Proserpine Golf Club celebrates 100 years

A century of golf has been played at this small town club, and members have come together to celebrate the highs and lows.

Golf Pro Roger Vandenberg said the celebrations would run right through the 100th year.

A small town golf club is celebrating a big milestone with members sharing why they love their local so much.

Proserpine Golf Club celebrated its 100-year anniversary with a weekend of food, good company, and, of course, golf.

Golf Pro Roger Vandenberg said the weekend had included a nine hole fun game, an 18 hole competition, sunset canapes, a formal dinner, and a Three Ball Ambrose event, all a way to celebrate golf, history, and community.

But he said the celebrations would not stop there, with plenty of events being held throughout the special centenary year.

He said it was pretty special seeing members who had spent most of their life with the club getting together to celebrate the huge achievement.

One of the clubs longest standing members, Di Dobbins, celebrated the 100 year golf weekend.

Di Dobbins was one the clubs longest standing members having joined with her brother in 1960.

She said she started going to the course and caddying for her father at 11, learning the etiquette and performance of golf before joining the club herself.

She said her father was a very good golfer and was so encouraging in her golf journey, after his passing she still felt that connection with him at the club.

“My heart’s here,” she said.

The 100 year celebrations had been wonderful she said, and she would never forget the people who had come before her and the work they put into the club to make it what it is today.

Ann Gardel is the woman behind the clubs history book.

A special book was created for the centenary by ladies captain Ann Gardel exploring the history of the club.

The project started as a physical timeline to be displayed around the clubhouse but they quickly realised there was not enough space on the walls for all that history.

She said due to past cyclone damage a lot of records and photographs had been lost so it was a challenge to find all of the documents she needed, but she made it happen.

The club opened in 1925 across the river as a five-hole course before moving to the show grounds and then finally, after many trials and tribulations, settling into the spot they are in now in 1952 with a new nine-hole course.

They pulled down and reconstructed an old cane farm house as the clubhouse, and in 1971 more land was acquired and a further nine holes were created.

Ms Gardel said an important moment in the history of the club was getting their irrigation installed. Each year during dry spells the grass would die and cracks would form, but now they have a lush green course year round.

“You could loose a ball down the cracks,” she said.

Fay Milne, Brad Vloedmans, and Harry Milne at Proserpine Golf Club's 100 year golf weekend.

She recognised the volunteers and sponsors who had kept the club going for 100 years as well as the members for making it so special.

“A club is only a building and a course, but it’s the people within that club,” she said.

“Golf gives you opportunity, you can come out here and play on your own, you can come out here and play with friends, you can play in team competitions.

“It offers a lot of scope.

“It’s a very universal sport.”

Brad Vloedmans started coming to the club more than 40 years ago as a child with his mum and dad, but when work and family began taking priority he took a break from the sport.

He returned to the sport in 2023 and said it was a no-brainer coming back to Proserpine golf club.

“I love the course, I’ve always loved Prossy and have got a lot of friends here,” he said.

He said he loved the mateship and the camaraderie that came with the sport.

The club was a bit of a shrine for him he said, with his sister’s name littering the A grade board, and his mum having hit a hole in one, and his dad being awarded golfer of the year.

“It’s got a lot of memories, this clubhouse and this course,” he said.

He said it was a challenging course but it was a great mental game, you only needed one good game and you were hooked.

Club president Don Cameron was proud to be involved with the 100 year celebrations.

Harry Milne is another member who took an extended break from the sport, he originally played in his teens when it was still a nine-hole course and loved the challenge.

He recently returned to the sport at the request of his wife Fay Milne who wanted to learn the sport, now she keeps coming back for more.

Club president Don Cameron said it amazing to be a part of the 100-year celebrations after being nominated as president in the past year.

“There’s a lot of change that’s been made in the early part of the year and it’s all starting to come to fruition now,” he said.

Tiina Randmae at Proserpine Golf Club's 100 year golf weekend.

Member Tiina Randmae said being a part of the club was the perfect antidote to retirement.

“Everyone loves it, and hates it, and loves it,” she said

“It’s a good club, a small country club, but it has great aspirations.”

Originally published as Proserpine Golf Club celebrates 100 years