Lift Your Game - Golf Digest, October Edition
Australia's residential-golf phenomenon
Golf-course construction in Australia over the past three decades has been driven by the residential-golf boom that had its origins in America. The success of Sanctuary Cove, Hope Island, Lakelands and Glades on the Gold Coast encouraged property developers to invest in golf.
From the turn of the century we've seen residential-golf communities built in or near Sydney (Macquarie Links, Twin Creeks, Stonecutters Ridge), Melbourne (Sanctuary Lakes, Eynesbury, Sandhurst, Settlers Run), Brisbane (Brookwater) and Perth (Meadow Springs, Secret Harbour, The Cut, The Vines). The phenomenon has continued in regional Australia on Queensland's Sunshine Coast (Noosa Springs, Pelican Waters, Peregian Springs), Victoria's Bellarine Peninsula (13th Beach), the Murray River (Silverwoods), NSW Central Coast (Magenta Shores, Kooindah Waters) and Hunter Valley (Pacific Dunes, The Vintage, Lovedale Farm).
The phenomenon appears to have peaked due to the exorbitant price of land near Australia's mainland capital cities, along with a scarcity of sites large enough for a commercially successful development. However, a new trend has emerged. Financially challenged metropolitan golf clubs that own their land are seeking joint ventures with property developers to rezone part of their course for a boutique residential estate. Increasingly, it's a seniors living community in exchange for a clubhouse refurbishment and course improvements: Sydney's Cumberland CGC and Chatswood GC with Pariter, Oatlands GC with Levande and Newcastle's Merewether GC with Thirdi Group.