WHEN Steve McMahon wandered into the bar of Ipswich’s old North Star Hotel way back in 1975 and told the bemused barmaid, ‘I reckon I could pour a pretty good beer,’ he had no idea he was about to begin a career that would see him manage golf clubs for the best part of the next half century.
McMahon, who had studied accountancy and surveying at university, talked his way into a job as a barman at that pub. A year later he accepted a similar role as bar steward at Ipswich Golf Club, and in 1981 became the historic club’s secretary-manager.
“I got the job because they could see I would be a hands-on manager, pulling beers, sweeping the floor, doing everything that needed to be done,” he said. “It started from there.”
McMahon, 70, is still at it – about to begin his 24th year as manager of Nambour Golf Club, on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast, not quite ready to relinquish the reins of a club that feels more like a family than a job to this passionate, knockabout character.
The end is close, though. McMahon last year told club administrators he wanted to retire but would continue until they appointed a replacement.
The board found their man – Ben Dobson, a former general manager of nearby Headland Golf Club, who had just begun a year-long caravan trip around Australia with his family when he was offered the job.
Dobson happily accepted the role but asked that he be allowed to finish his bucket-list trip. Club president Peter Black then asked McMahon if he’d postpone his retirement until mid-2026. It was a proposition the loyal McMahon didn’t even think about refusing.
“We cannot thank Steve enough for the incredible sacrifice he is making,” Black said. “To put his retirement on hold is further proof that his commitment and passion for the job can never be questioned.”
Steve McMahon, Nambour’s long term GM, will hand over the reins mid-year and looks to spend more time with family.
McMahon has overseen enormous changes over the past 45 years – not just in the role of club management, but in the golf industry itself.
“When I started at Ipswich there was no real midweek golf,” he said. “Only ladies played on Tuesdays and on Wednesday there was a nine-hole Wednesday Club competition. We didn’t even open the course on Thursdays.
“Sundays were always open days, with golfers coming from all over southeast Queensland to play in clubs’ open days.
“On Saturdays everyone would arrive about 11am or 11.30am and there’d be a draw. They’d hit off in a shotgun start, and people would get to play with everyone else. There were no carts and it was all afternoon golf – nobody played in the mornings.
“We had no photocopier, no computers, the time sheets were on paper, and the phone hardly rung. It was all so simple.”
It was a formula upon which Ipswich Golf Club thrived. When he left in 1997, McMahon managed a staff of 86 fulltime and part-time employees, and was responsible for the golf course, catering, the pro shop and a gaming room which contained 86 poker machines.
He moved to the Sunshine Coast and, after managing the Caloundra Surf Lifesaving Club for four years, accepted the role of secretary-manager of Nambour Golf Club in February 2002.
“As soon as I walked in here it felt like Ipswich,” he said. “The club was in a bit of trouble then. We built it up so that in 2007-2008 we were the biggest golf club on the Sunshine Coast in membership numbers.
Then the town’s sugar mill closed down, and the rain came.
“We struggled for 10 years to stay afloat, and it wasn’t until we were allowed to play golf during Covid that things turned around,” he said.
Nambour took over the operation of its pro shop, and increased the number of carts – a decision McMahon says saved the club.
“From carrying a huge debt, we became debt free within a few years. Golf has continued to boom since Covid, and we found the right balance between social players and members.”
The club welcomed social players, even on Saturdays, and offered them attractive deals – like $49 for two players in a cart.
“It’s great to see more young people getting into golf,” McMahon said. “The game’s becoming so popular that we need more golf courses. My fear is that it might become too expensive to play, but people seem to be able to find the money.”
With the club in good shape, McMahon is looking forward to spending more time with his 12 grand-children in retirement, rekindling his passion for beach fishing and cricket, and continuing his role as treasurer of his Coolum building’s body corporate.
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