Albert Park golf course will stay at 18-holes after plans to shrink it are thrown out

The 18-hole golf course at Albert Park in Melbourne looks safe after a backflip by Parks Victoria and the Victorian Government.

The Age’s Benjamin Preiss is reporting that a proposal to reduce Albert Park golf course in Melbourne to just 9-holes has been thrown out after plenty of opposition had it in danger of becoming an election issue.

The government will be hoping the U-turn will nullify the golf course as an election issue in Albert Park, which Labor holds by just 3 per cent.

Labor is expected to fight hard to retain the seat against attacks from both the Liberal Party and the Greens.

A draft master plan released by Parks Victoria in November for consultation said a reduced course could appeal to a “broad visitor market”.

While it’s nice to think the issue was resolved because of the great opposition by some groups such as Inside Golf, Darius Oliver and Golf Australia with the future of golf in mind. But the cynical might see this as purely political. Let’s just hope the proposal is shelved for good.