REPORT: SGA GC named the Largest Golf Club in Australia

MELBOURNE, VICTORIA: A series of reports by Golf Australia’s state bodies has revealed that Social Golf Australia (SGA) is officially the Largest Golf Club in Australia by total membership, with more financial members than any other club (both online/social clubs and traditional/private clubs) in the country.

Golf Australia's 2022/2023 SA Annual Report, published this week, and audited by Pricewaterhouse Coopers, has listed The SGA GC as the state's largest golf club. (SGA is a national handicap business registered/affiliated in South Australia.) When compared to the 2021/2022/2023 annual reports by Golf Australia's other states and territories, SGA has been recognised as, officially, the Largest Golf Club in Australia.

Top Golf Clubs by Membership in Australia (2021-2023):

1. Social Golf Australia/SGA GC (SA)
2. FutureGolf (SA)
3. Howlong Country Golf Club (NSW)
4. The National Golf Club (VIC)
5. The Royal Sydney Golf Club (NSW)
6. The Royal Melbourne Golf Club (VIC)
7. Yarrawonga Mulwala Golf Club Resort (NSW)
8. Peninsula Kingswood Country Golf Club (VIC)
9. Barwon Heads Golf Club (VIC)
10. Royal Queensland Golf Club (QLD)

“We’re thrilled to see that all of our hard work –especially over the last few years—has resulted in such solid growth in membership,” explains Matthew Pitt, Founder and Managing Director of Social Golf Australia. “When my wife, Sally, and I launched our first golf social club in 2004 (Bushranger Golf, the precursor to Social Golf Australia), we never really imagined that we would become the industry leader in golf memberships.”

For Pitt, however, the recent numbers are an added bonus to what he believes to be a much larger success: growth in the sport itself.

“While it’s certainly gratifying that our Australian-family-run social club sits atop so many amazing and historically-significant clubs, the more exciting aspect to us is that more people are simply playing the game of golf,” Pitt adds.  “The recent golf boom has seen massive benefits to the wider industry overall, as well as additional health benefits to the players themselves. That’s why we started SGA; we love our golf, and want to see the game grow long into the future.”

The findings follow Golf Australia’s 2021/22 Participation Report, released in May, which named Social Golf Australia as one of the key factors in the recent Australian Golf Boom. It also follows a report last week by The Australian Golf Industry Council (AGIC) which revealed that golf provides $3.3 billion in total annual benefits to the Australian community, economy and environment.