Wealthy Australian golfers are almost as rare as holes-in-one.

And while the last description Denis Brosnan wants levelled at him is that of being wealthy, statistics bear out that the Brisbane club professional is right up with the Greg Normans and David Grahams of the golfing world.

Few Queenslanders realise that Brosnan's Virginia factory is the largest golf club manufacturing centre in the country.  Last year it churned out 100,000 clubs, with expectations of 130,000 clubs this year.

All this from a man who decided less than 10 years ago there was a market for Australian-made golf equipment.

"I saw a market place for another maker in 1978 when I was playing in the Australian Open at The Australian Golf Club in Sydney.  I was talking to some of the overseas professionals who told me golf was booming in the States and England."

"I believed the boom would come through to Australia, as it has done.  It has been difficult but we're there and we're selling a lot of clubs."

A winner of numerous pro-ams throughout Australia, Brosnan has turned out in all the major events such as the Australian Open and PGA championships.  "I still enjoy playing, but I don't play as much as I used to," he said.

But his lack of practice will not stop him contesting this year's Australian and Queensland Opens.

In his late 30s, Brosnan originally was content to sell golf equipment for other manufacturers.

"I had quite a lot of knowledge about club manufacturing after having repaired golf clubs, assembled some clubs and in turn I felt I knew what a good golf club was," he said.  "I design my own, but it has been a difficult path for sure."

While business is on the rise, Brosnan still runs into supply problems.

"Shafts and grips in particular have to come from overseas," he said.  "No golf shafts are made in Australia - they have to come from America or England.  The best shafts in the world come from America, so it was a matter of sourcing those.  The best grips in the world also come from the States and again it meant getting them in."

"Of course, we have a problem here in this country whereby we are so isolated that even when they arrive on the wharf it's hard to clear them so therefore we must work on a six-monthly basis from the time ordered to the time they arrive."

When the raw materials for a club eventually are accumulated, Brosnan's staff begins 28 exacting steps before a weekend golfer can step out with a new wood.  The process include wood turning, routing for the sole plate and inlay.  The clubs then are swing weighted and shafts and grips are fitted before they are stained, lacquered and finished.

Brosnan's workshop employs 24 tradesmen backed up by four office workers.

"We are number one Australian manufacturer," Brosnan said.  "That is not the number one seller in Australia, though, because imported clubs still hold a majority of the business in this country."

Brosnan Golf Australia ranks third as seller in Australia.

"Number one and two are both imported golf equipment," he said.  "PGF are number one and they import most of their clubs today whereas they used to manufacture here in Australia."

Brosnan naturally believes in the future of golf in Australia.  "We are seeing in this state a golf boom where there are a lot of new courses going in to all parts of the State and in particular south-east Queensland," he said.

His business reflects the sport's growth.  The firm has agencies in every state as well as exporting products to New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands and Tahiti.

Walk into golf shops and pro shops throughout Australia and you will meet a Brosnan product.  His brands include Tour Classic, Accord and Taipan, introduced in 1978 and the largest seller in Australia, the Tournament model and WPS.  The company is also Australian distributor for the American Lynx range.

Brosnan has designed most of the clubs.

"We are forever testing golf clubs and being a professional myself means I can go out and test them and determine whether I believe they will work," he said.  "I have certain ideas on what a club needs to be for various segments of the market."

"I know a lot of others in the industry don't believe it, but I feel a low marker or single-figure marker should be using a different type of club from, let's say, a 15 marker or 25 marker.  When I design a club I may have a single figure golfer in mind, while another can be used from a five marker right through to a 20 mark and then beyond that they should be looking at, say, a WPS or another club which has a lot of forgiveness built into it."

Brosnan keeps up with the latest trends by visiting the US twice a year.

"I have a lot of friends in the golf industry in America and it helps me in Australia to see what is happening there," he said.  "The American companies spend a lot of money developing new ideas and new concepts in designs.  We intend to grow on the Australian scene but we have no ambitions to move offshore.  I feel we're an Australian company for Australians."

Brosnan started his golfing career at 12 at Virginia Club.

"I practised quite a lot," he said.  "I used to get up at dawn and go out and practice to try to improve my golf.  It was more difficult in those days than it is today.  Junior coaching wasn't available when I started playing golf."

He played as an amateur until 18 when he turned professional.  His first assignment was as assistant pro to Oxley and then on to Jindalee, where Frank McCarthy was the pro.  Brosnan's first pro appointment was at Caboolture before joining Redcliffe.