As part of our commitment to providing the best possible golf experience at Warragul Country Club, we are implementing a three-month trial of key changes this summer. These updates are specifically designed to enhance fairness, maximise enjoyment, and increase flexibility for golfers of every skill level.
All updates below take effect from Monday, 15 December 2026.
1. Progressive Tees: A 3-Month Trial for All Golfers:
Starting 15 December 2026, Warragul Country Club will transition to a Progressive Tee System. This modern approach moves away from traditional gender-based tee designations, allowing every golfer to select the tee that best matches their playing ability and preferred course length.
The Rationale:
Following recommendations from Golf Australia, this system is a major step toward greater inclusivity and fairness. It provides a choice for skilled women golfers who wish to challenge themselves from longer tees and players who desire a shorter starting point. This trial is about ensuring the course is enjoyable and appropriately challenging for everyone.
2. Progressive Tee Options and Course Lengths:
To help you select the most appropriate challenge, please refer to the course lengths and suitability guide below. All course lengths are approximate and subject to daily setup. Importantly, all four courses have been fully re-rated by Golf Australia as part of this process to ensure your handicap is accurately applied, regardless of the tee you choose.
| Tee |
Marker Colour |
Approximate Length |
Suitable For |
| Black |
Back |
5,538m |
Low handicaps & long hitters seeking maximum challenge. |
| Silver |
Middle |
5,110m |
The majority of regular club golfers. |
| Orange |
Forward |
4,829m |
Shorter hitters and players who prefer a reduced distance. |
| Yellow |
Short |
3,509m |
Juniors, beginners, and players returning from injury or rehab. |
3. Using the New Progressive Tees:
The new tee model is designed for seamless integration into your current golfing routine.
Using the Progressive Tees is simple:
- Inform the Pro Shop: When checking in, advise the Pro Shop staff which tee colour you will be playing (Black, Silver, Orange, or Yellow).
- Automatic Handicap Adjustment: Your official Course Handicap will automatically adjust based on the specific course/tee combination you select, ensuring fair competition.
- Submit Your Score: Enter your score as you normally would via MI Score or a paper card.
This straightforward process ensures accuracy, consistency, and fairness across all tee choices and competitions during the trial period.
4. Summer Competition Fees and Prize Structure:
To streamline processes and offer consistent value, competition fees have been simplified as follows:
$12.00 – Applicable for all standard competition days (for both Men and Women).
$10.00 – Applicable for Sunday and Monday competitions.
We confirm that 50% of all entry fees will continue to be returned to players as prizes, following the agreed-upon club prize templates.
Prize Pool Updates:
- Individual contributions to Pro Pin, Mystery 6, and other side pools have been removed
- All prize money comes from the single-entry fee
- Mystery 6 has been removed from men’s competitions during this period, but remains for women (women do not have a Pro Pin)
- This creates a cleaner, more consistent prize model for all members
Daily Skill Prizes:
- Premium Tees (Black, Silver, and Orange): Golfers playing from these tees are eligible for major daily skill prizes, including Nearest the Pin (NTP) and Pro Pin awards (for men).
- Forward Tee (Yellow): Golfers playing from the Yellow tee are not eligible for tee-based skill prizes such as NTP and Pro Pin, due to the significantly reduced course length (for men).
- All Tees: Regardless of the tee played, all golfers remain eligible for the graded overall competition prizes.
5. Hole-in-One Fund – Paused During Trial Period
Due to the implementation of the Progressive Tee Trial, the temporary 19th hole routing, and major construction works impacting the 8th green, the existing Hole-in-One (HIO) fund will be temporarily paused beginning 15 December 2026.
This approach ensures fairness and removes confusion while multiple tee lengths, temporary routing, and construction impacts are in play.
Key Dates and Information for Members:
- Final Contribution Day: The last day for the compulsory $1 HIO contribution will be Sunday, 14 December 2026.
- Fund Stop: The HIO prize pool will stop taking contributions at the close of play on 14 December 2026.
- Final Prize Total: The final cash total of the HIO prize pool will be communicated to members on 15 December 2026.
- Final Payout: The first Hole-in-One recorded on or after 15 December 2026 will win the entire existing prize pool.
Future Review:
Reinstating, creating a new, or updating the HIO model will be considered after the comprehensive review at the conclusion of the Progressive Tee Trial.
7. Trial Monitoring & End-of-Trial Evaluation
The Progressive Tee Trial will run for three months, from 15 December 2026 to 15 March 2027. Throughout this period, the Club is committed to rigorous monitoring and transparency:
Golf Committee Focus: The Committee will actively review scoring data, fairness metrics (including Stroke Index adjustments), pace of play, and tee utilisation across all new options.
- Club Operations Focus: We will closely monitor course wear and the impact on maintenance schedules.
- Flexibility: Minor adjustments may be implemented during the trial period if monitoring indicates an immediate need.
- Member Feedback: Members will have multiple opportunities to provide ongoing feedback, which is crucial to the success of this trial.
At the conclusion of the trial, all collected data and feedback will be comprehensively reviewed to determine:
- Whether the trial successfully improved member enjoyment.
- Whether competition fairness was maintained across all tee options.
- Whether the Progressive Tee System should be adopted permanently at Warragul Country Club.
Members will be updated prior to any decision regarding permanent change.
Next Steps and Contact
We aim to make this transition smooth, fair, and enjoyable for all members. We look forward to seeing these changes enhance your golfing experience at Warragul Country Club.
If you have any questions or require clarification, please do not hesitate to speak with:
- The Pro Shop staff
- A member of the Golf Committee
- Or me at any time.
Thank you for your cooperation during this exciting period of improvement.
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