Celebrating four decades

A shared passion for golf was the foundation for the Blue Lake Golf Club and that passion and the blood, sweat and tears of hundreds of members, has sustained the club which celebrated its 40th anniversary at the weekend.

It was on November 21, 1984, that the club came into being, courtesy of a meeting that saw the first cohort of office bearers elected.

“Around 40 people were playing on a regular basis so Bob Mullane suggested that we should form a golf club,” life member Gavin Sparrow said.

The first competition, at what was originally a nine hole course, was actually held on February 28, 1981 when Mullane, Bob James, Terry Frencham, Evan Jones, Trevor Sparrow , Eric Smith and Les Stephens teed off and it was then a slow build to get to the numbers that warranted setting up the club.

Two names were floated for the club, which had to seek permission from the Queen Eizabeth Park Trust, and it was first choice – Blue Lake Golf Club – that got the nod. Tower View was the back up plan.

In those fledgling days an annual membership cost $10 and as its popularity grew, congestion became the name of the game, especially on Saturday mornings, with not just those teeing off fir the first time looking to get their round underway but also the rule that players coming off the ninth to go around again to make it an 18-hole round had right of way.

And those membership numbers did explode, going from the initial 40 when the club was formed to 139 members, just over 12 months down the track.

That saw a new committee put in place with George Collins, Bob Dawe, Geoff Muller, Frank Borg, Gavin Sparrow, Jim Hay, Alf McIntosh, Bob Mullane, Mark Chuck, Mack Fartch and Peter Neal taking up the challenge.

“By now the club had grown and we were had to get serious if we were going to grow as a golf club so we decided to form sub committees, which are basically the same as the ones in existence today,” Gavin said.

It was in 1987 that the club suffered its first real heartbreak when the brains behind the club’s formation Bob Mullane had a heart attack before he was about to hit off for the club championships.

1987 was also the first year the club hosted an Inter Club visit, with what became an annual event between Blue Lake and Casterton Golf Clubs.

It was early the following year that the first steps on redeveloping and extending the course were taken in earnest and after serious research and negotiations, two new holes were added to the western end of the course at a cost of $87,000.

It might be hard to imagine now but in the early days there was no bar at the club, meaning early club presentation nights basically were done and dusted in 30 minutes.

“That’s why we decided to move our presentation night to the RSL Bowling Club so we could use their kitchen and bar facilities,” Gavin said. “This proved very successful with our numbers on the night increasing.”

The event was also hosted at the Croatia Club for a few years.

Just as with the presentation night pivot, the committee was also working on ways to develop and evolve the club – some ideas taking longer than others to garner support.

“The club held talks with the trust regarding members paying an annual levy instead of green fees, which took a couple of years to get agreement,” Gavin said.

Then there was the tactic used to get people to the AGM.

“We had trouble getting members to the AGM so it was decided to put on a free meal at the Park Hotel to get better attendance but only seven attended,” Gavin said. “So the following Sunday as we headed on the bus to Casterton I welcomed everyone to the AGM and it was held on the bus.”

Competitions with Port MacDonnell, Dartmoor and Beachport, were also part of those early days of the club.

It was in the early 1990s that Keith Thomson floated the idea of a competition between 9-Hole Golf Clubs, offering to donate a shield and that proved a popular concept.

It was around that same time, in 1993, that the club took on its biggest project in its history to date – building a new barbeque area behind the clubrooms.

“The Trust said we could have a barbeque and rotunda from the caravan park if the club would like to relocate it,” Gavin said.

Much of that work was done by Williams Cranes and the project, which started in March 1993, was completed early in 1994.

“A lot of good times were had in this area over the years,” Gavin said.

It was in 1993 that another seismic change happened as well – the ladies were invited to join the Saturday competitions.

The ‘90s were a busy time for the club and it was in the mid ‘90s that work started on the new nine holes.

“This was a huge project – trees had to be removed, fences replaced, burnt out sheds had to be renovated and rebuilt and a watering system installed,” Gavin said. “The tunnel which was purchased from Queensland also had to be put in which meant Grant Avenue had to be closed while the trench was dug.

“This all went surprisingly well.”

It was early 1997 when the new nine holes were first put to the test, with then Mount Gambier Mayor Don McDonnell officially opening the new holes and tunnel on February 1, 1998.

The new configuration also saw the need for the clubhouse to be relocated – the new facility the one still in use to this day.

“Once again club members assisted with some of the work that had to be done and also helped with the financing some of the furnishings,” Gavin said.

The last big outlay by the club was picking up the bill for the buggy shed.

“I am sure the members in the future will contribute to this great club over the next 40 years and on.”