AS the Sisters of Mercy Ballarat East prepare to sell the land they own on Mount Xavier, their tenant of more than 70 years, Mount Xavier Golf and Bowls Club, is needing to do some problem solving.<\/p>\n
The club is not able to buy the land the course and greens are on, and need to move operations further down the hill, but a new development committee is aiming to make Mount Xavier an even better place to play sport.<\/p>\n
\u201cBy May 2029, we hopefully will have moved the clubhouse down to the Fortune and Fussell street corner to a brand-new community-based facility,\u201d said development committee member Dave McBain.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur goal is to give people access to a whole myriad of activities, and make it a hub for community sport, not only for Ballarat East but Ballarat in general.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ll go from an 18-hole golf course down to a 12-hole golf course in the short-to-medium term, and in the long term, we\u2019ve got enough land to create an 18-hole course, but that won\u2019t happen overnight.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe will incorporate Ballarat Disc Golf into our design so they can build some holes and base themselves there, we want to build a community-accessible driving range, and a mini golf course.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe want to get as many community clubs involved as we can. There\u2019ll be opportunities for juniors, and something all the family can do.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ballarat Disc Golf president Leah Cushion said partnering with other clubs has always been a goal of their sporting group.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo be able to build these communications with Mount Xavier has been fantastic for us,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt works for our needs that they need another user group, and as a club, we\u2019ve been looking to create a second course to develop our players and run bigger tournaments.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re already seeing a steady growth of extra players in disc golf but having a second course in Ballarat is going to make it the disc golf central of Victoria.<\/p>\n
\u201cDave and the team have been more than welcoming to us as a club with no home. We\u2019re very excited to be welcomed so warmly.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mount Xavier Golf and Bowls Club\u2019s lease with the sisters was due to expire in May of this year, but an extension of five more years has been negotiated, giving the club time to move onto some City of Ballarat-owned land.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe nuns have made their decision and we\u2019re not disgruntled about that. We\u2019ve had a great relationship with them,\u201d Ms McBain said.<\/p>\n
One of the most challenging aspects of the move, however, will be the loss of their lawn bowls infrastructure.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ll lose our clubhouse and bowls green, which is a bit sad,\u201d Mr McBain said. \u201cOur green has been considered one of the best in Ballarat and was rated the highest last year, I believe.<\/p>\n
\u201cA lot of time, effort, volunteer and employee work has gone into it, and unfortunately we can\u2019t pick it up and transplant it but it opens the door to create a synthetic option at the new facility.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat way, people could bowl 365 days a year, and it would be a lot more accessible to the community.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mr McBain said it\u2019s \u201ctime for a change\u201d in many aspects, although some things won\u2019t be different at all.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re the blue-collar, working man\u2019s club,\u201d he said. \u201cI love the club and want to see it run for another 75 years.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve got people who walk their dogs here, birdwatchers wander around the course, and we want to maintain that, not shut it off. We want to open it up to the public.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re trying to push this wagon and give the community access to other sports in Ballarat East.\u201d<\/p>\n
As well as with the City of Ballarat, the development committee is \u201cworking closely\u201d with Golf Australia and Sport and Recreation Victoria in the transition.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey see the benefit of what we’re trying to do,\u201d Mr McBain said.<\/p>\n
Mount Xavier Golf and Bowls Club has roughly 220 members, and those who would like to support the development committee can contact the club.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
AS the Sisters of Mercy Ballarat East prepare to sell the land they own on Mount Xavier, their tenant of more than 70 years, Mount Xavier Golf and Bowls Club, is needing to do some problem solving. The club is not able to buy the land the course and greens are on, and need to […]<\/p>\n