PGA unveils new home for Australian golf

Australian golf will find a new home in Melbourne’s famous sandbelt area with a new state-of-the-art facility to be built on the site of Sandringham Golf Links, opposite the world-renowned Royal Melbourne Golf Club.

The Australian Golf Centre will be the new headquarters for Golf Australia, PGA of Australia, Golf Victoria and Sandringham Golf Links Management.

Artist’s impression of the new Australian Golf Centre (Credit: PGA Australia)

The $18.8 million project, majority funded by the Victorian Government’s $15.3 million investment, will create one of the country’s premier golf facilities on the site featuring a new public 30-bay driving range with target greens, the redevelopment of the existing 18-hole golf course, a public café and the National High Performance Centre.

The centre will also accomodate the High Performance programs as well as a new two-storey building that incorporates office administration space for Golf Australia, PGA of Australia and Sandringham Golf Links staff, in addition to meeting rooms, education spaces and new public amenities and change-rooms.

The contract for the building construction work, to be undertaken by local firm 2Construct was signed last week. The projected completion date for these works is April 2021.

Redevelopment of nine holes has been completed, with the remaining nine holes to be finished by December 2020. The course redesign and construction is being undertaken by Australian golf architects Ogilvy Cocking and Mead, with help from the Royal Melbourne Golf Club.

PGA of Australia chairman Rodger Davis said the project was another sign of the increasing unity in Australian golf.

“The Australian Golf Centre will help unify golf’s peak bodies and create efficiencies that will introduce more participants to our great game,” said Davis.

Victorian Minister for Tourism, Sport and Major Events Martin Pakula said the new centre would enhance the state’s reputation as “the home of golf in Australia” and continue to help the community’s re-emergence from the impacts of COVID-19.

“Golf is a great employer at the local and elite levels and investments like this are important in setting up the industry to thrive on the other side of the pandemic,” Pakula said.