Stirling officially tees off on new era of golf

The City of Stirling has approved a multi-million dollar plan to redevelop Hamersley Public Golf Course (HPGC), which will drive a new era of golf at one of Australia’s most popular 18-hole courses.

On Tuesday night, Council voted to support the proceed to tender for the redevelopment, which includes a modern pavilion, new restaurant, multi-purpose function room, a state-of-the-art 30-bay, two-level, automated driving range and virtual reality golf simulator room.  The project also includes upgrades to the existing carpark to include additional bays as well as improved access/egress from Marmion Avenue.

Mayor Mark Irwin said the decision would ensure a strong future for the Hamersley Public Golf Course which has provided valuable recreation, health, and social opportunities to the community for more than 50 years.

“Hamersley Public Golf Course is a community asset which attracted more than 100,000 visitors last year. While the challenging course provides an amazing natural setting the ageing infrastructure is no longer fit-for-purpose and cannot accommodate additional community demand,” he said.

“The driving range is an essential inclusion because it is a part of the sport that is in higher demand from golfers while also increasingly attracting non-golfing members of the public.

“The City’s business case made it very clear that including a state-of-the-art, two-storey driving range would drive a return on investment within a much shorter period.

“We need to be very clear that this is not an investment to create an elite country club type environment but rather an investment in a public golf course that can be used by golfers and non-golfers all year round.”

The course is directly managed by the City of Stirling and generates significant revenue which funds annual maintenance and management.

The Course is also an important part of the City’s tree canopy coverage, with the 48-hectare site home to hundreds of mature trees as well as the City’s tree nursery.

A 25 per cent reduction in carbon emissions is expected to be achieved with more energy-efficient lighting and equipment used throughout the redevelopment, in line with the City’s ongoing commitment to net zero by 2050 and 100 per cent of our electricity from renewables by 2030.