NBC Sports and Rory McIlroy Launch GOLFPASS in Australia

POSTED ON October 15, 2019 @ 8:55 am

A Digital Golf Membership Tailored to Golf-Loving Australians Delivers Comprehensive Perks and Benefits, including Tee Times, Instructional Tools, Free Golf Balls, Enhanced Shopping and Travel Experiences, and Access to World-Class Content, Featuring David Feherty, GOLF Films, GOLFPASS Originals, and McIlroy

GOLFPASS+ Option Includes an Official Golf Australia Handicap

ORLANDO, Fla., USA (Oct. 15, 2019) – GOLFPASS, golf’s most-comprehensive digital membership program, has officially launched in Australia. The announcement was made by global golf superstar and GOLFPASS Founder Rory McIlroy, and Mike McCarley, president, GOLF, NBC Sports Group.

“Golf really is now a global sport, so it’s especially gratifying to see the success of GOLFPASS spread to Australia,” said McIlroy, four-time major champion, 2019 FedExCup Champion and PGA TOUR Player of the Year for the 2018-19 season. “Golfers have a unique passion for their sport and GOLFPASS offers the perfect opportunity for today’s player to connect with the game like never before.” McIlroy, winner of the 2013 Emirates Australian Open, finished the 2018-19 PGA TOUR season with three victories – THE PLAYERS Championship, RBC Canadian Open and the season-ending TOUR Championship – and 14 top-10 finishes.

On the heels of its successful February launch in North America and, subsequently in the UK and Ireland in July, GOLFPASS offers opportunities to play more golf at more than 7,000 golf courses in 26 countries around the world, including 320 in Australia; instructional tools and lessons for game improvement; exclusive shows featuring McIlroy and other stars in the sport; and enhanced shopping and travel experiences.

“GOLFPASS is designed to make golf more accessible and fun using tech and services that help connect golfers to the sport. Whether it’s video instruction from Rory or the best coaches in the world, making booking tee times quick and easy, or tracking your handicap, GOLFPASS adds tremendous value for golfers,” said McCarley. “Rory is the perfect partner for GOLFPASS, not only because he’s an approachable, genuine and global ambassador for golf – much in the same way Arnold Palmer was as co-founder of GOLF Channel in the U.S. nearly 25 years ago – he’s also eager to modernise how golfers engage with the sport in their daily lives, whether watching a screen or with a club in their hand.”

GOLFPASS: Comprehensive Perks and Benefits

The product of two years of collaboration and development between Rory McIlroy Inc. and NBC Sports Group, GOLFPASS delivers comprehensive perks and benefits that span five pillars – Play, Learn, Shop, Travel, Watch – which are the most frequent ways golfers engage with the sport.

GOLFPASS in Australia can be purchased via a monthly ($12.99), annual ($129) or upgraded GOLFPASS+ ($199) membership, and is available today via www.golfpass.com.au and via connected TV, iOS and Android apps. Both the annual and GOLPASS+ memberships include a free dozen golf balls.

Included with the GOLFPASS+ membership is an official GOLF link handicap and personal liability cover. The GOLF link handicap allows golfers to play in club competitions and provides playing access to courses typically reserved for only for those with a handicap.

PLAY: Every month, GOLFPASS members receive tee-time credit toward a round of golf, good at a choice of 320-plus GOLFNOW partner golf courses in Australia, including such notable courses like Woodlands Golf Club in Melbourne, The Lakes Golf Club in Sydney, and Lakelands Golf Club on the Gold Coast. GOLFNOW offers tee times at more than 7,000 golf courses in 26 countries around the world, including top U.S. resorts like historic Pinehurst, Harbour Town at Sea Pines Resort, TPC Deere Run and Pasatiempo Golf Club. Tee-time booking fees are waived for all GOLFPASS members in Australia.

GOLFPASS members also receive guaranteed and early access to play in any GOLF Am Tour Australia events. GOLF Am Tour, the world’s largest amateur golf tour operated by the GOLF division of NBC Sports Group, expanded into Australia in March.

LEARN: GOLFPASS members have access to more than 4,000 on-demand instruction videos featuring many of the world’s elite coaches, including Australia’s own Cameron McCormick, current swing coach for three-time major champion Jordan Spieth and host of GOLF Channel’s The Skill Code instruction series, now offered via GOLFPASS. Other GOLFPASS Originals include Lessons with a Champion Golfer with McIlroy’s coach, Michael Bannon, as well as GOLFPASS’ new goal-focused, game-improvement series, Breaking:

Breaking Par, hosted by Australian Cameron McCormick
Breaking 80, hosted by Martin Hall, also hosts the popular GOLF Channel and Sky Sports instructional series, School of Golf
Breaking 90, hosted by Martin Chuck
Breaking 100, hosted by Andrew Rice.

GOLFPASS instructional content also features other top coaches, including Sean Foley (Justin Rose’s coach) and Chris Como, and includes tips from golf legends like Paul Azinger, Nick Faldo, Gary Player, Annika Sorenstam and more. Other GOLFPASS benefits include special pricing and early access to Revolution GOLF Schools, and golf-specific fitness and training programs, including Core Golf with Don Saladino. There’s also in-depth information and advice about full-body health for golfers through the new five-part GOLFPASS-exclusive series, Amp Your Game with Dr. Ara, who is a personal physician to many of the world’s top professional golfers on the LPGA Tour and PGA TOUR.

SHOP: GOLFPASS members can shop online and take advantage of exclusive member pricing on clubs, apparel, accessories, and training aids – including free shipping within Australia and discounted international shipping.

TRAVEL: GOLFPASS members receive up to $100 credit at destination resorts like Cape Wickham in Tasmania and Royal Adelaide in South Australia. Members also receive unlimited $100 travel credits at a selection of top resorts in the U.S., including Sea Island in Georgia, The Biltmore in Miami and Bali Hai Golf Club in Las Vegas. Additionally, insider travel information and custom itineraries built from the GOLF Advisor editorial team’s experiences at more than 10,000 golf destinations around the world are always available to GOLFPASS members.

Members also can earn Qantas Points when using travel benefits through GOLFPASS.

WATCH: Showcasing a video library totalling nearly 200 hours, GOLFPASS is home to award-winning franchises, including Feherty, with two-time Emmy-nominated host David Feherty. Also included is a selection of Emmy Award-winning GOLF Films, exclusive GOLFPASS Originals – including My Daily Routine, where top golfers, athletes, entertainers and acclaimed business professionals explain what they do each day to keep them sharp; and Toughest Tracks, which travels the globe with top golfers, analysts and celebrities to find out how they navigate some of the hardest holes in golf – and a robust GOLF Channel video archive that spans historic competitions and insight from golf’s biggest names.

About GOLFPASS

GOLFPASS is the only comprehensive digital golf membership that delivers exclusive content and comprehensive benefits tailored to the modern golfer’s lifestyle across five pillars – Play, Learn, Shop, Travel, Watch – which are the most frequent ways golfers engage with the sport. Developed in partnership between global golf superstar Rory McIlroy and NBC Sports Group, GOLFPASS is a first-of-its-kind, direct-to-consumer subscription program, which offers opportunities to play more golf, comprehensive tools to improve any golfer’s game, high-quality video content, and enhanced shopping and travel experiences. A GOLFPASS membership is available in North America at GOLFPASS.com, in the U.K. and Republic of Ireland at GOLFPASS.co.uk, and in Australia at GOLFPASS.com.au. The GOLFPASS membership also is available via connected TV, iOS and Android apps.