Established in 1930, Nudgee Golf Club has produced many fine golfers, the best of which was Norman von Nida who won its club championship as a teenager. A bronze sculpture of the Australian trailblazer sits in the clubhouse vestibule. ‘The Von’ would surely approve of the upgrade to Nudgee that saw its 36 holes reconfigured.
A realignment of the Gateway Motorway forced a boundary relocation and the acquisition of eight hectares of club land from 2014 to 2018. Twenty-eight holes were relocated and realigned while the remaining eight holes were a complete new design, including tees, fairways, greens and bunkers which culminated in all 36 holes being rebuilt.
As such, course architect James Wilcher took a couple of member courses and transformed them into two dynamic layouts worthy of consideration for Australia’s Top 100.
As an inclusive and considerate golf community, the club acknowledges its rich and shared history, and takes the opportunity to appreciate this coming together of cultures that set strong foundations for the future.
The Kurrai: 18-hole classic championship course
To the west, a world-class 18 hole championship golf course that is both engaging and challenging. Be amazed by the The Kurrai [Curr-ii], meaning sunset in the Turrbal language.
The Bulka: 18-hole modern links-style courseÂ
To the east and bordered by Kedron Brook, we present a modern, 18-hole, links-style course. Be enthralled by The Bulka [Bull-ka], the Turrbal word for sunrise.Â
In a remarkable engineering feat, a series of creeks, ponds and wetlands were interconnected on Nudgee’s flood-prone land. Water-storage capacity has doubled to 90 megalitres. Environmentally the wetlands help to clean the water quality and they also cope well with harsh, saline water. Ecologically, the birdlife is said to have increased tenfold. Visually, the wetland plants have taken on a mature look within a year of planting. Nudgee now has the capacity to recover quickly from flooding whereas previously water could sit around for weeks. After the February 2022 extraordinary rain event, Nudgee was two metres under water and yet the course was playable three days later (four days with carts)
Everyone at Nudgee Golf Club was very proud when Nudgee hosted the 2021 Queensland PGA Championship, its first staging of an ISPS Handa PGA Tour of Australasia event on the Kurrai course. The club again hosted the 2022 event and from November 2-5 will host its third Queensland PGA Championship.
Nudgee really is ‘more than just two great golf courses’.
THE DETAILS
Nudgee Golf Club
Where: Nudgee Rd, Nudgee QLD 4014
Phone: (07) 3267 5885
Web: nudgeegolf.com.au
