Selling blocks of land with views of a prison would take a good salesman.
Selling blocks of land with views of a prison would take a good salesman.
It looks as though Growling Frog in the north of Melbourne is next on the chopping block! Not enough money rolling through, the council are considering their options...
Not sure this is the right view.
While we'd all like to play Royal Melb, Barnbougle, Augusta or Pine Valley exclusively it's important to acknowledge the roll even the most basic local course plays in bringing people into the game and helping ensure its long term survival.
My first golf was played at Rouse Hill 9 hole public course followed by Kellyville Country Club. With the benefit of time in the game I would describe both as goat tracks BUT they showed me how much fun the game could be and what a great way it was to spend time with friends. I didn't know or care the layouts were rubbish, the fairways were more dirt than grass, they didn't rate in a top course list or that they didn't have a nice clubhouse/bar/restaurant. Sadly both are long gone and replaced by overcrowded housing developments.
Every course lost impacts the future access to the game for its most important audience... those young or old who haven't yet discovered it !
Last edited by thatguy; 16th May 2019 at 08:21 PM.
Kellyville was replaced with Lynwood and Ashlar with Stonecutters - yes both of which are better than the courses they replaced but not the same. The underlying issue is these new venues is they're not as relaxed, accessible and low cost venues to be introduced to the game as the courses they replaced.
We need to be very careful as more of the courses we deem not worthy are taken away, this is a permanent step that lessens the access to the game. The strength and future viability of a sport/game is how simple and low cost it is to try it out and learn. If the only options left are courses with great facilities but $50+ dollar green fees that even then are difficult to get a game on the weekend (because these are the courses everyone seeks to play) we're pushing newcomers away and dooming the game to become even more of an elitist pursuit than it is already perceived by many.
Golf is not an efficient use of the land needed, and courses were (and still are) built on the less economically-desirable land - too far out, too rocky, too steep or flood prone areas. The low-cost players need to support these courses weekly to keep them alive, otherwise those 40 hectares won't be around for their 6 games a year of $20 golf.
On the other side to the development coin ... Moore Park, Eastlake and Warringah are all on swamp land and popular, but all three are often in the sights for 'more community access'. Warringah just got a reprieve, so Marrickville is now targetted by the social warriors to convert half of it into parkland (alongside the parkland on the other side of the canal).
You don't get me. I'm part of the Union.
the problem is we are overloaded with developer built golf courses that are unsustainable.
followed by member built and evolved golf courses that are now spending too much money to lift their standards to compete with the developer built courses surroundng them.
somethings gotta give eventually.
Moriset to go very shortly, Cessnock has also gone under recently.
https://www.theherald.com.au/story/6...close/?cs=7580
Not a good look to have all these courses closing down!
Golf Map | WITB: Titleist TSR3 9* / Titleist 917F 3W 13.5* / PING G430 5W 17* / Titleist T100S 4I - PW / Vokey SM9 50-8*, 55-10*, 60-10* / PING Sigma2 Kushin C 35.5" / Titleist ProV1
Looks like vic park in brissy is on the way out. No big loss course wise but i hope they keep their practice facilities and range.
A public park apparently. The course will go but they’re trying to keep the driving range I think.
When are they building Minnippi?
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