On Friday December 12, 2025, at 8:00AEDT, ADG will be hosting the Tour Awards to recognise the champions of the 2025 ADG Tour in addition to crowning the winners of the 2025 Community Awards. Earlier this year we sought nominations for the TDs and Volunteers that made this year in disc golf exceptional. These people often work tirelessly to give our community the events and support that can so easily go unrecognised. Ahead of the awards night, ADG would like to showcase the nominations we received and the time, energy and dedication each of the nominees have given to the sport.

TD of the Year Nominees

First up, the nominees for TD of the Year. Five TDs for four events were nominated this year. Each nomination praised how well the events were received, how hard the TDs worked to make their community feel welcomed, and just how much fun everyone had. I’ll leave it to those who saw these TDs in action to say it best:

Jeff Brunsting & Anthony Pearsall

Aussie Masters

“The event was a big success and should set a legacy as a masters tournament becomes a fixture on the Australian disc golf calendar. This sort of innovation should be celebrated. As well as being great TDs these two also contribute in other ways to the community.”

“Jeff and Anthony’s inaugural “Aussie Masters” that was hosted in Ballarat this year, has been amazing for (the) clubs reputation with not just those that played the event, but with the Mount Xavier Golf Club, The City of Ballarat, and every other organisation that was involved.”

Jason Vidot

Queensland Open

“…(has) the competitors experience at the forefront of his mind.”

Joel Rub

Garden City Open

“Nothing but positive feedback and happy dispositions come out of these events which Joel commits himself to organising.”

“Joel is a perfect representation of a passionate TD trying to grow the sport.”

“Joel creates events that are not only competitive and well-run, but also welcoming, inclusive, and fun. The kind of tournaments that players talk about long after they’re over.”

“He is constantly welcoming new players with open arms, asking if they need discs, or want to have a go.”

“Joel is dedicated to disc golf, dedicated to helping the sport grow throughout the community.”

Wayne Govan

Cobden Carnage

“Started a brand-new tournament from the ground up, from approaching the golf club to designing the course from scratches and to engaging in promotional information and managing to fill the field cap of 72 players for the event. Players packs were amazing, all players were happy and have received very positive feedback in regard to wanting the event run again next year”

Volunteer of the Year Nominees

Now let’s turn our attention to the nominees for Volunteer of the Year. We received nominations for three volunteers that poured their heart into making their disc golf community thrive. Each nomination praised how well tirelessly each volunteer worked while acknowledging the amount of effort involved in creating something worth doing. Those who nominated Matthew Tulip, JJ Jonas and Bryan Rauwerda were lavish with their praise so I have summarised their contributions below.

Jonathan “JJ” Jonas

Newcastle Disc Golf Club

JJ has run the Newcastle Disc Golf Club since 2010, running weekly club training during summer and monthly league days. He has been instrumental in the installation of 6 courses in the region helping to grow and spread the sport. This year, JJ’s leadership was especially evident as he took on the enormous task of TDing the NSW Disc Golf Open, managed the daily setup of the new course and coordinated a dedicated team of club volunteers—an effort that reflects the deep respect he commands within the community.

Bryan Rauwerda

North Queensland Disc Golf Club

Bryan is passionate about bringing disc golf to the community.  He manages the NQDG club as president with patience and commitment. He encourages others to enjoy the game and advocates the sport whenever he can. He works well with others, includes others in the decision-making process but isn’t afraid of making the tough calls when required. He’s also done all he can to train and support other TDs and club members in the betterment of their game.

Matthew Tulip

South Australia Disc Golf Club

Matt is always the first person to arrive and the last person to leave any of our events and sets up, sweeps tee pads, paints lines, does general course maintenance and all this with a smile on his face and never complaining. He recently stepped up into the world of TD’ing and has been assistant TD for almost all our leagues this year and some tournaments as well. The course is often half setup before any other volunteer arrives. On top of that he never misses a community even. He lives disc golf.

Here’s the to the people who make disc golf such a strong and engaging community year after year in Australia. Thank you to everyone for your nominations and to the photographers who captured the TDs and volunteers hard at work. Join us in awarding the community awards on Friday 12 December at 8:00PM AEDT. See you there.

The annual ADG Tour Awards night will be held on Friday 12 December at 8:00pm AEDT. The night will see the place-getters of the ADG Tour crowned as Australian tour champions. To see how you finished you can check the tour leaderboard here.

We will also recognise the recipients of the 2025 Community Awards which celebrate the outstanding work done by TDs and Volunteers, as nominated by you. See which of our stellar nominees will take home the honour of TD of the Year and Volunteer of the Year by tuning in using the link below. See you there!

ADG Tour Awards 2025
Friday, 12 December · 8:00PM AEDT
Google Meet joining info
Video call link: https://meet.google.com/ahf-axfw-ait
Or dial: ‪(AU) +61 2 9051 3735‬ PIN: ‪145 391 215‬#
More phone numbers: https://tel.meet/ahf-axfw-ait?pin=5074969965554

The Australian Disc Golf Hall of Fame is the highest honour in Australian Disc Golf. Earlier this year nominations were sought by the ADG, and many extremely worthy nominees were received. A selection panel of Hall of Fame inductees was formed to review the nominations. To be considered for the ADG Hall of Fame, a person must have been involved with the sport in Australia for over 10 years, have made a significant and measurable contribution to disc golf, and be a good role model for others. This year, after careful deliberation, two people have been inducted into the Australian Disc Golf Hall of Fame.

The Australian Disc Golf would like to take this opportunity to personally recognise and congratulate our newest Hall of Fame inductees, Bruce McNaughton and Michael Rubock.

At the induction ceremony held this past weekend at ADGC, Brian VanAllen, a 2017 ADG Hall of Fame inductee himself, had the honour of presenting the award in person. He graciously organised the induction to be a surprise for the two inductees and was able to have both recipients in (virtual) attendance. The inductees will receive a certificate to honour their achievements, in addition to a personalised bag tag to showcase their award. Below is the video of the induction ceremony, kindly filmed by PRKD Media, as well as a few words from Brian.

Bruce McNaughton has been a central figure in the development of Flying Disc Sports in Australia for more than two decades. After first playing Ultimate in Brisbane in 2000, he quickly became a major influence at the youth level nationwide, earning the Rob Hancock Memorial Award in 2007 for his service to the sport. In the late 2000s, he turned his attention to Disc Golf, becoming instrumental in shaping the Brisbane scene. He played a key role in establishing Brisbane Disc Golf, serving for many years as its treasurer, and was equally important in the formation of Queensland Disc Golf Association. Throughout the 2010s, Bruce was a constant presence at Queensland Disc Golf events. For over five years, he personally set up and packed down baskets at tournaments, generously supplying his own equipment to support the sport’s growth. Those baskets now remain in long-term “loan” to the Queensland Disc Golf Association. His commitment extended into coaching for local councils, promotional work, helping design several Brisbane area courses, including Cadogan, Rocklea, and Pine Rivers Park, as well as assisting with the installation of the Yeerongpilly course. As a player, Bruce has enjoyed an extraordinary competitive career: 46 career wins, six Queensland titles, multiple Interstate titles, seven Australian titles, and a New Zealand title. His record stands amongst the best in the country. In 2019, he reached a historic milestone by becoming Australia’s first PDGA World Champion, winning the MA65 division at the Amateur Disc Golf World Championships in Pennsylvania, USA.

Beyond his public achievements, Bruce has been a quiet yet vital supporter of national disc golf initiatives. He has offered guidance, shared experience, and contributed his professional expertise as a civil engineer to help build pathways and infrastructure for the sport. Known for his humility, grace, and good humour, even when the sport’s growing pains tested him, he has earned deep respect across the community. Bruce’s contributions in playing, coaching, mentoring, leadership, promotion, event organisation, and infrastructure development make him a worthy inductee into the Australian Disc Golf Hall of Fame. Congratulations, Bruce!

“My real reward is the growth in quantity and quality of players, courses and competitions. It warms my heart to have been part of it, and I recognise the great number of folk that have all played a part” – Bruce McNaughton

Michael Rubock has been a driving force in Australian Flying Disc sports and Disc Golf for nearly five decades. Beginning in the late 1970s, his competitive success, leadership, and passion helped shape the sport long before Disc Golf formally separated from the flying disc disciplines in Australia. Michael began by chucking a Super Pro Frisbee on the front lawn of his uni accommodation with his good mate Leigh Bird way back in 1976. Michael graduated to a 141 World Class Frisbee, if you don’t know what they are, just search the internet and have a look, which he bought in 1979. Later he filled in the form, which was enclosed with a Frisbee, paid his $5, and received his membership certificate and an invitation to the 1980 Australian Frisbee Championships in Melbourne. Whilst he missed the Disc Golf event because he couldn’t find the Disc Golf course, he made up the next day when he borrowed some discs and surprised everyone, including himself, by making the Distance Final. In the mid-1980s, Michael with Leigh Bird co-designed the first Disc Golf course at Poimena Reserve and organised multiple Flying Disc Championships in Tasmania, later bringing the National Championships to Tasmania in ’86 and then to his own hometown in Wynyard in 1989. Although a serious injury in 1991 paused his playing career, he remained deeply involved, championing disc sports across Tasmanian schools and inspiring generations of new players. Michael returned to the sport in 2018 to design and establish Tasmania’s second permanent Disc Golf course in Burnie, later founding the Burnie Disc Golf Club and leading numerous local events as Tournament Director. And even in his 60s, he’s continued to compete at a high level, winning the Burnie Open Division in 2019 at the age of 62 and the MA50 Tassie Open in ’21, among other notable titles. Across 40 years, Michael has contributed as a player, educator, organiser, administrator, promoter, coach, and ambassador. His influence spans national and international competitions, state-level leadership, course design, media contributions, and community development, and he exemplifies the spirit of the game. And his work has been fundamental to the growth of disc sports in Tasmania and Australia more broadly. And I believe Michael still wears his odd socks.

In recognition of his exceptional service, Michael also received the prestigious Rob Hancock Memorial Award in 2021. Michael’s Frisbee love affair endures as he continues to serve as the President of the Burnie Disc Golf Club. His legacy makes him a highly deserving inductee into the Australian Disc Golf Hall of Fame.

“Michael Rubock’s dedication, commitment, and participation in all aspects of Flying Disc Sports have been exceptional, and he has been a driving force in the development and growth of the sport at all levels, for 40 years. In all Michael’s years and roles – as a player, teacher, mentor, organiser, administrator, communicator, marketer, leader, coach, ambassador, team member, and more – he has not only excelled in his contributions to the growth and development of the sport, he has done this displaying the attitudes, qualities and characteristics which embodies the ‘Spirit of the Game’.”

– Gail P. Lynch

Founding member Australian Disc Sports

Rob Hancock Memorial Award Winner 1990

Disc Golf Hall of Fame Winner 2018

Special thanks to The Hall of Fame selection panel, Kingsley Flett (for photos), Brian VanAllen with Jason McCormick (for presenting), and the 2025 Hall of Fame inductees themselves!