New Sunshine Coast Official Golf Guide is a-hit

A new guide to golfing on the Sunshine Coast was launched yesterday during the start of the Australian PGA Championship at Palmer Coolum Resort.

The Guide has been produced by Sunshine Coast Destination Ltd (SCDL) in collaboration with a niche group comprising local golfing industry.

The Guide will be available electronically and 30,000 copies will be printed and distributed throughout Australia and New Zealand.

SCDL CEO, Steve Cooper is pleased to be working with industry to develop a strategy to attract more golf visitors to the Sunshine Coast, with the long term objective to have these visitors return.

"The Sunshine Coast Official Golf Guide is just one of the exciting outcomes of SCDL working with industry to generate marketing activity and packaging initiatives to increase exposure and drive more visitors to our region."

Golf is a key activity for visitors to the Sunshine Coast and accounts for 24 percent of the Queensland overnight domestic golf market. Golf tourism is defined as visitors who participated in golf as an activity while visiting the Sunshine Coast.

The Sunshine Coast is a haven for golfers with over 17 golf courses to choose from. There are five championship courses: the world-class course at the Palmer Coolum Resort, the Greg Norman-designed Club Pelican, Noosa Springs, Peregian Springs and Twin Waters. These championship courses are served by international standard luxury accommodation and world-class golfing facilities. The Australian PGA Championship is one of the top three golf tournaments in the country, alongside the Australian Open and the Australian Masters. There are also dozens of excellent public courses offering great value golfing.

First played in 1905, the Australian PGA Championship is Australia's oldest professional tournament and one of the oldest in the world.

The 2012 championship boasts the likes of defending champion Greg Chalmers, 2011 British Open winner Darren Clarke, 2006 US Open winner Geoff Ogilvy, six-time US PGA Tour winner Rory Sabbatini and Marc Leishman, who is the only Australian to win on the PGA Tour this year.

The 156-man field will include around 30 of Australia's top 50 professional players who will all be vying for a share of the $AUD1.25 million in prize money. The tournament runs from 13-16 December and tickets can be purchased from Ticketek www.ticketek.com.au

For more information and to order a copy of the guide contact anthony@scdl.com.au