Gil Hanse renovation of Royal Sydney given the green light by members

Royal Sydney members have finally given the green light to a full redevelopment of the historic championship golf course in Sydney’s east.

The exact result of the vote in favour of the new design was 80.19% for and 19.81% against.

In addition to a new ‘two loops of nine’ routing, the Club’s Women’s Captain, Jane Buckley, said that the new design will create a more multifaceted course for all levels of golfer.

“A ‘ribbon’ design on our tee areas will create greater variation among the four sets of tees – the front-most tees provide simpler shots onto the fairway, while those further back face increased challenges,” she said.

“The new approach to bunker design and placement emphasises strategy rather than penalty. Similarly, with 64 percent more fairway space and wider playing corridors, the course will provide far more shot selection for different strategic approaches. What these design factors mean is that diverse playing groups – men and women, younger and older, newer golfers and more advanced – can play together more harmoniously with challenges suited to their ability level.”