Tee-riffic turnout for anniversary

By Lachlan Ellis

A Moorabool golf club recently celebrated its 50th anniversary, with members gathering at the club to commemorate the occasion.

Around 140 members of the Bacchus Marsh West Golf Club attended the 50th anniversary celebrations on Sunday 18 September, with the day beginning with an ambrose competition at 8 am, followed by lunch at midday, as well as afternoon tea and of course, a few games of golf.

Committee member Dean Cowan said it was fantastic to celebrate the milestone with so many club members, and look back at the history of the club.

“Of the 140 people there on the day, about 96 played golf in the morning. It was a pretty busy day, it was really good to commemorate the day with the members,” Mr Cowan told the Moorabool News.

“The millennium drought as they called it, about 15 odd years ago…the club nearly didn’t survive that, so it was a big turnaround for us to get where we are today. The people that hadn’t come to the course for a long time were really impressed with the way we ran the day, and the way the course is presented at the moment.”

Attendees included more than a dozen past club champions – including the first ever club champion – and the son of the first President of the Bacchus Marsh West Golf Club.

“The first President’s son told us some stories about how the club was formed, and when the two golf clubs had a vote in 1972 to divide. It was originally just the Bacchus Marsh Golf Club, then there was a vote to travel out to Swans Road, or stay on the current site,” Mr Cowan said.

“The President at the time canvassed a lot of the members and asked if the vote went in favour of the other site, would the members like to stay with him and form another golf club. His son told us he still remembered vividly helping his dad and all the members who decided to stay get the club started.

“It was a good look at the history, I didn’t realise the vote was that close.”

The Bacchus Marsh West Golf Club is run solely by volunteers.