Golf club anniversary to tee off

MEMBERS of the Ballan Golf Club are inviting everyone to join them in celebrating a major milestone later this month.

On Friday 27 September, the group will mark their 100th anniversary with a two-person ambrose event on the Grand Final public holiday.

Treasurer, Pat Clifford, has been with the club since the mid-1970s and said the day will mark an important occasion for many.

“It’s probably testament to the fact we’ve kept it going through this time,” he said.

“The course started as a nine-hole course in the Werribee Valley and it’s extended out to 18 holes which was originally private land gifted to the club by some founding members.

“I never lived in Ballan. I lived in Gordon and now Ballarat so we’ve got a diverse area of where our membership comes from.

“The whole club’s run by volunteers so when you look at the pristine nature of the course, that’s all people donating their time. It’s a testament to the ones that put in.”

The first tee off will take place at 7.30am after which presentations with government representatives and club officials will follow at 9.30am.

Copies of the Ballan Shire Historical Society’s June edition of The Settler newsletter, in which the golf club was the star subject, will be available on the day.

The final tee off will occur at 12.30pm after which trophies will be awarded.

“The event’s open to anyone,” Mr Clifford said. “It’s a fun day for people to participate and catch up with old identities.

“We’re expecting to get quite a few people there and former people of the township to catch up.”

Entry fee for the event is $50 per two-person group. Ballan Golf Club currently has about 70 financial members.