Stirling Golf Club has been placed in administration
A historic Adelaide Hills golf club has been placed in administration, with all staff stood down, after closing without explanation earlier this week.
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Stirling Golf Club has been placed in administration with all staff stood down while the options for the club’s future are assessed.
An email was sent out to members late on Tuesday, saying administrators Clifton Hall had been appointed.
“Thank you for waiting patiently for an announcement regarding the date for the annual general meeting,’’ the email says.
“The committee and management of the SGC has been working very hard over the last six months to process and consider what past financial decisions made mean to the future viability of the SGC.
“The reality that the club cannot trade out of its debts, is a terrible blow to the committee and management and of course it’s heartbreaking for members.’’
The email says all staff were stood down on July 29 and the operations of the incorporated association which operates the club have ceased.
The administrators will provide a further update to members “in due course’’, the email says.
Administrator Anna Agostino from Clifton Hall said at this early stage she could not say exactly what the debt position was, but said the operations had ceased as there was not enough money to keep them running.
It was also too early to comment on what the future path for the club might be, she said.
Rumours were swirling earlier this week, when members turned up to the club to find it shut, and calls to the pro shop and administration went unanswered on Tuesday.
Landlord Sam Jayathilaka later confirmed the club had ceased operations but could not give further details.
The club was run by Mount Lofty Golf Club Inc. which is an incorporated association.
Nathan Humphris and his seven-year-old son Jack were excited to play their weekly Tuesday round at Stirling, only to be disappointed upon their arrival when they found out the course had closed.
“It’s a golf course that I really like and it’s really disappointing,” Mr Humphris, 44 said.
“I was playing every Tuesday after school with Jack. It’s pretty cheap and cheerful up there and they’re always really good so we could easily get on.
“He (Jack) was disappointed when we found out it was closed.”
The club was founded as Mount Lofty Golf Estate in 1925 when, according to the club’s history, five members of the Adelaide Golf Club founded it as a course which would provide an escape from the summer heat.
The current clubhouse was opened in 1968 after the course was expanded from nine to 18 holes in 1963.
In 2013 the name was changed to The Stirling Golf Club.
Mr Jayathilaka bought the club at Lot 53 Golflinks Rd, Stirling, in 2020, and last year his company Mount Lofty Golf Estate submitted plans for an $87m tourism development at the site.
Mr Jayathilaka does not run the club, and his business affairs are not connected with the running of the club, he told The Advertiser.
Adelaide Hills Council said in September last year it would not support the development plans in their current form.
The plans included a tourist accommodation building with 56 units, 30 serviced apartments, two penthouses, a function room, restaurant and external terrace, sports bar, gallery, cafe and wellness centre.
The plans also included 17 new private retreat “pods” and improvements to the 18-hole course, and it was hoped construction would begin by the end of 2024.
Adelaide Hills acting mayor Nathan Daniel said at the time the council had “significant concerns regarding the current proposal”.
“We are seeking a sensible development outcome which enhances the character and amenity of the Adelaide Hills,” he said.
“Both residents and visitors value the character of the Hills and we are passionate about protecting this for current and future generations.’’
Mr Jayathilaka said on Tuesday his company was still keen to go ahead with a development at the site.
The golf club’s committee could not be contacted.
Originally published as Stirling Golf Club has been placed in administration
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