Golf Australia (GA) and Golf Australia Holdings Limited (GAHL) are pleased to announce that a Heads of Agreement has been entered into regarding ongoing arrangements between Golf Australia and Golf Australia Holdings Limited, owners of Moonah Links on the Mornington Peninsula. The discussions led by Paddy Handbury (GAHL) and Tony Hallam (GA) have been based around ensuring Moonah Links will be successful in moving forward to host future Australian Opens, to continue as an elite training facility for Australian golfers and build its reputation as the Home of Australian Golf . In reaching agreement both parties acknowledged that any Australian Open needs to meet certain objectives, including to act as an aspiring event for players and public alike; be financially viable; and positively promote the game of golf. In order to achieve these outcomes it was also recognised that further time to grow the event was paramount while importantly also honouring existing commitments. As a result the re-structured arrangements will see an extension of the relationship by a further five years till 2020. This extension adds longevity to the partnership and will enable Moonah Links, which has already hosted two Australian Opens in 2003 and 2005, to host three Australian Opens tournaments during that timeframe with GAHL holding the option to host a further two Opens in the following 10 year period should the Championships be successful. The use of the Moonah elite development facility has also been renegotiated with full ownership and upkeep of the world class facility now the responsibility of GAHL. In return, GAHL will provide, on a commercial basis, use of the facility to GA for camp-based training programs which will be made available to elite players in Australia through National and State based elite development programs. This change from a full time residential program is consistent with recommendations made by the Australian Sports Commission in its Review of High Performance Pathways in Australian Golf . Both parties are pleased with the new agreement which ensures a positive outcome for all stakeholders and one which will enable GA and GAHL to derive respective benefits for an extended period from the current agreement. Click here to download the media release
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