The Management Committee is pleased to announce the appointment of experienced sports administrator Mr Stephen Porter as General Manager to drive forward Maleny Golf Club’s continued growth and development.

President Jeff Kruse said Mr Porter was highly credentialed and brought a wealth of management and business development experience to the club, including four years as Secretary Manager of Peregian Springs Golf Club.

“This is a significant appointment and comes at a pivotal time when the golf club stands ready to take advantage of all that has been achieved and be taken to the next level of development,” he said.

“We are really looking forward to getting Stephen on board and I know all members will join with the Management Committee in making him feel welcome and offer him every support in his new position.”

Mr Porter, who is scheduled to start on May 3, said he was excited by the opportunity and would be focusing on ways to leverage Maleny Golf Club to both feed off and enhance the Sunshine Coast Hinterland’s visitor offering.
“Maleny’s golf course is in an absolute gem of a location and in great shape,” he said.

“I’m looking forward to getting to know the members, familiarising myself with the lie of the land in terms of the traditions and culture and helping the club realise its amazing potential as a highly valued golfing destination, membership experience and social hub.”

Not to be confused with his local namesake, who has a crossing on the course named after him, Mr Porter, 59, is right handed and plays off a handicap of 19.

He comes from a sporting family which includes niece Cassie Porter – the number 1 ranked female amateur golfer in Australia and currently number 40 in the world.

Stephen is married to Wendy, a sports administrator at a Sunshine Coast independent school and father to Nicholas – an Australian Water Polo representative (currently on a college athletics scholarship in the USA).

Stephen began his sports career as a Club Tennis Professional in Austria before moving into sports business sales and marketing in Sydney. Whilst studying for his MBA Stephen relocated to Singapore to head up Asian operations as regional manager with Balsam Pacific Sports Surfaces.

Stephen was recruited by Australia Sport International Ltd in the late 1990s as its inaugural Chief Executive – heading up the Australian government’s key sports industry development initiative and promoting Australia’s sports business capabilities to the world – leveraging the Sydney 2000 Games.

He moved to the Sunshine Coast in 2003, working briefly with Caloundra City Council and the Chamber of Commerce & Industry QLD (CCIQ) before lengthy tenures with Peregian Springs Golf Club and HART Sport.