Community answers call for support

MORE than fifty people gathered at the Rokewood Golf Club on Tuesday night to discuss the facility’s uncertain future and how to save it.

The club has been facing a declining membership for years with their two volunteer groundskeepers no longer able to tend to the course.

About 30 people registered their interest in joining the club or helping out, and president Ross Hadler said he was “heartened” at the amount of people that attended the meeting.

“It was a good turnout and there were a lot of community suggestions and support,” he said.

“Hopefully there’ll be something concrete to come out of it in the near future. All the suggestions were very constructive.

“I can see a future for the club going forward as long as we can maintain community interest.”

Suggestions from the community included sharing the grounds with a clay target shooting club, stronger advertising, and holding competitions on Sundays so as not to clash with football games on Saturdays.

Shelford resident Chris Icke threw his hand up to be part of the new committee, and said the club holds a family connection for him.

“My grandfather was quite involved with the golf club here, so I used to play on weekends when I lived here,” he said.

“I’m more than happy to step up. It’s important to keep the doors open. You don’t wat to see nothing fold.”

Golden Plains Shire representative Cr Helena Kirby attended the meeting and said the community needs to be proactive in protecting it.

“It’s great to see so many people here because if they want to save the club, they really need to do something about it,” she said.

“I’ve heard people from Rokewood saying they’ll be playing golf at Bannockburn who didn’t even know this was here.”

The club was established as municipal property in 1933, and Cr Kirby said the Shire could help in ways such as writing grant applications.

Golf Australia’s senior participation manager Mark Bamford was one of two representatives from the organisation to attend the meeting.

He said Rokewood Golf Club is one of many clubs that need to think outside the box.

“The challenge for Rokewood now will be to put something out there that is not the traditional 18 holes over four hours,” he said.

“The awakening has been that most golf clubs up until COVID, have been in decline. It’s been about a one per cent drop each year in membership for 20 years.

“About one club has shut each year in Australia.

“COVID did something we couldn’t do. Golf clubs had to adapt. We couldn’t play competitions, we had to play socially.

“All these new people came into the game saying ‘I don’t have to worry about a handicap, or what’s happening today.’

“Most golf clubs are trying to wind back on these changes now COVID’s winding back and we’re trying to say no, keep the changes.”

A new committee for Rokewood Golf Club is set to be elected as early as late next week once more financial members are signed on as a result of the community meeting.