Reprieve for community golf

A PUBLIC golf course on Hobart’s Eastern Shore will stay open for the next 10 months — but its future beyond that is under a cloud.

Clarence City councillors approved a recommendation at Monday night’s meeting to keep open the course, which is leased to the YMCA.

Council will pay $2500 per month towards its operation, in addition to maintaining the irrigation system. The new lease will expire in April next year, but there are no guarantees it will be extended thereafter, with the land subject to consultation under the City Heart urban renewal project.

The immediate future of the course had been under a cloud due to falling patronage and the potential for the land to be used for other purposes. The course, which sits next to Eastlands shopping centre, has been run by the YMCA for the past 10 years.

Alderman Luke Edmunds said the interim arrangement would keep the course open but sounded a “warning bell” that the council would not provide continuous subsidisation. But he said there were benefits to keeping the course open, including its accessibility and affordability. He said it was now up to the YMCA to devise a strategy to make the operation of the course more tenable.

Alderman Dean Ewington said the short-term lease allowed time for council and the community to determine the land’s best use.

YMCA Hobart chief executive Melissa Carlton said she hoped the golf course could remain in operation beyond the new 10-month lease.