Everyday golfers, heavies from the Australian golf industry and others are combining in efforts to save Oakleigh Golf Course in south-eastern Melbourne.
Oakleigh isn’t a flash course itself – even though it is only a stones throw from Melbourne Sandbelt ‘A’ listers like Metropolitan and Royal Melbourne – but the 9-holer is heavily used by public golfers, families, older golfers and all abilities players. It has an active veteran golfer group and a large women’s players group.
The course is the perfect counter to the often misunderstood believe by many non-golfers that the sport is just for the elite and well-off.
As the ‘Save Oakleigh Community Golf’ campaign page says:
The future of the Oakleigh Public Golf Course hangs in the balance thanks to Monash City Council’s proposal to permanently shut the space.
This idyllic open space in the city of Monash provides players with an affordable, accessible environment to socialise and exercise. War veterans, all abilities players, families and older players, including the largest women player’s group in Monash, enthusiastically and regularly use Oakleigh.
Four coaches with disabilities are employed by NDIS provider Reach & Belong as Golf Australia community accredited coaches. If Oakleigh shuts down they will lose their jobs.
Shutting down the Golf Course means shutting down access to sport.
Shutting down means shutting out those in our society who need our support the most.
Few will gain from this project, but many stand to lose everything.
This week industry heavyweights Golf Australia and the PGA of Australia officially joined the fight and issued the following media release:
Golf Australia and the PGA of Australia have thrown their weight behind the fight to retain Oakleigh golf course in south-eastern Melbourne.
GA senior staff including General Manager Clubs and Facilities Damien de Bohun met representatives of Monash City Council on Tuesday and made it clear that the national body would not accept any attempt to close the nine-hole public course.
Golf Australia and the PGA are calling for clubs and facilities and golfers to get behind Oakleigh so that it can be retained for golf long-term.
Monash has begun a consultation process with the local community, under which the golf course is guaranteed to remain for five years, but not beyond.
The two options under consideration for the public land are to retain and improve the course, or to convert it to a park.
GA General Manager of Clubs and Facilities, Damien de Bohun, said it was “unthinkable” that an inclusive public facility like Oakleigh could be closed by the council.
Oakleigh has operated as a golf course since the 1970s and has a facility management group appointed by the council.
There are more than 30,000 rounds of golf played each year, with a golf club, a veterans’ group and an acclaimed program for golfers with disability run by Reach and Belong.
A green fee costs less than $20.
CLICK HERE TO SIGN THE SAVE OAKLEIGH PETITION
De Bohun said public courses were crucial for a sport such as golf which is booming and for local communities through the social, economic and environmental benefits they provide.
“We’ll be extremely active on this issue. We’ll be working with the community groups here to ensure that Oakleigh golf course is here for a long, long time.”
PGA of Australia Chief Executive Gavin Kirkman said: “With golf participation climbing everywhere, now is not the time to be closing public facilities that are accessible to everyone at a very reasonable price.
“We urge the council to consider the fabulous work being done at Oakleigh by PGA Professional Sandy Jamieson in the All Abilities space, and to consider the thousands of golfers who use the facility on a regular basis with all the health benefits that come along with it, many of them connected with the game through Sandy’s terrific programs for beginners.”
Reach and Belong director Fiona Memed said the golf program for players with disability, begun in 2021, had been an invaluable source of organic community inclusion.
“If Oakleigh closes it will have a devastating impact on everyone who uses this course,” she said. “We employ four participant-players with disabilities as fully accredited, Golf Australia coaches. They’re on full award employment and they will lose their jobs. We can’t go to Glen Waverley golf course, which is too large.
“The outcomes we’ve seen with our golf program have been phenomenal.
“We have participants who might be very anxious to start. The way it’s set up is very supportive, and they very quickly realise whatever they do, they’ll just be building on their personal skills. It’s an informal social setting. We’re all out, it’s very relaxed, a lot of social outcomes playing golf and keeping safe and getting exercise. Being in the fresh air for your well-being. Going to a park has no purpose. Being out here in the fresh air for golf has a purpose and you’re actually achieving an outcome.”
Golfers and golf-lovers can provide feedback to Monash Council using this link:
https://shape.monash.vic.gov.au/oakleigh-gc
Golfers have come out swinging to save a much-loved public course in Oakleigh after Monash Council confirmed it’s considering turning the site into parkland. @reid_butler9 #9News pic.twitter.com/KCXqxikmGH
— 9News Melbourne (@9NewsMelb) October 11, 2023