Council report rejects curfew push, calls for Northcote Golf Course to stay

A controversial proposal for Northcote Golf Course has been rejected but now Darebin councillors are set to vote over the course’s fate.

Harvey, 8, is one of Northcote’s Young Tiger players. Picture: Jason Edwards

The Northcote Golf Course should continue to operate, under a recommendation by Darebin Council officers, who have dismissed a timeshare proposal that included a 3pm curfew on golfers.

Councillors will vote on the fate of the nine-hole course on Monday night.

The future of the public course was reviewed after regular play was halted during Melbourne’s pandemic lockdowns, attracting walkers and families to the site and leading to calls to “unlock” the land for other community use.

A previous recommendation, made to the council last month, to slice off 5.72ha for public park and keep a modified course was sidelined at the last minute when Cr Susan Rennie proposed ending golf play at 3pm.

Many locals enjoy playing a round at Northcote golf course after work. Picture: Jason Edwards

Golf Australia chief James Sutherland described the 3pm closure plan as unworkable and ludicrous.

Council officers have now reviewed and rejected that controversial plan, reverting to the original proposal.

“The main reason for this is that the benefit of community access is not thought to outweigh the greater financial cost of temporal sharing,’’ the report said.

The officers say the community has access to large open spaces nearby as well as the 5.72ha – equivalent to more than 150 house blocks – becoming available.

“The community uses that could be provided on the golf course itself can also be provided on other nearby open spaces.’’

Junior golf classes operate on weekends and after school and would be affected by any reduction of course opening times. Picture: Jason Edwards

The next best option, they say, would be opening the course one day a week to the community but warned that it would lose 17 per cent of possible revenue and could incur clean-up charges.

“This is an untested model in Australia,’’ they said.

The call come as the Northcote club’s junior program celebrated record membership with participants in the Junior Tiger program trebling in more than two years.

Program instructor Claire Traill said the kids, aged from four to 17, were committed and enthusiastic to play at the course.

“The need for it and the want for it is definitely there,’’ Ms Traill said.

And one of the club’s juniors Matilda Gray, aged seven, went viral when a video of her swing was viewed about 90,000 times on Twitter and was acclaimed by US Open winner Minjee Lee.

“Great shot, Matilda!! What an awesome swing,” she replied.

Great shot Matilda!! What an awesome swing🤩

— Minjee Lee (@minjeegolf) June 7, 2022

Northcote Hub spokesman Bill Jennings said he supported the council recommendation and that it was now up to councillors to follow that advice.

“And most of the community wants golf to remain.’’

Supporters of the course are expected to submit their petition, with about 10,000 signatures, to the meeting on Monday.

The development comes after the Herald Sun revealed questions over an activity sheet distributed by “unlock” campaigners into five local primary schools and delivered to the council as evidence of public support.

The sheet asked children what ideas they had for the site but it did not mention that the map was a golf course and at least one school was unaware of the activity and ordered for it to be removed.

If approved, the contract to operate the course would go out to tender by September in time for a January 1 start.