Maroochy River Golf Club on the Sunshine Coast last week announced the appointment of Paul McLean (pictured) as its new superintendent. The announcement sees McLean’s return to Australia after spending the past 16 months based in southeast Asia across two different projects.

A past president of the GCSAQ, McLean departed Sanctuary Cove Golf & Country Club on the Gold Coast after nearly a decade in charge last March to take up a contract as construction superintendent at Singapore Island Golf Club. Following that, for the past nine months he has been director of agronomy at the newly-constructed Silk Path Dong Trieu Golf & Country Club, a Nick Faldo-designed course about two hours east of Hanoi in Vietnam.

In a LinkedIn post by EnvoyGolf, which assisted Maroochy River with the appointment, club general manager Nigel Gibson said he was excited to welcome McLean to the club: “Paul brings with him over 35 years’ experience in the golf and turf management industry, having held senior agronomic and leadership roles at some of Australia’s most prestigious courses including Sanctuary Cove and RACV Royal Pines... Throughout his career Paul has demonstrated a commitment to excellence, sustainability and innovation in turf management. He is well-regarded for setting high team standards, his attention to detail and his collaborative approach with club management and stakeholders.”

News of McLean’s appointment comes less than a month after it was revealed that Maroochy River is about to embark on a major expansion of its facilities over the coming years. Club members recently approved a plan to construct a new nine-hole par-3 course, a 19th hole for use when the present course is being renovated, a turf nursery and earthworks for a future ‘executive-style’ nine-hole course. The par-3 course, which includes plans for a TPC Sawgrass-style island green, and the executive course will be housed on land to the eastern side of the existing 18-hole course. CLICK HERE to read more on the planned upgrades.

McLean starts his new role with Maroochy River on 22 July.