Preserving Moore Park: Why Every Golfer Should Stand Up for Public Golf Courses
The debate over Moore Park Golf Course has intensified, with one article highlighting the escalating tactics in the fight, while another features Chris Mitchell’s well-argued defence of public golf.
The ongoing fight to save Moore Park Golf Course in Sydney has sparked a number of recent articles shedding light on the proposed reduction of the iconic 18-hole course.
A nice column by Chris Mitchell in The Australian draws attention to the broader pressures faced by public golf courses, particularly in urban areas, where increasing demand for open space is putting many courses at risk.
Mitchell argues for the value of public golf courses, noting their accessibility and importance in fostering community participation and role in developing young talent and providing affordable recreational opportunities.
The Save Moore Park organisation has delivered an alternative that keeps 18 holes but reduces the course to a par 68 and offers 15 hectares of extra public space, parking, bikeways, skate park, BMX track, fitness trail, dog park and minigolf for children.
James O’Doherty in The Daily Telegraph on Friday reported the government had been warned the original plan might be far more expensive than imagined.
The compromise 18-hole option would certainly guarantee much of the $16m a year flowing from golf activities at Moore Park would continue to help finance the Greater Sydney Parklands portfolio.
And then there’s the often misunderstood idea that golf is a sport for just the elite few in Australia.
Club professional Rob Richards says golf is misrepresented as an elite sport for older men.
He says while about 40 per cent of players at the course are over 55, about 25 per cent would be under 30.
Richards says new players “anchor their golf at Warringah”. Indeed, even if new players could afford to play on a private course it is hard to see how most could justify such a financial commitment early in their time with such a difficult sport.
Read Mitchell’s full article. But please note that this article is behind a paywall.
Additionally, other reports from The Daily Telegraph and Australian Golf Digest have suggested that campaigners fighting to save Moore Park Golf club have been gagged. The government agency Greater Sydney Parklands have refused to allow petitions to save Moore Park golf to be displayed anywhere on the golf course.
Posters and QR codes directing golfers to sign the petition have been banned from display anywhere on the course, at the driving range, and even at the car park entrance.
Club president John Janik revealed that repeated requests to GSP for permission to put up campaign materials had been flatly denied – every single time.
“We’ve asked a dozen times, and every time the answer is the same: ‘No, you’re not getting it’,” Janik told The Daily Telegraph.
Janik said that despite the on-course censorship, the Save Moore Park Golf Collective – comprising the club, Golf Australia, PGA of Australia, and Golf NSW – has already amassed nearly 30,000 signatures. But the club has had to rely on volunteers, word-of-mouth, and external promotions, rather than being able to spread the message where it matters most – on the golf course itself.
Read the full article at Australian Golf Digest. No paywall.