Golf club must move or close

By Sarah Thompson
PAKENHAM residents are torn over the future location of the Pakenham and District Golf Club.
Golf club members are supporting the proposal to move to councilowned McGregor Road land while community members say that the club should stay put.
President of the Cardinia Ratepayers and Residents Association (CRRA) Gloria O’Connor believes that the shire should not be responsible for providing another location for the course.
Ms O’Connor said that if the course remained on Oak Tree Drive the shire could use the unused surrounding land to generate council revenue.
But golf club manager Pat Keane said if the club were to stay at its present location there was a possibility it would have to close.
“We have many, many problems here,” Mr Keane said.
Despite this threat, the CRRA has begun the quest to produce a range of proposals for the Planning Minister Rob Hulls.
“We want to retain the golf course, but I think we can also generate profit for the council,” Ms O’Connor said.
“We’re in the process of putting together an alternative plan of how the (surrounding) land can be used.”
This plan may include a restaurant, a tourist centre, an openair summer concert stage and a boardwalk over the wetlands.
However, Mr Keane said that the lease for the club’s land was due to finish in July 2014 and the council had previously said it would not be renewed.
This present lease would not allow the CRRA to build anything on the land until the lease was up.
The club has also made feasibility studies into the future of the course, which have concluded that it would not be feasible to continue from Oak Tree Road.
Mr Keane said, because of this, the golf club totally supported the move to McGregor Road.
Club life members Jean Hoare, Les Jones, Graeme McQualter and Angie Peluso also support the move to change locations.
“Pakenham Golf Club members transformed this useless land into a playable golf course,” the four said in a letter to the Gazette (see Page 6).
“They also erected the existing buildings using volunteer labour and limited club funds.
“Due to the financial constraints at the time, the facilities were restricted to the bare necessities.
“Now that the club has grown, it has become necessary to either spend a lot of money (which the club does not have) or relocate,” the letter said.
The CRRA is hoping to put its proposals to Mr Hulls by the start of June, while the golf club waits for a verdict on the course’s future.
“We have nothing to do with it now,” Mr Keane said.