Stephen Pitt has resigned as Chief Executive Officer of Golf Australia, ending an 11-year run in the role later in the year.
Pitt joined Golf Australia in 2008 and was instrumental in the consolidation of the Australian Open and Women's Australian Open, expanding junior programs and improving governance.
"Stephen has achieved a great deal, including to bring five Australian states and territories into Golf Australia’s One Golf National administration model," Golf Australia Chairman Andrew Newbold said in a release announcing Pitt's resignation.
‘This has not been an easy process; we remain hopeful of completing the transition to One Golf as soon as possible in the near future. Stephen has also been the driving force behind Vision 2025 – which aims to increase female involvement in golf in Australia – and has in recent years overseen various programs to increase golf participation and to improve the health of the sport generally.”
Pitt will continue to work with the Golf Australia board as the search for a new CEO takes shape, and he will finish negotiations around some key agreements.
Pitt is most likely to be remembered for pushing investment in player development, increasing the staffing from one person to 31 people. However, Pitt acknowledged that the financials of Golf Australia are not as healthy as they should be.
"I feel incredibly fortunate to have worked with Golf Australia for eleven years,” Pitt said.
He added, "The last 12 months have been difficult at times; particularly in terms of our financial performance and I take responsibility for last year’s result and also the challenges we’ve been working through this financial year. However, I believe we have a strong Board, great staff and a range of excellent National programs and I know the organisation and the game generally will flourish in the years ahead."
