Meadowbrook Golf Club turf supervisor’s plea to Logan CEO after secret meeting

Meadowbrook Golf Club, which is in the midst of a $24 million legal battle, is pleading with authorities to intervene and “clean up this mess”.

The head groundsman of a golf course in a bitter $24 million compensation battle with a local council which ripped up the links, has called for the council CEO to intervene.

Meadowbrook Golf Club superintendent Luke Helm said a “mountain” of work had been done since 2017 to fix the links after Logan City Council spent five years digging them up to put down a sewer pipe.

Meadowbrook Golf Club superintendent Luke Helm has called for Logan City Council’s CEO to intervene.

“Few would understand the extent of the consequences and the costs when a golf course is not maintained for years,” Mr Helm said.

“I believe what we have done at Meadowbrook is phenomenal, as does the Australian Sports Turf Association who just awarded us the Australian Sports Turf Team of the Year.

“It seems ridiculous that the council would not be smothering us with thanks for enhancing their land, which is on a 90-year lease for the golf course.”

Mr Helm called on Logan council’s new chief executive Darren Scott to step in and solve the issues.

New Logan CEO Darren Scott refused to respond to a letter Mr Linskey wrote in March calling for conciliatory talks and refused to respond to the claims or answer questions about councillors being gagged.

The bitter row cranked up a notch on Wednesday after the council held a closed-door meeting without the club to discuss Meadowbrook’s application for a gaming licence and extension works.

Details of the secret council discussions have not been revealed to furious Meadowbrook club members, who are now threatening further action.

The meeting brought the decade-long legal wrangle to a head with golf club management claiming the council blocked offers of mediation, was “dragging the chain” over the gaming licence and had gagged councillors.

Tensions flared further when Logan councillor for the area Tony Hall denied he had been gagged and could not speak on the court matter.

But Meadowbrook managing director Tom Linskey said he was tired of the excuse from the mayor, councillors and CEO that they were forbidden to discuss the issue because it was in court.

Meadowbrook general manager Tom Linskey wants compensation for the links being ripped up.

“As a new CEO, I thought he may be interested in cleaning up the mess left by others,” Mr Linskey said.

“I have heard nothing except ‘see you in court’ and the standard comment about not being able to talk about it because it is in court.

“Amazingly, the CEO thinks he should communicate with a club member when he has never replied to me and even said it was unethical to talk about the case outside court,” he said.

New CEO Mr Scott refused to respond to a letter Mr Linskey wrote in March calling for conciliatory talks and refused to respond to the claims or answer questions about councillors being gagged.

However, in a letter to a club member on council letterhead this week, Mr Scott said the court case and the gaming licence development application were two separate and unrelated matters and that Mr Linskey and the Meadowbrook Golf Club were not involved in the litigation.

“The dispute is between an entirely unrelated company, the Australian Golf Management Corporation and council,” Mr Scott’s letter said.

Logan City Council held a closed-door meeting to discuss the golf course on Wednesday.

“Logan City Council has not initiated this ‘ridiculous and expensive litigation’: the Supreme Court of Queensland proceedings have been brought by AGMC … and AGMC is represented by lawyers.”

Mr Scott’s letter also dismissed claims that a “litigation solicitor” was assessing the gaming licence and development application and said the assessment was an entirely typical process.

Logan council also refused to answer questions about the breakdown in mediation talks but said it was common practice to consider requests in confidential meetings.