On the eve of popular music festival Splendour in the Grass, some of Australia’s biggest bands will hit Byron Bay Golf Club for their own splendour on the grass.
The Music Industry Masters (MIM) makes its return and will be held Thursday, July 20, the day before Splendour kicks off. Artists and industry members will compete for the MIM Cup while benefitting several charities within the environment, equality, and mental health spaces.
The Covid-19 pandemic turbocharged an already growing love of golf within the Australian music scene. Now, the industry’s premier golf day, which is presented by TaylorMade, sees a team called The Artists take on the Industry team.
The Artists includes passionate golfer Sam Margin, lead vocalist of award-winning band The Rubens, as well as Ball Park Music, Eliza and The Delusionals, Skegss, Ali Barter, Dune Rats, Kingswood, Bernard Fanning, Ruby Fields, Holy Holy, The Rubens, Grinspoon and more. Last year, the Industry Team took out the MIM Cup.
In the inaugural edition last year, the MIM raised $15,000 for not-for-profit record label Music In Exile (Equality), CrewCare (Mental Health) and the Ngunya Jargoon Indigenous Protected Area (Environment). Margin said he was thrilled to see the event return in 2023 to bring the music industry together in the name of charity – right before one of Australia’s biggest festivals.
“As bands we care about trying to give back and doing something cool with the platform we have,” Margin tells Australian Golf Digest. “But I felt like combining combining forces with other musicians and having an event that was a bit more focussed on an activity, like a golf outing, would make more sense.
“We were blown away with the response from the inaugural event and the feedback from players, sponsors and wider industry was very encouraging, so we are very excited to do year 2 and hopefully raise a lot of money for the three organisations this year.”
Proceeds from this year’s tournament will be donated to three organisations: GO FOUNDATION, which creates opportunities for Indigenous young people through the delivery of their Scholarship Program, with a focus on culture and education; MUSICIANS MAKING A DIFFERENCE, which aims to transform the lives of young people through music; and HI NEIGHBOUR, who are working toward a successful energy transformation.
Byron locals, Splendour festival goers and non-golfers are encouraged to head to Byron Bay GC and enjoy the festivities. Fans can watch the golf live from the ‘Party Zone’, join in on games, activities, and a raffle with prizes. Those prizes include VIP F1 Grand Prix tickets, a signed Gibson guitar, an auction to play with several musicians. After the golf, the party will continue up at the clubhouse with a presentation, food, drinks and music. Those looking to support the event can attend via donation upon entry and watch the artists play golf 12-7pm at Byron Bay Golf Club, Thursday 20th July.
On top of the charitable benefits, Margin said it was inspiring to showcase golf as an inclusive sport that can be played by all walks of life. During the pandemic, he hit plenty of public courses like Gerringong GC for a hit, some fresh air and exercise. He wants more people to realise golf has progressed beyond country clubs and is fast becoming one of Australia’s highest participation sports.
“Once we started the Music Industry Masters, we were really pleasantly surprised to see how many artists were into golf,” he said. “Golf is a good outlet to combat the demands of touring and also having great conversations while being immersed in nature on the course.
“Danny [Beus] from Dune Rats had a similar experience of the game of golf growing up that felt kind of inaccessible and somewhat exclusive. When we all started playing, either just before the pandemic or during the pandemic, a few of us found cheap, really inclusive public golf courses and realised that there was there was really wonderful, diverse people playing the game.”
Head to www.mimcup.com for more info about the event and the auction.Â
