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.