New South Wales Golf Club turned a potential fight with Randwick Council over a coastal walkway into a mutually beneficial solution.
With a picture-postcard setting on the edge of Botany Bay, the par-3 sixth at New South Wales Golf Club [above] is one of the most photogenic holes in Australia.
It’s a spectacular one-shotter across Little Bay to a green perched on an embankment. The championship tee – just a furlong from Cape Banks – sits on a rocky promontory, accentuating the 177-metre carry over water.
Cape Banks carries great historical significance as it’s located on the northern side of the entrance to Botany Bay, the site of James Cook’s first landing on the continent of Australia in 1770.
Now, due to a fortuitous set of circumstances, this most iconic of golf holes is poised to become even more distinctive with a new green complex constructed on the water’s edge.
Sydney’s Randwick Council plans to carve out a coastal walk adjacent to the sixth hole at NSWGC as part of its long-term vision for a continuous footpath from Botany Bay to Clovelly. Along with existing walkways from Bronte to Bondi Beach, this would create an Eastern Suburbs coastal trek stretching 29 kilometres.
NSWGC was on board from the start of discussions two years ago when Randwick Council revealed its intention. Situated on Crown Land, NSWGC has a commitment in its lease to create a connection with non-golfers.
For those familiar with golf in Scotland, they would know the Old Course at St Andrews is an integral part of the community with public access the norm on the perimeters of the course.
“We didn’t want to put our head in the sand. We had to be realistic about how we can make it work. That was our view all along,” says David Burton, NSWGC’s general manager.
“If we owned the land, maybe that would have changed our positioning. But we’re cognisant of our responsibilities as a lessee on Crown Land. It’s also why we commit to allowing non-members the opportunity to play. That’s part of our commitment to the community.”
At present, NSWGC has about 190 metres of pathway on the sixth hole. The walking path from Cape Banks to the back of the seventh tee (connecting through national parkland) forms part of an Eastern Suburbs coastal walkway.
However, the club had two concerns about the proposed pedestrian access given the financial commitment to make this a prominent thoroughfare – like the Bondi to Bronte Coastal Walk.
Firstly, the existing pathway would be unsafe once the volume of walkers increased to the point where there is a greater risk of injury. Secondly, it felt the foot traffic would impact negatively on the playing experience of the sixth hole for a member or visitor.
So in order to make the sixth manageable for walkers and preserve what is one of the world’s most photogenic holes, the club and Randwick Council arrived at a mutually beneficial solution.
The sixth’s island tee and its mainland tee will stay predominantly the same. But a new pathway would be created from behind the fifth green and run slightly further away from the sixth hole up to the back of the seventh tee. And a new sixth green complex would be built further southwards and towards the shoreline of Cruwee Cove.
This would make for a more exhilarating experience because the water was never really in play previously for accomplished golfers. Greg Norman has already designed a new green site.
Says Burton: “It’s going to allow us to create a green that is more commensurate with other holes on the course, the natural lay of the land and what is already a terrific panoramic. So we’re not really changing anything about the hole, except the green site.”
There’s a lesson here for all golf clubs. If the board responsible for maintenance of a top-five course in Australia is proactively helping the community, then it stands to reason every club should be considering how to provide a multi-purpose usage for its golf course.
“I think it’s very dangerous if you don’t,” warns Burton. “Many councils are struggling financially. So if you’re on a piece of council property and not cooperative with assisting the community, then this may lead to a change in property use with ensuing lease renewals.”
