Golfers tee off at controversial proposal either reduce or alter Freeway Golf Course

Golfers have taken a swing at the North East Link project, with presidents of two clubs slamming “underhanded” tactics they fear could seriously damage their popular Balwyn North course.

Boroondara golfers have teed off at plans to either reduce the size of their popular course or expand it into neighbouring Manningham.

Camberwell Golf Club president Bruce Bourke said proposed changes to the Freeway Golf Course in Balwyn North could have a devastating impact on his club’s membership if a proposal — one of two — by the North East Link Authority to halve the course to nine holes goes ahead.

The other option thrown up by the authority is to expand the course, which is bordered on one side by Bulleen Rd, into Manningham, a move not supported by Manningham Council, said Mayor Paula Piccinini.

“Bulleen Park belongs to Manningham and we will fight to save it for our community,” she said.

The report claimed participation in golf was changing, with social golf on the rise and traditional golf stabilising, and it backed the family friendly model as the most profitable option for the course’s future.

A reduced golf course would get a mini golf course, cafe and function room.

Members of Camberwell Golf and Harp Golf clubs, which share the course, favour the course remaining 18 holes.

Mr Bourke slammed the report and said serious golf players should have had an opportunity to properly read and rebut findings when making their own submissions.

He said reducing the size of the course would drive serious golfers away and he questioned why the report, which was published in January but only tabled at the NEL’s Inquiry and Advisory Committee hearing just before it wrapped up in September, wasn’t released earlier.

“We’ve really been utterly dismayed by the whole process,” Mr Bourke said.

“They dropped this report on us in the last two weeks of the hearings; it was extremely underhanded.

“If this becomes a nine-hole golf course we could lose half our members.”

Harp Golf Club president Judith Voce said the process lacked transparency and slammed Golf Australia’s support for the family friendly minigolf proposal.

Golf Australia backed the family option in a letter tabled at the hearing on September 10.

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Ms Voce said public golf courses were an important community resource, particularly for people who could not afford an expensive membership to play at a private club.

They were also a vital source of open space, she said.

“If you talk about an open process, this has not happened,” Ms Voce said.

“The underlying fact is once land is taken away, you’ll never get that land back.”

North East Link chief executive Duncan Elliott said his staff worked hard to provide affected parties with the information they needed to make a submission, and the NEL’s consultation process started much earlier than other projects of a similar scale.

“We know how important sporting facilities are to the local community and we’ll be working closely with our short-listed builders to come up with innovative solutions that will keep disruptions to a minimum,” he said.

Mr Elliott said the North East Link would have enormous benefit to motorists, slashing travel times, taking trucks off local streets and providing a quicker journey to the Tullamarine airport.