By Megan Gorrey
Moore Park’s 18-hole golf course would be salvaged and parts of the fairway reworked as a “world-class” sport and recreation precinct under an alternative proposal golfers hope will fend off plans to split it into a new public park for Sydney’s east.
Amid debate about balancing rising urban density with access to green space, Premier Chris Minns last year vowed to slash nine holes from Moore Park Golf Course and convert nearly half the 45-hectare site into parkland for residents of Green Square, Redfern, Zetland and Waterloo in mid-2026.
The state government wants to split the 45-hectare course and dedicate nearly half the site to a new public park.Credit: Nick Moir
The move angered golfing enthusiasts, prompting an alliance of industry bodies – Golf Australia, PGA of Australia, Golf NSW and Moore Park Golf Club – to fight back with a new plan.
The Moore Park Golf Collective’s proposal, unveiled on Saturday, would transform about 15 hectares of underutilised land at the eastern suburbs course with a football oval, a BMX track, a dog park, a multi-storey 500-space carpark and a three-kilometre pedestrian and cycling path.
Golf NSW chief executive Stuart Fraser said the proposal would grant the public access to green space while retaining a full course.
“Golf NSW believes the proposal provides a win-win solution for the NSW government and a growing Sydney by offering a multitude of recreational activities, whilst continuing to service the massive demand for publicly accessible golf via an 18-hole course,” he said.
Planning and Public Spaces Minister Paul Scully hadn’t seen the details of the alternative proposal, but said the government “remains committed to having more public, green space”.
Images of the proposal were released on Saturday.
The prospect of shrinking the Moore Park course has been debated for years. Proponents including City of Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore and former premier Bob Carr have said it would give more people access to open space, while golfers say the 18-hole course is required for competitions, and the sport provides mental and physical health benefits for players.
The government intends to reclaim the course’s western boundary and part of the land north of Dacey Avenue for recreational space while retaining a nine-hole golf course and the operation of the existing driving range and clubhouse.
The proposal includes a playground and multilevel carpark.
Under the golfing sector’s plan, the site would have a smaller 18-hole course that could host local, state and national competitions, a shortened driving range with extra bays, and a mini-golf course.
It also includes an adventure playground, a nature play space, a futsal court, an athletics hub, barbecues, a fitness trail and areas for eastern suburbs’ banksia scrub regeneration.
Save Moore Park Golf Club spokesman Jared Kendler said: “By enhancing existing infrastructure and revitalising unused and underutilised areas, the initiative aims to create a park that caters to diverse recreational interests in a financially sustainable way.”
Moore Park Golf Course is one of 16 government-owned public golf courses in metropolitan Sydney. It is run by a private operator under a service agreement with the NSW government.
A government discussion paper on the Moore Park South precinct in February proposed activities that made use of the area for longer periods of time, such as night golf. The government is collating submissions on the paper.
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