Nillumbik Council snubbed Yarrambat Golf Course for budget funding

A PRIZED golf course on the Nillumbik fringe has been snubbed its annual funding in the council budget because it is expected to record an $800,000 loss in four years.

Yarrambat Golf Club secretary Desmond Borg questioned “how can council ignore such a jewel in a growing area?” Picture: file.

A PRIZED golf course on the Nillumbik fringe has been snubbed its annual funding in the council budget because it is expected to record an $800,000 loss in four years.

The future of Yarrambat Golf Course will be put under the microscope during the next fortnight as the council holds meetings with the course operator Belgravia Leisure and the club.

Since 2012, the club has received annual funding for its course maintenance to serve its 300 plus members, according to president Gavin Pearce.

But this year it’s been slashed.

RELATED: Growling Frog golf course costs Whittlesea Council $1.5m a year

Mayor Peter Clarke sighted hefty losses as the reason behind the move.

He said this year the course recorded a $205,000 loss, with next year’s projected loss to reach $435,000 and more than $800,000 in 2022.

“We need to find long-term solutions …. throwing a few dollars won’t be the solution,” Cr Clarke said.

The club’s Ken Crompton suggested the council could invest in eco tourism to help pay for the course.

Mr Pearce said it would be a “disgrace” if the course followed in the Whittlesea’s Growling Frog Golf Course where maintenance had “not been properly planned and carried out”.

“It is vital that the renewal of greens, which began two years ago, is continued, if Yarrambat Golf Course is to remain viable,” he said.

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“As a member of the Victorian Golf Association, Yarrambat host and play against a number of the best clubs in Victoria and needs to be of a standard that the people of Nillumbik can be proud of.

“If the refurbishment does not continue, then the Council can look forward to the majority of our members leaving and the facility becoming a greater financial burden than it currently is.”

RELATED: Call to shrink golf courses to three or six holes

Secretary Desmond Borg questioned “how can council ignore such a jewel in a growing area?”

More than 30 people lambasted council in their written submissions for not providing continued funding.

Mark Wilson said: “To have no money allocated for it’s up keep and improvement is a travesty!”

The council is expected to make a formal decision at the next council meeting on June 26.