician and comedy hypnotist Mike Tyler.
Rollicking bush dance band, the Smashing Bumpkins, will get players and spectators boot scooting at the finale of the six weekends of back-to-back competition.
Golfers and the community will have their chance to have a crack in the event’s Big Red Hole-In-One Challenge on Friday, June 14, teeing off from the top of the iconic Big Red Sand Dune as a friendly warm-up before official tee off the following day to support the Birdsville Dunes Golf Club.
As a community give-back and to provide opportunities for young people in Birdsville and Outback Queensland, free junior golf clinics with PGA Professional Darren Weatherall are being staged at all six locations.
Since its inception in 2019, the Outback Queensland Masters has grown significantly, hosting thousands of competitors, juniors and spectators and generating millions of dollars in visitor spend for remote communities in Outback Queensland.
The 2024 Outback Queensland Masters is presented by Golf Australia, with strategic partner Tourism and Events Queensland and Birdie Spirit Partners, the PGA of Australia, Rex Airlines and BCL Production Services, and Mateship Partners, Diamantina Shire Council, Boulia Shire Council, Winton Shire Council, Barcaldine Regional Council, Murweh Shire Council, Quilpie Shire Council, Bushnell Golf, Drummond Golf, Callaway, IJS Productions and Your Mates Brewing Co.
Outback Queensland Masters is supported by the Queensland Government, through Tourism and Events Queensland.
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