Media enquiry - Oakleigh Golf Course - Golf Australia Magazine
Published on 03 November 2023
Approach from Golf Australia Magazine
The below question has been paraphrased to remove personal details.
I was wondering if you might be able to help me with a couple of questions regarding Active Monash Month and also the proposal that is currently available for submissions regarding Oakleigh Golf Course.
- In terms of active Monash, I have looked the literature and can’t see any indication that golf is promoted in any way? Given council owns two courses it seems an odd decision (particularly given the significant demographic the game serves) and it would be interesting to hear the thinking on why golf was specifically excluded.
- How did the proposal came to be only two options, being either close the course or keep it open? I would be interested to know of any other alternatives that were considered but ruled out and the reasons why that might have been the case?
Response
Active Monash and promoting golf
The question about Active Monash and the promotion of golf is a good one and needs some context, as the issue is relevant to a range of sports and facilities on Council land or in facilities. The name Active Monash originated with Council’s aquatics team – which runs our three leisure and aquatic centres (in-house). The Active Monash online platform is dedicated to the three centres and is effectively a landing page under Council’s website for these.
Council’s recreation team oversees all our outdoor sports, playgrounds and open space. This includes Council’s two golf courses, along with two indoor stadiums, tennis venues, a hockey centre, horse arena, bowls venues and outdoor netball complexes which are managed by third parties either under contract or lease.
When promoting activations or opportunities, we focus on activities happening in the centres that we manage in-house, as promotion of these facilities is usually built into the operators contract or requirements. We also run Active Monash Month annually, this program changes every year to reflect the diverse range of sports available at Council facilities. Golf is not included in this year’s program, but was included in our Active Summer program in 2021.
Council’s website has a Sports and Recreation page where you will find direct links to a hole range or sports and recreation activities and venues, including a dedicated page to golf. In this sense golf is treated no differently to basketball, netball, tennis or bowls – sports that are similarly run out of Council facilities by third parties.
Having said that, there are plans to bring more recreation under the Active Monash banner - including golf, and this is expected to be enhanced in the next few months as part of the commencement of the recently commenced contract management agreement. This planning includes introduction of multi-facility/sport memberships and expansion of the Active Communities programming to include regular golf and tennis activities.
Consultation options
In relation to the decision to consult on two options, this stems from previous discussion with Councillors where a range of options were presented. After careful consideration, it was decided that Council would limit its initial consultation to just two options – golf or a regional park. Importantly, Council is committed to the land remaining as open space and no other options are being considered.
Councillors will receive a summary of the consultation results, including copies of all submissions and survey responses when making a decision about the future of the site. We expect this to happen in early 2024.
Issued: 3 November
To: Golf Australia Magazine
Quoting: Mix of attribution and background information