Asha Flynn, Women’s and Junior Development Manager at The Brisbane Golf Club, has been named the 2023 PGA Coach of the Year in Game Development, for Queensland and the Northern Territory.
The prestigious award was presented at a glittering golf industry ceremony recently held at the Golf Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre, and attended by 460 invited guests. And to add further lustre to her award, Asha is now among the finalists for the 2023 PGA National Coach of the Year (Game Development), with the winner named at the upcoming Greg Normal Medal awards later this month.
Although not specifically seeking awards, Asha said the recognition is something she has been working towards for the past three years.
“I am obviously very and honoured to be acknowledged,” she said.
“Working in the field of coaching and development is so rewarding, and I love giving back. But also helping develop the next level of high-performance athletes gives me a great thrill.”
On completion of her PGA Traineeship at BGC in December 2018, Asha was named the No.1 ranked PGA Trainee across Australia in the Titleist/Footjoy National Scholarship rankings.
She has since been instrumental in the continued development of the Women’s and Junior golf programs, and in 2021 BGC was named the Queensland Junior Program of the Year. And earlier this year her outstanding contribution was recognised when she was appointed Manager of Women’s and Junior programs at BGC.
But her thirst for learning has not abated, and to continue her development and coaching knowledge Asha has engaged in various programs, including TPI (Titleist Performance Institute), Capto certification, Flow Code, and PGA ACE programs.
As further recognition of the status she has gained, recently Asha spent a week with Golf Australia at Royal Melbourne, as part of the Australian team during the Asian-Pacific Amateur Championship.
Someone not surprised by the acknowledgment from her peers is BGC Director of Golf, Joe Janison.
“I have rarely seen a more self-motivated individual who constantly seeks different perspectives to develop their coaching knowledge,” he said.
“As a club, we are so very fortunate to have Asha as part of our BGC Professional Team and are thrilled with her being named the 2023 Queensland/Northern Territory PGA Coach of the Year. It is justified recognition for the amazing work she does here at the Club.”
Asha returned the compliment, saying she was supported by an incredible team at BGC in Joe, CEO Geoff Kuehner and Assistant Director of Golf Reece McRae, as well as the members.
“Although I don’t model my coaching methods on anyone in particular, knowing I have this support from the team at BGC is very comforting,” she said.
“I suppose my coaching could possibly be described as trial and error, as I am continually testing new and different theories. I am always looking to improve my knowledge. “
NOTE: Formerly Asha Hargreaves, Asha recently married Professional golfer Lawry Flynn, who is a member of BGC. Lawry finished tied for second in the 2023 Queensland PGA Championship, played at Nudgee Golf Club over the weekend. “– TONY DURKIN