A club that was forced to relocate, re-build and rebrand has capped its revival with a prestigious award.
The Maroochy River Golf Club was recognised as the Queensland Golf Club of the Year, at the recent Queensland Golf Industry Awards on the Gold Coast.
The club also boasted the Legends Tournament of the Year, with their inaugural Maroochy River Legends Pro-Am, and the Superintendents Achievement Award, with Stuart Campbell.
“It’s a great honour,” club manager Charlie McGill said after winning the night’s top gong.
“It’s been some time in the making.”
The commendation came six years after the club was forced to move from central Maroochydore, to make way for a new CBD. It was based there, and known as Horton Park Golf Club, from 1950 until 2015.
Sunshine Coast Council offered the club $42 million in compensation for the land and the funds helped them relocate and develop a course near Bli Bli.
“Things were tough when we moved and we knew it was going to be tough,” Mr McGill said.
“But there has been a great team effort, from the board members and the staff.”
The construction and subsequent maintenance of the Graham Marsh-designed course was crucial to the club’s success.
“The main challenge we faced was getting the course out of the ground,” Mr McGill said.
“It’s old cane farmland and the soil wasn’t perfect for growing grass.
“So, we spent a bit of money on it, to start with, and tried to change the soil structure so it could maintain the turf.”
Mr Campbell played a key role in the evolution of the course.
“That’s where he came in, and the green staff we’ve got are just phenomenal,” Mr McGill said.
“They’re very passionate about the course and for them to get it to where they’ve got it in six years is just sensational.
“It’s got a great playing surface, from the tees to the fairways, to the greens.”
The open and sometimes wind-swept layout offers golfers something different.
“The course is the only links-style course on the Sunshine Coast,” Mr McGill said.
“So, it’s unique and it attracts a lot of people because of that.”
While the course, clubhouse and amenities are impressive, club officials knew they needed to expand to be sustainable.
The opening of a mini golf arena in 2019 proved to be a masterstroke and a financial windfall.
“We haven’t been frightened to think outside the square,” Mr McGill said. “So, we have diversified during the last few years.”
Mini-golf has become a popular and affordable option, for people of all ages and it can be played from 7am until late under nights.
And club officials have more bold plans.
“We’re looking at doing a 9-hole Par 3 course and a 9-hole pitch-and-putt course,” Mr McGill said.
“Golf clubs need to start doing these things, because it’s the only way they’re going to survive.
“You just can’t keep going with member subscriptions.
“Golf courses are such expensive places to maintain and unfortunately the number of subscriptions does not pay for it.
“So, you need to get the cash from somewhere else, some extra revenue, and that’s the process we’ve started with the mini golf.
“Everybody at the club is thinking outside the square and looking at other revenue streams.”
The Par 3 and pitch-and-putt proposals will be taken to members early next year, with high hopes it will be approved.
The club is also gaining a reputation for hosting significant tournaments.
It held the highly-successful Maroochy River Legends Pro-Am for the first time last season and the club has been selected to host the Queensland Senior PGA Championships for the next three years, with this year’s edition to be held on December 12-13.
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The club also offers golf programs and clinics for players of different abilities and ages.
The club is at capacity with 1160 playing members, and more knocking at the door.
“Our membership has been closed for 18 months … we have almost 150 people on the waiting list,” Mr McGill said.
The club also boasts 300 social members.
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“They come in for mini golf and go to the clubhouse, where the food is second to none,” Mr McGill said.
“It’s a golf club but it’s becoming a destination.”
Meanwhile, Pelican Waters Golf Club coach Grant Field was adjudged the Coach of the Year (High Performance) at the awards night.
He helped Cameron Smith and Louis Dobbelaar become Australia’s highest ranked male professional and amateur golfers respectively.
Sunshine Coast winners of Queensland Golf Industry Awards
- Coach of the Year (High Performance): Grant Field (Pelican Waters GC).
- Legends Tournament of the Year: Maroochy River Legends Pro-Am.
- Superintendents Achievement Awards: Stuart Campbell (Maroochy River).
- Golf Course Turf Apprentice of the Year: Nick McClymont (Headland GC).
- Golf Club of the Year: Maroochy River Golf Club.
