Oakleigh Golf Course in Melbourne’s south-east will continue as a nine-hole public course serving its range of community groups following a vote by City of Monash Council Tuesday evening.
After receiving overwhelming public feedback in favour of keeping the course during its consultation period last year, Council voted 10-1 in favour of a recommendation from its officers to “retain the Oakleigh Golf Course as a nine-hole public golf course for the foreseeable future and not consider any alternative options for the site until after the new management contract term and option extension is anticipated to end in 2034”.
The second alternative that was considered was to close the course and turn the site into a public park.
Described by one councillor as a “beacon for connection”, Oakleigh hosts more than 30,000 rounds of golf each year, many of those played as casual rounds, and is home to a golf club, a veterans’ golf club and an acclaimed program for golfers with disability.
The report to council from its officers noted: “Public golf courses such as Oakleigh Golf Course provide important opportunities for golf to remain accessible across gender, age, and socio-economic cohorts. Independent of the future of Oakleigh Golf Course, retaining a public golf offering and programs that encourage female participation remains a priority for the City of Monash.”
An online survey conducted by council showed 84-percent support for keeping the site as a nine-hole golf course and 16 percent in favour of transforming the site into a regional park. The voices of local residents, golfers and non-golfers, were overwhelming in the sentiment and benefits the public golf course provides their community.
The regular Oakleigh users include NDIS participants from Reach and Belong, a disability service provider which has run a golf program at the course since 2021 under the guidance of PGA Professional Sandy Jamieson.
Jamieson has been tireless in championing Oakleigh’s importance to its program and the community. Reach and Belong said that the program would be lost if it had to move from Oakleigh. The organisation was part of a strong campaign to retain the golf course, with more than 4,000 people signing a petition, while Golf Australia backed Oakleigh’s right to survive with a detailed submission to the council.
“We thank councillors and staff for their work and decision,” Golf Australia said in a statement on its website. “The voices of local residents, golfers and non-golfers, were overwhelming in the sentiment and benefits the public golf course provides their community.”
