Tim Ireland, Director of The Ultimate Golf Challenge, Senior Professional Golfer and Member of the"Australian Professional Golfers' Association (PGA)" since 1968, has played tournaments in Australia, New Zealand, South East Asia and the South Pacific.

Well known to his colleagues on the golf circuit under his nickname "Groover", Tim developed the South Pacific golf tournaments in Fiji, Western Samoa, New Caledonia, Vanuatu and Tahiti.

As the National Golf Co-ordinator for Ansett Airlines he organized Pro-Ams and corporate days all over Australia. Organizing the travel arrangements for the Professional Players on the Australasian Tour for more than 25 years he can count big names in the golfing world as his personal friends.

In his private time, Tim is a dedicated member of the Nelson Bay Rotary Club and is a member of the advisory panel for  sports scholarship in New South Wales.

The Ultimate Golf Challenge

Tim founded "The Ultimate Golf Challenge" together with his partner Annie Stockmann. Annie worked for nine years in China, Hong Kong and Macau in the tourism industry and her extensive knowledge about China and South East Asia is a great asset combined with Tim's golfing background.

The company became a member of the "International Association of Golf Tour Operators, IAGTO" in 2007, which guarantees all clients the highest standard of golf travel. Only four companies in Australia are members of this worldwide organization and enjoy the benefits of close relationships to championship golf courses and world class hotels and resorts.

Since 2005 "The Ultimate Golf Challenge" promotes one of China's most beautiful golfing destinations, Haikou on Hainan Island and works closely with the Haikou Tourism Bureau to introduce Haikou's championship golf courses and resorts to the Australian golfing market. We will stage our annual amateur event in October 2010 in Haikou. For the first time our "China Challenge Haikou" will include the new "Mission Hills Haikou", which now is the new home of the "Omega World Cup" in 2011.

Vietnam, voted as the "best undiscovered golf destination worldwide" by IAGTO in 2007 has been a huge success and "The Ultimate Golf Challenge"  continued in 2008 with the "Indochina International Circuit" and staged two events on the best courses the country has to offer, Ocean Dunes GC and Dalat Palace GC and the Indochina International 2009 at Ocean Dunes GC.

The Kingdom of Cambodia has become a favorite with our clients since 2008. Nick Faldo's new Angkor Wat golf course in Siem Reap has been voted best course ever by all participants and the Victoria Angkor Resort & Spa the most exciting hotel with the best service any hotel can offer. We can't wait to be back in October 2010 for the "Victoria Angkor Ultimate Golf Challenge Open Pro-Am".

We had a great event on the big island of Hawaii at the beginning of the year and we have to thank the Waikoloa Hilton Village and the Waikoloa Beach and Kings Course for the wonderful time and their sponsorship. We have been invited back and are looking forward to our second Hilton Waikoloa Ultimate Golf Challenge Open Pro-Am in July next year. 

For the last two years Dubai has invited us to host the "Dubai Ultimate Golf Challenge Open Pro-Am". Already our first event in 2009 was a fantastic experience but this year was simply the best ever. To play those championship courses was a true treat for all golfers but to be the selected few in the world who were able to play Greg Norman's Earth Course at the Jumeirah Estate, which is built to host the "Race to Dubai" was just something so special and will be in the memories of our clients for many years to come. We have to thank our sponsor SNTTA Emir Tours and Greg Norman, who personally made this possible.

Having just visited the Philippines, we can now confirm this new destination for March 2011 and our "Green Fairways & Blue Water Ultimate Golf Challenge Open Pro-Am" will be staged on the island of Boracay - known for one of the best beaches in the world - on the Graham Marsh designed course, which has been the home of the "Johnny Walker Classic" in 1999.