Ringwood, Dorset golf courses to keep 18 holes following community concerns
Maroondah golfers will continue to putt on at their beloved courses after the council scrapped a consultant’s controversial suggestion to cut one of them up for new attractions.
Outer East
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Maroondah’s two golf courses have been saved from alterations with the council scrapping plans to cut them up for new attractions.
But it will investigate the feasibility of including a mini golf course at Ringwood or Dorset Golf in the next two years.
Councillors unanimously passed the Maroondah Golf Strategy at the council’s meeting on Monday, July 27, which will guide the sport in the region until 2030.
Ringwood Golf Club and Croydon’s Dorset Golf will remain 18-hole courses, despite consultant WellPlayed’s suggestion to cut one of them up into a short-format, 12-hole course.
The consultant suggested introducing attractions such as virtual golf, mini golf or a driving range in place of the lost holes, to “evolve and diversify” the sport in Maroondah.
The proposal was slammed by golf lovers, who responded in record numbers to the review.
More than 1100 submissions were received including a 720-signature petition urging the council to keep 18 holes at Dorset Golf.
Ringwood Golf Club president Allan Peake said the club was thrilled with the outcome and its members had lobbied hard to also keep Ringwood as a traditional 18-hole course.
“The broader community of Maroondah were very much involved in the decision making as well, and the survey responses they (council) got back in were very strong in keeping both venues as they are,” Mr Peake said.
“It’s the best possible result we could’ve hoped for, and we are very happy to work in conjunction with council to build the profile of golf within the region.”
Councillor Paul Macdonald, who opposed changes to Dorset Golf and distributed his own flyers urging residents to have their say, also commended the strategy.
“It’s been a fantastic effort by the community giving the feedback and showing how much they love their golf courses,” he said.
The strategy will focus on keeping both courses financially sustainable and also focus on areas including enhancing facilities, better marketing and promotion, and making them more accessible to under-represented groups.
Mayor Mike Symon said the outcome was “a great win for the community” and the biggest reaction he’d seen to a council consultation.
“In my four short years on council, I have not seen a response like this, and it shows the depth of attachment to golf courses in the community,” he said.
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