Golf Groups Propose Alternative Plan to Preserve Moore Park’s Full Course

As government plans to reduce Sydney’s Moore Park Golf Course move forward, golf advocates propose an alternative vision to preserve the course including a new dog park, BMX track, adventure playground and picnic areas.

The Moore Park Golf Collective has introduced an alternative plan for Moore Park South, aimed at creating a recreational and golf hub that maintains the site’s entire 18-hole golf course.

The plan, which Golf Australia described as a “bold, city-shaping vision,” includes new features such as a BMX track, adventure playground, and 500-space multi-storey car park to address Sydney’s growing need for accessible outdoor spaces.

The bold, city-shaping vision for world-class recreational and golf facilities for a growing Sydney is achieved by transforming undeveloped parkland, enhancing golf, and connecting people to destinations.

Jared Kendler, Leader of Save Moore Park Golf said: “We have been working to ensure the alternative proposal aligns with the Premier’s vision to establish Moore Park South as a vibrant recreational destination for all.”

“By enhancing existing infrastructure and revitalising un-used and under-utilised areas, the initiative aims to create a park that caters to diverse recreational interests in a financially sustainable way that solves the many challenges in the broader precinct.”

The proposal was developed as a response to government plans to reduce the golf course, with the Collective advocating for “a park that caters to diverse recreational interests” by repurposing underutilized land, however, the government has maintained its intention to reduce the course to nine holes by 2026, dedicating approximately 22 hectares of the current 45-hectare site to parkland for densely populated areas like Green Square and Redfern.

Megan Gorrey at the Sydney Morning Herald has reported that the proposal would not just mean the 18-hole course is retained but include construction of a mini-golf course, new football ground, adventure playground and running track.

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.

The government’s original proposal emphasizes providing more public green areas amid Sydney’s urban density, though Planning and Public Spaces Minister Paul Scully has yet to review the Collective’s counterproposal.