Golf Australia & PGA of Australia: Reducing admin by 75%

Introduction

With a bold new mission to make ‘golf accessible to all’, Golf Australia, the national sporting organisation for golf, in partnership with the PGA of Australia, enlisted Rosterfy to revolutionise the way they managed and engaged their volunteer workforce. 

Having previously run their national events including The Australian PGA Championships, The Australian Open, Asia-Pacific Amateur Championships, and many more, in their silos, the team needed a solution that not only streamlined operations but enhanced the volunteer experience to support their national events program.

The Challenge

Diversifying the age demographic of golf volunteers

With the average age of their volunteers 60 and over Golf Australia were looking to enlist technology to attract a new generation of volunteers to golf.

While the transition to new technology can be met with resistance, these golfing volunteers overwhelmingly appreciated the shift to Rosterfy.

In a survey, over 90% of volunteers rated their overall experience using the system as excellent or good.

The improved communication, ease of use, and the ability to provide prompt updates contributed to a positive volunteer experience.

The Solution

Creating a single source of data across multiple events

Prior to using Rosterfy, the PGA and Golf Australia operated their events independently, relying heavily on manual processes including spreadsheets.

By creating a single source of truth for ALL golf volunteer data, the governing bodies of golf found they could deliver more personalised content based on volunteers’ skills, previous experience, and location, enabling greater cross-sectional volunteering to support golf’s nationwide event schedule.

For the Vic Open alone, the PGA and Golf Australia reached out to previous volunteers and received 567 registrations within 48 hours. Within two weeks, 70% of their roster was filled, all without any additional advertising.

Having the right data and the ability to deliver personalised, engaging content drastically transformed their operations with rosters filling themselves automatically.

Pre-Rosterfy Challenges

• Limited to single-event volunteering with no cross-promotion
• Manual processes requiring 1.0 FTE volunteer manager per event (often external)
• No visibility into volunteer engagement patterns or retention metrics
• Unable to identify and nurture high-performing volunteers

The Impact

Broadening volunteer demographics

One of the most exciting developments was the PGA and Golf Australia’s ability to attract a broader demographic of volunteers, with Rosterfy now in place to support their volunteer program.

By centralising all their events in one place, the PGA and GA were exposed to a whole new database of volunteers. This included university students who had never volunteered at a golf tournament before. 

With access to both general and event-specific inductions, as well as Rosterfy training, volunteers of all skill levels and backgrounds can now confidently participate through the Rosterfy platform.

Since adopting Rosterfy, Golf Australia and the PGA of Australia have continued to grow their volunteer database significantly as reflected below:

• 2022-23 season: 1,864 new volunteers
• 2023-24 season: 2,093 new volunteers
• 2024-25 season: 1,894 new volunteers

Milestones achieved since implementing Rosterfy

• Centralised database enabling volunteers to participate across multiple events
• 75% reduction in administrative time (1.0 to 0.25 FTE) (and brought in-house)
• Real-time analytics revealing that top 10% of volunteers complete 40% of all shifts
• Automated communications increasing volunteer return rates by 50%