A nine-hole public course in Melbourne is saved by its community

Celebrations as Oakleigh golfers return with their future assured.

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Golfers at Melbourne’s fashionable Oakleigh Public Golf Course have resumed taking part in with the course’s future assured.

Hundreds of customers of the nine-hole facility have been celebrating Wednesday after Monash Council voted on Tuesday evening to save lots of the golf course, which has been in existence for the reason that Seventies.

The council had performed a neighborhood session course of with one in every of two choices being the creation of a “regional park”, with no golf.

However finally they voted 10-1 in favour of golf after the session course of revealed 84 p.c assist for the game.

A marketing campaign to save lots of the course was run by PGA Skilled Sandy Jamieson and the Attain and Belong incapacity assist group, which conducts golf applications for incapacity at Oakleigh.

Greater than 4000 folks signed Attain and Belong’s petition.

Golf Australia met with the councillors and made a considerable submission on the neighborhood advantages of golf.

Neighbouring non-public golf equipment together with Huntingdale, Metropolitan and Riversdale additionally threw their assist behind the general public facility.Golf resumed on the course on Wednesday after a significant clean-up was required after storms simply greater than per week in the past took out quite a few bushes.

However the temper was upbeat on Wednesday as a brand new period begins.

“The council wished neighborhood suggestions and neighborhood possession, they usually obtained it,” mentioned Fiona Memed, Attain and Belong’s Director.“It’s a candy little course. It caters for all skills and all mobilities. It’s a phenomenal place.”

“There are loads of completely happy folks right now, that’s for positive,” mentioned Raj Luis, the president of Oakleigh Golf Membership, a combined membership which makes use of the ability all through the week.

Damien de Bohun, Golf Australia’s Basic Supervisor Golf equipment and Services, was delighted. “It’s a wonderful end result for golf,” he mentioned. “Full credit score to Monash Metropolis Council. They’ve taken on the neighborhood suggestions and golf will proceed for the foreseeable future.

“Public golf is the place folks study to play the sport, whether or not you’re 90-years-old like Tony who we’ve met right here right now, or 9 years outdated like so many girls and boys. An ideal a part of golf is you may play on your complete life.”

Monash Mayor Cr Lucy Lou mentioned: “We heard that the neighborhood particularly values Oakleigh Golf Course due to the function it performs for folks studying the sport as an inexpensive, shorter, and simpler course than others in inner-Melbourne.”

Underneath the council’s decision, the golf course is assured for the subsequent 10 years, with the council selecting to “not take into account any different choices for the positioning till after the brand new administration contract time period and choice extension is anticipated to finish in 2034”.