Forming the Queensland Sports Turf Managers Association
The Golf Course Superintendents Association of Queensland (GCSAQ) is proud to announce that at its recent Special General Meeting, members have voted overwhelmingly in favour of merging with the Sports Turf Association of Queensland (STAQ) to form the Queensland Sports Turf Managers Association (QSTMA).
A similar Special General Meeting was held with members of the Sports Turf Association of Queensland (STAQ), who also voted overwhelmingly in favour of merging. With the motion carried by both, each Committee selected a sub-committee to work through the particulars of the redeveloped Constitution, confirm a new (combined) Committee, and how the newly formed Association would operate.
This landmark decision marks an exciting new chapter for sports turf management in Queensland. The formation of QSTMA will provide an enhanced platform to support professionals across all sporting and recreational turf facilities, promoting best practice, professional development, and advocacy for the industry.
On behalf of GCSAQ, I extend my sincere thanks to our members for their continued support and commitment to the growth of the profession. I would also like to acknowledge the dedication and hard work of the GCSAQ Committee members, who have navigated this complex change with vision and professionalism.
We also wish to thank the Australian Sports Turf Managers Association (ASTMA) for their guidance and support throughout the merger process, which has been invaluable in helping us achieve this outcome.
We look forward with enthusiasm to the opportunities ahead as part of the QSTMA, working collaboratively to strengthen the future of sports turf management in Queensland.
Keith Johnson
President, Golf Course Superintendents Association of Queensland (GCSAQ)
2026 Queensland Golf Course Industry Awards – Calling For Nominations
As we prepare for this year’s Queensland Golf Industry Awards, we are reaching out to encourage you to submit nominations for the outstanding individuals and Clubs that make our industry so strong.
At this stage, we have received fewer nominations than expected, because of this we have extended the closing date for nominations until the 7th of August 2026. We know there are many deserving people across Queensland whose dedication, hard work, and achievements deserve to be recognized. The awards are only as strong as the nominations we receive, and we don’t want to miss the opportunity to celebrate those who have made a significant contribution over the past year.
If you know someone who has gone above and beyond, or a club that has achieved something exceptional, we encourage you to take a few moments to submit a nomination. Your nomination could ensure that a deserving individual or team receives the recognition they have earned.
Please don’t assume someone else will nominate them—your nomination could make all the difference.
We appreciate your support in helping us showcase the excellence that exists throughout Queensland’s turf industry. We look forward to receiving your nominations and celebrating the achievements of our industry together.
Please see the links below for the award categories.
Kind regards,
Queensland Turf Awards Committee
Please go to the following links and nominate those staff that you feel need to be recognized in our industry, it’s an easy form to fill out.
Categories for the Queensland Golf Awards for this year are the following –
https://golfaustralia.jotform.com/261738962640869 – Supers Achievement Award.
https://golfaustralia.jotform.com/261738538238871 – Assistant Supers Recognition Award.
https://golfaustralia.jotform.com/261738497718878 – Golf Course Apprentice of the Year.
https://golfaustralia.jotform.com/261738587009871 – Supers Environmental and Safety Excellence Award.
Nominations are closing on the 8th of August so please get your nominations in as soon as you can.
Meadowbrook Golf Club Superintendent Luke Helm Wins ASTMA Excellence Award
Luke Helm(CSTM) from Meadowbrook Golf Club in Queensland was bestowed the ASTMA’s longest-running award at last week’s National Turf Industry Awards. Helm (pictured above) received the ASTMA Excellence in Golf Course Management Award, sponsored by Silver Partner Envu, his second association award after the Meadowbrook crew jointly received the ASTMA Sports Turf Management Team of the Year Award at the 2022 conference.
The ASTMA Excellence in Golf Course Management Award dates back to 1990 and over the years has honoured a who’s who of the Australian golf course superintendent profession. Since 2019, nominees for the award have been taken from each of the state superintendent association Excellence Award programs, making it a truly national award. In winning this year, Helm beat home a strong field of fellow state finalists including David Stone (Pymble GC, NSW), Sam Smith (Willunga GC, SA), Anthony Toogood (7 Mile Beach, Tas), Rod Tatt (Mount Lawley GC, WA) and Leigh Yanner (The National GC, Vic).
Meadowbrook Golf Club is a picturesque 27-hole public course nestled between Brisbane and the Gold Coast in the suburb of Logan and regularly accommodates more than 400 golfers per day alongside the driving range, mini golf, clubhouse and function facilities. The club has undergone extraordinary growth, with annual rounds increasing from 48,000 in 2018 to more than 132,000 rounds in the current year.
Click here to read more about Helm’s achievements at Meadowbrook.
Suncorp Stadium’s Matthew Oliver Wins Excellence in Sportsfields & Grounds Management Award
Matthew Oliver (CSTM) from Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane collected a second ASTMA Award in three years at last week’s National Turf Industry Awards. Previously bestowed the ASTMA Sports Turf Management Team of the Year Award at the 2024 conference, Oliver added the ASTMA Excellence in Sportsfields and Grounds Management Award, sponsored by Platinum Partner Toro, at last Monday’s awards night in Melbourne.
The ASTMA Sportsfields and Grounds Management Award was first struck in 2021, with Oliver joining a strong list of recent winners and becoming the first from Queensland. Oliver has been working at Suncorp Stadium since September 2022 where he leads and mentors a small, high-performing team. One of Australia’s leading sports turf professionals, Oliver manages one of the country’s busiest multipurpose stadiums which hosts approximately 60 major events annually, including rugby league, rugby union, football and major concerts. Oliver’s role is all-encompassing, with a strong focus on performance, safety and presentation of the field of play across all events.
CLICK HERE to read more on Oliver’s award win.
QSTMA Graduates Scoop Golf, Sportsfields & Grounds Management Awards
opping off what was a strong night for Queensland at the National Turf Industry Awards, the state’s two Graduate of the Year finalists scooped both national awards in the Golf and Sportsfields & Grounds categories. Nathan Baker, formerly of Byron Bay Golf Club, was adjudged Australia’s top golf course turf management apprentice, while his fellow TAFE Queensland counterpart Tobey Phillips (Brisbane Racing Club) was adjudged the country’s top sportsfield and grounds graduate. Both awards were sponsored by association Platinum Partner Toro Australia.
Representing the recently merged Queensland Sports Turf Managers Association (QSTMA), both Baker (pictured above right) and Phillips (pictured above left) were one of seven state and territory finalists across both awards. The awards recognise the hard work and endeavour of the industry’s apprentices who have decided to pursue a career in golf course and sports turf management. The Golf award has been a part of the ASTMA’s annual awards program since 1996, with the sportsfields and grounds equivalent first bestowed in 2011.
Originally from Melbourne, Baker completed his apprenticeship at Byron Bay Golf Club in northern NSW under superintendent Shaun Cross, obtaining his Certificate III in Sports Turf Management through TAFE Queensland’s Grovely Campus. Having graduated in late 2024, the emerging sports turf manager returned to Melbourne to undertake a placement at Kingston Heath Golf Club for the 2024 Australian Open before heading to Sweden in 2025 for a six-month placement at Crownwood Club. Since then, Baker has returned to Kingston Heath and will be part of the team to prepare the course for the 2026 Capital.com Australian Open.
Phillips, pictured below accepting his award, is the third Queensland graduate in four years to win the Sportsfields & Grounds award, following in the footsteps of Lachan Roache(formerly The Gabba) in 2023 and last year’s winner Jon Marrett (People First Stadium). His journey started by undertaking an apprenticeship with the Brisbane Metropolitan Touch Association under grounds manager Robert Watkins for two years before eventually joining the Brisbane Racing Club as a Turf Surfaces Attendant at Doomben Racecourse.
QSTMA Annual General Meeting – Tuesday 18th August 2026 – Twin Waters Golf Club
Join your industry colleagues for our 2026 AGM at the renowned Twin Waters Golf Club on what is always a great day – especially this year with golf at Twin Waters Golf Club.
Agenda :
- 7.15am – Arrival and Breakfast.
- 8am Shotgun Start – AGM / Toro Competition (Stableford event) – prizes sponsored by Toro – 18 Holes Golf with Cart.
- 12.30pm – Plated Lunch and refreshments.
- 1.30pm – Annual General Meeting.
Cost for the Golf is $60 for a QSTMA Member and $110.00 for Non members and includes Breakfast, Lunch and refreshments and Golf with a cart. For Lunch and refreshments only, $20 for members, $30 for non members. AGM Meeting is free to attend.
PLEASE RSVP BY PAYMENT TO QCSAQ / QSTMA INCORP
BY THE 14TH AUGUST.
BSB – 064145
ACCOUNT – 00800197
Please use your name as the Payment reference.
Great Barrier Reef Arena In Mackay Hosts NICC Ahead Of Historic Test Match In August
International eyes will be on regional Queensland city Mackay in mid-August when Australia and Bangladesh play a historic Test match and for Harrup Park Head Grounds Manager Peter Kazakoff and his crew, the recent National Indigenous Cricket Championships played from April 14-19 provided the perfect preparation for what’s to come.
Male and female indigenous state teams descended on the city’s premier sporting facility last week at Harrup Park with a total of 35 games played across five ovals – including Test match venue Great Barrier Reef Arena – in a fast-paced round-robin T20 tournament.
The state-of-the-art North Queensland venue has also secured the competition for 2027 with a two-year hosting arrangement announced in January.
Kazakoff – who spent 17 years at The Gabba before venturing north to take on the head curator role in Mackay – was delighted by the work and preparations for the championships.
A washout in between the championships was also expertly navigated by the crew who ensured the tournament could proceed the next day.
“We had excellent weather in preparation for the championships; five match wickets and four practice wickets were sealed five days out from the start of the competition at 8mm with the final height of cut of the wickets at 6mm,” he says.
“All wickets held together extremely well over the weeklong competition with next to no cracking providing good consistent pace and bounce. We had planned to put more moisture into the wickets and reseal them on the fourth day which was a rest day, however the third day was a complete washout with just under 30 millimetres of rain keeping the wickets under cover for 36 hours.”
Great Barrier Reef Arena hosted both semi and grand finals on days five and six with the decks ensuring entertaining, high-scoring but even matches to conclude the male and female tournaments.
“A second wicket on Great Barrier Reef Arena was sealed two days before the start of the championships for the semi and grand final on days five and six being rolled between matches through the week,” Kazakoff says.
It will be the last time cricket is played on the ground before the Test match in August with Great Barrier Reef Arena to switch into Australian rules mode.
The venue will host its first match on May 9 in the highly rated AFL Mackay competition with a senior men’s and women’s double-header, with Kazakoff bumping up the outfield from 10mm to 12mm in preparation.
Story: Nick Creely, Pictures: Peter Kazakoff
Australian & New Zealand Stadiums Up For International Awards
Two of Australia’s busiest multipurpose stadiums, Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane and Marvel Stadium in Melbourne, have been recognised globally after being nominated for The Stadium Business Awards 2026 in June, while Eden Park’s Turf Team in New Zealand have also been shortlisted.
Key notes
- Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane and Marvel Stadium in Melbourne shorlisted
- Eden Park’s Turf Team in New Zealand have also been shortlisted
- Winners will be announced on 3 June at Emirates Old Trafford in Manchester
Established in 2010, TheStadiumBusiness Awards recognise leadership, innovation and achievement in the delivery, operation and management of sports facilities globally. The winners will be announced on 3 June at Emirates Old Trafford in Manchester.
Led by seasoned turf manager Blair Christiansen (pictured below), the Eden Park crew in Auckland were named as a finalist for the Unsung Hero Award category – the only nomination to come out of New Zealand. Eden Park CEO Nick Sautner was full of praise for Christiansen and his team.
“Our Turf Team is exceptional, and this recognition is incredibly well deserved. Their work allows Eden Park to operate at a level that is unique in New Zealand and rare globally. Increased utilisation of the stadium depends on the capability of our people, and our Turf Team is central to that. They are the reason we can move from football to rugby to community events and back again, all while maintaining a surface that meets the expectations of athletes, performers and fans alike. To have the Eden Park Turf Team named as the only New Zealand finalist is something we are all very proud of.”
Suncorp Stadium’s four consecutive nights of The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo (pictured top) from 12-15 February was recognised in the Event of the Year category with one of seven nominations. Marvel Stadium received two separate nominations, including the coveted Venue of the Year award alongside five other stadiums across the world, while Marvel general manager Scott Fitzgerald was among the shortlisted nominations for Executive of the Year. Ocean Protect Stadium, the home of NRL club Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks, was the other Australian venue to receive a nomination in the Sponsorship, Sales & Marketing category.
Story: Nick Creely, Pictures: Matthew Oliver and Jason Oxenham