In a piece of visionary thinking, South Australia Premier Peter Malinauskas today revealed plans to transform a mediocre CBD golf facility into a world-class venue capable of hosting LIV Golf Adelaide.
At a joint media conference with key stakeholders, Premier Malinauskas announced he had secured a multi-year extension to host LIV Golf through 2031. In addition, the South Australia government and Adelaide City Council have reached an agreement with Greg Norman Golf Course Design to upgrade the North Adelaide golf facility with plans to make it the eventual home of LIV Golf Adelaide.
North Adelaide has two 18-hole layouts as well as a par-3 short course on the banks of the River Torrens and less than a mile from Rundle Mall. Just walking distance from city hotels, Premier Malinauskas says it would unlock more economic activity for the South Australian capital.
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Meanwhile, his New South Wales counterpart, Premier Chris Minns, has plans to reduce Moore Park Golf in inner-Sydney to a nine-hole layout and convert the rest of the course into parkland to cater for local residents in densely populated apartment towers. The proposed removal of nine holes is scheduled to happen once current operating agreements end in 2026.
Moore Park is one of Australia’s busiest golf courses with more than 90,000 rounds a year. In years past it has hosted PGA events.
The Moore Park Golf Collective – Golf Australia, PGA of Australia, Golf NSW and Moore Park Golf – came up with an alternative plan that retains a reduced par-68 golf course as well as adding 3km of walking, running and cycling paths, picnic facilities and other recreational features.
The Minns NSW Government appears to have dismissed that proposal. Meanwhile it will spend almost $1 million in consultancy fees to scrap nine holes. One real estate expert believes property values would crash 20 percent if the decision to reduce Moore Park to nine holes goes ahead.
Malinauskas and Minns. Both Labor politicians. One is a golf-loving Premier. The other is a golf-loathing Premier.
One is proactive. The other reactive. One listens to visionaries like Greg Norman about how to revitalise a recreational asset. The other listens to political agitators like Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore who governs by self-interest.
One is building generational change for his state’s citizens. The other can’t even put a firecracker up the Union bosses to get the railway network back running at full capacity.
