25 Oct 2017

By: Darius Oliver

Yet another Australian golf club has proposed adding a retirement village as a solution to its deteriorating financial situation. The 27-hole Pacific Golf Club in Brisbane announced plans this week for a $10 million, 180-unit development near its current clubhouse precinct.

According to the Courier Mail, the proposal includes the redevelopment of the clubhouse along with a new driving range and putt-putt area. The club’s 9-hole par three course would need a minor adjustment to accommodate the new facilities.

The early concept plans were approved by members last month, and are expected to be lodged with council early next year. Interestingly, the retirement complex approved by members features buildings up to five storey’s in height.

The Pacific Golf Club news follows similar announcements made by clubs such as Toowoomba (QLD), Flagstaff Hill (SA), Federal (ACT) and Merewether (NSW) in recent months, who are also looking at retirement housing as a means of securing short-term financial futures. The trend is now well established, and we can expect more such developments in the years ahead.

What’s concerning about the Pacific Golf Club’s plight, is its proximity to the Brisbane CBD and the fact that on a superficial level it ticks many of the boxes we are constantly told are necessary to attract and retain members. Full 7-day memberships are only $1,600 per year, for a club not only situated less than 20 minutes from the city but with both a full 18-hole course and one of those ‘popular’ par three short courses often touted by the industry as the key to increasing participation.

Club President Craig Austen described to the Courier Mail the predicament the club finds itself in.

The cost of maintaining our course is well in excess of $1 million a year,” said Austen, “and on top of that we have to keep reinvesting into the asset. As with all golf worldwide, it is diminishing in terms of membership.”

We are champions of fun, short courses and affordable, accessible golf, but moreso of the need for the Australian golf industry to face up to the realities of dwindling memberships and the urgent need for reform and new, effective action.

Oversupply seems a less believable excuse in Brisbane than other Australian cities, so we should all be concerned when an affordable, well located golf club with plenty of history and plenty of variety struggles like this to cover its basic operating expenses.

As we prepare for a busy 3-4 week professional golf summer, lets not fall into the trap of pretending that elite golf is more important to our game than it really is. We are all excited to see the likes of Scott, Day and Speith challenge for the Stonehaven Cup in November, but that one ‘feel good’ week in Sydney won’t ease the problems being felt Australia wide at the grassroots level.

From the Courier Mail article:

UP to 180 retirement units are proposed for Pacific Golf Club under plans to upgrade facilities and secure the venue’s future.

The Carindale club revealed details this week of early concepts put forward by Reside Communities after members approved the plan last month.

The $10 million redevelopment would deliver a new clubhouse and driving range and establish a putt-putt on the grounds.

While detailed designs have not yet been drawn up, the units are anticipated to be two or three storeys and up to five storeys on the sloped section of the site. Plans are set to be lodged with the council in March.

Club president Craig Austen said the development would take in the 3 per cent of the total green space already developed, redeveloping the clubhouse site on Pine Mountain Rd, including the carpark, the driving range and the buggy sheds.

Mr Austen said the proposal would stop the loss of land caused by asset sales over the past 20 years.

“We didn’t want to impact at all on our 18-hole golf course and we wanted to maintain our nine-hole par three,” he said.

“We will basically retain those. We are modifying our par three slightly. The ninth hole on our par three will become practice facilities and a putt-putt and we are redoing our driving range.”

A new clubhouse will be built on the current putting green, after which the existing clubhouse will be demolished.

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