Club to close to public
Anger at members-only golf move
Queens Park Golf Club has been left in limbo with the looming departure of its resident pro, as the City of Greater Geelong moves to close the club to the public indefinitely.
In a letter to members, seen by the Geelong Advertiser, the club’s board announced the closure, which comes after amid negotiations with the city over ongoing operations of the club’s Pro Shop.
“The Queens Park Golf Club will continue to run competitions for members; however, the course will be closed to the public from Monday May 29 until further notice,” the letter reads.
The club’s cafe/restaurant, Double Espresso Cafe Bar, will remain open.
The closure has angered some residents, with the Addy’s coverage of the news attracting comments slamming the move.
“What are CoGG doing? They are more interested in pursuing the latest social whim, rather than providing key community services, which have been community assets for decades. Get your act together,” reader Rob wrote.
“Terrible decisions in CoGG at the moment. So Queenspark is owned by CoGG, so really owned by the community who are the ratepayers and the community and ratepayers can’t use it,” Kylie said.
The club thanked members for their patience and taking part in a members’ forum, and said it would continue to work with the city towards “a mutually beneficial outcome for both parties”.
Queens Park’s resident pro, Aaron Rayson, announced he would be departing the club on Wednesday, May 31.
A resident pro manages a club’s golf shop operations, including sales and rentals of gear and equipment, as well as scheduling and coaching.
Rayson had been at the club for more than a decade prior to announcing he would be stepping away.
In a statement on social media, Rayson thanked “a lot of individuals” and said he was “extremely proud” of the time at the club.
“(I) have made some great relationships that will continue for many more years to come,” Mr Rayson wrote.
“I will miss Queens Park and the people that made going to work a lot of fun”.
Looking to the future, Rayson said he was excited to be “spending more time” coaching at Geelong Golf Studio.
In a statement on social media, the city of Greater Geelong said the closure was “due to changes to the management” of the club.
“We thank members and other users of the course for their patience and understanding during this transition period,” the statement read.
The closure comes after the City of Greater Geelong in November announced it would exit out of direct operation of golf facilities, including Queens Park Golf Club.
The move formed part of the implementation of the new Golf Facilities Strategy, with Queens Park one of three courses still under the city’s full or partial operation at the time.