GOLFERS STAY THE COURSE IN BID TO REVIVE BELOVED CLUB
AFTER laying dormant for close to two years, golfers are flocking back to Helensvale Golf Club in record numbers.
But if not for the dedication of local members John Pottage and Jill Mindham, there might not have been a club to return to.
When the Helensvale Golf Club shut its doors indefinitely at the end of summer in 2018 there were no guarantees a saviour would come to rescue it.
For two years, Pottage stoked the embers of the dormant club to give what few loyal members remained a course to play on.
“I used to borrow the mower to keep the greens down so we could practise while the club was closed,” the 70-year-old Hope Island resident said.
“I started at the club in 1989 so it was a shame to see it die off.
“We knew it would come back some day – we didn’t know it would take two years – but 15 to 20 of us played here while it was still closed.
“The council mowed it like a park and you can’t putt on a golf course unless it’s mowed pretty low. Jill lent me her ride-on to mow all the greens every day.”
When the Lawton family reopened the club last November, Pottage’s mowing duties continued with two days volunteering on the greens a week. Significant investment from the club’s new owners into refurbishing the clubhouse is just one reason golfers are signing up at record pace, according to 30-year member Karen Fechner.
“It’s been 10-plus years since we’ve had this many players on a Saturday,” she said. “It’s something we never envisaged we would see again.
“Since Brett (Lawton) has taken over, the clubhouse is a treat now, there’s a great atmosphere and the course is in great shape. Affordability is one major reason why people are flocking back.
“It’s giving a lot of people an opportunity to play.
“It’s really encouraging people to come and play, socially and competitively.”
More than 500 members have signed on since the club’s reopening, with more than 150 players returning to the course for Saturday competition.