A former golf course in Western Australia’s Pilbara region has gone into administration.
Key points:The golf course was set up in 1988 and has now become an open range with private courses operating on its propertyIt is owned by the Australian Golf and Country Club Association (AGCA) and operates a private course at nearby Point CookThe facility is run by the Golf and Club Association of Australia (GCA)The AGCA said the site has been an important site for local community for over a century and will remain a vital part of the community.
“It has a special place in our community because it is the only golf course that still exists in the Pilbara,” the association said in a statement.
“The club was formed in 1888 to provide a safe and enjoyable place for golfers to play and is now an important and vibrant part of our community.”
The GCA said there were about 700 people playing on the course at the time of its closure.
“We appreciate the need for a short-term closure, and will be working closely with the Department of Parks and Wildlife and the state government to assist with the restoration of the land,” it said.
“This will not impact on the club’s operations or other activities that are currently taking place on the property.”GCA chairman Paul Schoebel said the closure was a “tough day for the community”.
“The golf courses and public greens have become a significant part of Australian life,” he said.
He said it was “totally unacceptable” that the property would become an “open range” with private clubs operating on it.
“I’m sure there are plenty of people who are going to enjoy a golf round or two in the open range and we would encourage that,” he told the ABC.
“But we would be very concerned about the impact of the closure of a golf course on the surrounding community.”
Mr Schoemel said it would be difficult to find a “better location” for a golf club than Point Cook.
“When it was a little golf course, it was an old community and you’d have people playing and then you’d come back and have a barbecue and a barbecue,” he added.
“Now it’s a private facility, it will be quite a different experience.”
There will be no limit to what the golfers will do there.
“So it’s probably not a bad place to go out for a walk.”‘
This is a really sad day for our community’The local council said it had not been consulted before the site was put in administration.
“A lot of us have worked really hard to keep the site alive, but we’ve seen this as a sad day,” council leader John Daley said.”[It is] a great place to live in Pilbara, a great area to live, but it is also a very difficult area.”
He said the council had been told the golf club was worth $2 million.
“Our community is not a big golfing community.
We’ve had one golf course since the late 19th century and we’ve never had a problem with it,” he explained.”
And we’ve got another golf course just a few kilometres away which is a very good facility and the council has got a really good interest in that area.”
Mr Daley confirmed the club had also applied for a licence to build a hotel, which would be owned by a private company.
Topics:mining-industry,government-and-politics,park-5019,craig-borner-park-5555,point-cook-5018,dakota-6740,australiaContact Matt DyerMore stories from Western Australia