Crow problem looms for 2024 Outback Queensland Masters
The tee-off for Australia’s most remote golf event has been marred by a comedic incident, which would prove a problem for golfers wanting to score birdies throughout the tournament.
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The tee-off for Australia’s most remote golf event has been marred by a comedic incident, which would prove a problem for golfers wanting to score birdies throughout the tournament.
An iconic, Australian bucket list golf event, the 2024 Outback Queensland Masters, has been officially launched at Birdsville on the edge of the Simpson Desert.
The tee-off for this year’s event, which will see 980 golfers compete over a 1600km outback golf journey taking in Boulia, Winton, Barcaldine, Charleville, and Quilpie during June and July, was marred by a crow stealing a golf ball from the course.
Birdsville Dunes Golf Club Vice President Stephan Pursell said participants will have to overcome the crows in vying for a chance to sink a $10,000 hole-in-one.
“We have a massive crow problem where this weekend they are out in numbers and must know the Outback Queensland Masters is on,’ he said.
“The crows for some reason love golf balls.
“We’ve tried all different things to stop them including different coloured balls to stop them coming in and taking them.
“We don’t know where they take them, but there’s sure to be a lot of them somewhere.”
Diamantina Shire Council Mayor Francis Murray said the popular golf event had introduced a new cohort of visitors to their part of the world.
“Who wouldn’t want to play golf on rolling red dunes under big blue skies with the added challenge of beating the crows to the ball?” Mr Murray posed.
Mr Murray added that golf is a sport that is easily able to be enjoyed in the region, which recorded a population of 266 people in the 2021 census.
“When I was growing up in Birdsville the most popular sport was tennis because you only needed two people to play,” he said.
“Any sport that can be played at the drop of the hat with just two people is the kind of sport we need out here.”
Since its inception in 2019, the Outback Queensland Masters has grown in popularity, with last year’s event generating 9343 visitor nights and contributing $1.9m to the state economy.
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