Wollongong Golf Club will mark it's standing as one of Australia’s oldest golf clubs by hosting an exclusive celebration to recognise the club’s 120th Anniversary.
“We want to celebrate the anniversary in style with a formal event that recognises the rich history of the Club and its enduring place in Wollongong’s CBD dating back to the late 1890s," Wollongong Golf Club General Manager, Leigh Hingston said.
“The club was formed before electricity was introduced to the City and we’ve been part of the fabric of the community ever since.”
A marquee will be set up ‘on the green’ overlooking Wollongong’s magnificent South Beach to host the historic event on November 4, with many of the club’s past and present members and guests suiting up for a night of entertainment and fine dining under the stars.
The night will feature live entertainment, canapes and sparkling wine on arrival, followed by a three-course dinner and drinks.
The gala evening will allow the club and community to come together to reflect on the many aspects of our vibrant history and to celebrate the pride and ownership the members – past and present – have for their club and their association with it.
“We are one of the oldest, continually operating golf clubs in Australia and among the few that can boast that we’re still playing golf in our original location, close to the ocean and all the amenities and natural assets of the City of Wollongong,” Mr Hingston added.
In the days before Federation, the club’s pioneers carved out a nine-hole layout from the nearby dunes and ti-tree swampland. The course stretched from the current Burelli St area, south through the land now occupied by the WIN Entertainment Centre and Stadium precincts to the area fronting the current clubhouse location near Swan St.
Members of the Royal Sydney Golf Club made the long and arduous trek to Wollongong by bicycle to provide labour and equipment to the project, establishing a culture of ‘mateship’ that endures at the club to this day.
It’s fitting that guests at the celebration will quite literally enjoy an intimate connection with those pioneering days with the marquee situated on land that formed part of the Club’s first layout, close to the location of the course's original 6th hole.
Wollongong Golf Club has been a breeding ground for many outstanding players over the years, with some reaching State and National representative levels.
1995 U.S. PGA Champion Steve Elkington was a Wollongong Golf Club member before taking on a scholarship at the University of Houston and carving out an illustrious career on the PGA Tour.
World Golf Hall of Famers and Major Champions Gary Player, Bobby Locke, Peter Thomson and Kel Nagle are also among many of the outstanding players who have enjoyed the salty breezes at the seaside links. In fact, four-time British Open champion Locke once rated the club's 17th hole (now 3rd) as one of the best par-threes he had seen.
The Club is encouraging members and guests to join in the celebrations. To book your ticket, please call the Club's reception on 02 4222 3111.