Catalina Club unveils inaugural Athol’s Cup in honour of earliest greenkeepers

Catalina Club General Manager Guy Chapman (left) and Course Superintendent Darcy Jones (right) recently unveiled an inaugural tournament in honour of Catalina Club’s first greenkeeper Athol Manns, alongside Athol’s descendents (L-R) Maureen Law, Irene Backhouse and Betty Wales.

Catalina Club and the family of the Club’s first greenkeeper, Athol Manns, have unveiled an inaugural tournament to honour the dedication and work completed in the Club’s earliest years, and to recognise craftsmanship of today’s sports turf managers and professionals, greenkeepers and superintendents of today.

Athol’s Cup is a celebration for greenkeepers from across generations and honours the decades of landscaping and greenkeeping carried out by Athol at Catalina Club. Born in 1913, Athol worked alongside his older brother Claude when Catalina Club was the Batemans Bay Golf Club. When the duo first stepped foot on the course, it consisted of just five holes with oiled sand greens.

Before Catalina Club, Batemans Bay Golf Club hosted tournaments on five holes with oiled sand greens.

The Club was established in 1920, constructed on wetlands and stockyards owned by horse trainer and publican Percy Bill and framed by Batemans Bay’s first and only racecourse.

In the 1950’s brothers Athol and Claude used their massive log haulers and offered their services to clear the land surrounding the small five holes, with a goal to expand the course to 18 holes of turfed greens. An undated photograph (below) shows Athol and Claude standing astride their log hauler where today’s 17th hole is positioned.

Athol and Claude Manns standing at today’s 17th tee.

Catalina Club’s General Manager Guy Chapman said the Club hopes to share the Manns brothers’ commitment to Catalina through the inaugural Cup.

“Athol and Claude’s involvement with a number of Club committees, as well as their brother George’s early management of the Club, combined with a passion for golf, makes the Manns surname synonymous with the Club’s early chapters,” said Mr Chapman.

Since 2024, Athol Manns’ descendants have been assisting the Catalina Club team to establish the honorary competition, Athol’s Cup, which invites local groundspersons, greenkeepers, sports turf managers and course superintendents to compete at Catalina Club’s beautiful course. The inaugural event will be held on Friday 13 November 2026 with a shotgun start at 9:00am.

“With permission from Athol Manns and his brother Claude and George Manns’ descendants, Catalina Club is proud to share the family’s story of determination, leadership and collaboration,” said Mr Chapman.

Athol Manns (right) with his son Noel.

Athol’s daughter, Betty Wales, recently expressed her gratitude to Catalina Club for honouring the legacy of her late father:

“The Manns family have had a long history with Catalina Club. My father Athol, and my uncle Claude, and several volunteers, began working on the course in the 1950s with nothing but their trucks, picks, shovels and their bare hands,” she said.

“The course which we know today is testament to their pioneering spirit and determination to create a golf course that has become a sporting jewel on the South Coast,” said Mrs Wales.

“This tournament in my father’s name is a wonderful legacy that the Manns family are very proud to share. We hope all the turf teams across New South Wales can be proud and celebrate their hard work. We share this honour and event with all the hidden heroes behind sport in Australia,” said Mrs Wales.

Athol’s Cup is an invitational event and will be held on Friday 13 November 2026.

Published Friday 12 June