Club's holes slashed for major redevelopment

A prestigious Coast golf club's hole count will be halved while groundwork for a major residential development is carried out.

Residential development plans for Pelican Waters Golf Club were approved before new owner Palm Lake Group bought the property. Picture: Contributed

A PRESTIGIOUS Coast golf club's hole count will be halved while groundwork for a major residential development is carried out.

Palm Lake Group CEO Manuel Lang said the Greg Norman-designed Pelican Waters Golf Club would most likely be cut from 18 holes back to nine when digging began.

His company bought the club and adjoining land last month.

It is in the process of altering a residential approval gained by previous owners to suit future over-50s and aged care living.

"There is going to be a requirement for a temporary reduction in the number of holes,” Mr Lang said. He said that was most likely to be nine because two holes would become residential area and another seven would be blocked while that work was going on.

"Our job is to make that time as short as possible.”

He said members had been kept abreast of the development. "We'll be looking after them from a membership perspective in terms of fees.”

Mr Lang said ideally the groundwork would start about September next year and a full 18 holes would be reinstated six months later.

He said his company would be spending "not much less than $2 or $3million on upgrading and expanding the clubhouse at the same time.

"Obviously we are always going to look after the members but (also) open it up to the wider community.” He said the upgrades would make the club a premier function venue.

Palm Lake Group has also applied to clear a section of land at the club so it can store about 30,000 cubic metres of fill to be unearthed from its Little Mountain aged care and over-50s residential development.

Mr Lang said that land would eventually become the club's new driving range and the fill would be used in the residential development. He hoped that process would begin before next September.

"Apart from some trucks running, there will be no other impact on the golf course.”

He also wanted to make clear that a future over-50s development would have its own clubhouse facilities and Palm Lake Group would not rely on the club as a sole recreation option.