The hidden gem on the Yarra
SINCE its inception in 1948, Green Acres has grown from a dairy farm on the banks of the Yarra River at Kew East to a beautiful tree-lined, character-filled golf course filled with an abundance of flora and fauna.
And this year, the club is celebrating its 75th birthday, with many events planned to commemorate the milestone.
History
Green Acres was built on an old dairy farm, located between The Kew Golf Club and the Yarra River. It was the brainchild of Scottish golf course designer, Gordon Bernard Oliver, who came up with the idea in 1947 and sought to bring together investors and the finances to build an American-style country club, located close to the Melbourne CBD.
Oliver was the early driving force behind the creation of Green Acres, but it was the club’s first committee that picked up and ran with Oliver’s vision.
Ken Hall (1906 –1979), saw the potential of the course designed by Oliver and put an extraordinary amount of his time and energy into making it a reality.
Green Acres Golf Club came into being on July 28, 1948, with club pioneers Hall (volunteer manager), Geoff Rhoden (captain), Norman Alley (treasurer), and Ken Forbes. The newly-formed committee then set about having a golf course ready for member play by the end of 1950.
Work began immediately, and Oliver put forward the name Green Acres, based on his expectation that the bordering Yarra River would enable the course to always be kept green. And the name stuck.
A disagreement between Oliver and Hall in 1948 saw Oliver withdraw from the course development project. So Hall appointed Les Hardie, the secretary manager from Kew Golf
Club at the time, to oversee construction. Hall also appointed the club’s first full-time secretary manager, Bill Richardson, to take over from the volunteer Hall in 1950.
By the end of that year, December 16, 1950, Hall, Alley and Rhoden would accompany the Victorian Governor, His Excellency, Sir Dallas Brooks, in playing the first and 18th holes at the official opening of the course. From a foundation membership of 239, Green Acres Golf Club has grown to more than 1400 members.
In time, Hall would become the club’s first life member and someone to whom the club owes its survival through the formative years more than any other individual.
Many years after it opened, the very existence of Green Acres would be challenged by the creation of the proposed Eastern Freeway, connecting Melbourne’s inner and outer eastern suburbs Collingwood and Doncaster, with early plans to have part of this new freeway run through the course and parts of Latrobe and Kew golf clubs.
As fate would have it, Latrobe and Kew did lose land to the freeway in 1977. But Green Acres avoided land being reclaimed due to work done by the then committee and the course remains the same as the original design.
In late 2022, a plaque was installed to commemorate the location where the opening tee shot by Sir Dallas Brooks finished on the first fairway, with longest-serving and foundation member, George Vickery and club captain Rohan Duncan on hand to inspect.
In 1948, Oliver had put forward his proposal for a par-73 course of 5764 metres. Seventy-five years later, it plays to a par of 71 and is fractionally longer (5961m) off the blue tees.
Green Acres members love the course for its natural beauty and contouring, with the Yarra River winding along its border providing a haven for birds and other wildlife.
Naturally, with major rain and flood events in Melbourne over the years, the course has had to deal with inundation from the Yarra River from time to time.
However, major works on levee banks and the installation of improved drainage systems have seen the course cope very well and recover faster than ever before.
Green Acres, like most courses over time, has undergone extensive renovation and redesign but the original layout has changed little.
One such renovation recently completed in March this year was the installation of a new state-of-the-art and fully automated irrigation system to deliver water to all parts of the golf course.
This project will enhance the already fantastic playing surfaces and peripheral areas at Green Acres, with early signs showing great results.
Course beautification and continual improvements remain a focus for the current board. The club has begun converting all putting surfaces to Pure Distinction Bentgrass, a premium couch surface used on some of the best courses in the world.
Other works include expanded short game practice facilities and bunker re-contouring which has seen many of the hole profiles enhanced visually and with improved playability. Upgrades to water fountains in the dams and billabongs also create significant visual impact to the course.
But the improvements don’t end here, with clubhouse projects recently completed including two new premium indoor hitting bays featuring Trackman simulators, a new PGA teaching studio and an expanded outdoor terrace development which will include a fully-equipped outdoor kitchen with a grill, BBQ and pizza oven.
Social activities at the club will never be the same!
The club continues to provide first-class function spaces to all manner of clients throughout Melbourne, whether it be wedding receptions, birthdays, business conferences or meetings.
Guests experience the outstanding catering and use of spaces usually reserved for members of the club. And they keep coming back!
Green Acres also actively supports community and not-for-profit organisations with outstanding hospitality offerings.
Green Acres is located in an environmentally significant area, forming part of a major ecological corridor along the Yarra River. The course is surrounded by stunning native flora and fauna including several grand old River Red Gums. As custodians of this unique site, Green Acres takes great care to ensure that these natural assets continue to thrive.
Membership
Men and women of varied and diverse cultural backgrounds are members at Green Acres.
Many regard the club as a home away from home, with its well-deserved reputation for friendliness, inclusiveness, and fellowship. The club prides itself on its atmosphere and warm welcome.
One particular source of pride for Green Acres is the women’s membership, one of the largest in the region, with more than 330 women members taking part in golfing and social activities throughout the year. The women’s membership, led by the women’s sub-committee, is very active and plays golf together on Tuesdays and Thursdays as well as joining in many social activities.
The club continues to pursue more women members, with recent ‘Come and Try Golf’ clinics for beginners, the club’s junior girls’ program and ‘Intro to Golf’ memberships proving
successful in recruiting new females to the sport and to the camaraderie on offer at Green Acres.
With the influx of new, younger golfers to the game in recent years, Green Acres has also seen its Intermediate membership category for golfers between 25 and 39 years increase by 50 per cent over the last three years.
Membership remains available with opportunities to play a trial round beforehand for prospective members. Although those playing a trial game more than often have made up their minds to join Green Acres.
75th celebration
In 75 years, Green Acres has left an indelible mark on the local community and the many members that have come through the doors.
The redeveloped Green Acres clubhouse opened in 2012 and provides members with superb facilities to match the quality of the course. The members bar, members lounge and function spaces offer the perfect place to catch up with friends after a round while overlooking the course towards the Yarra River. The Green Acres clubhouse also features exquisite function spaces for weddings and special events with stunning views.
In reaching its 75th year, Green Acres has the honour of sharing its birthday with three other well-known and esteemed golf clubs in the region – Spring Valley, Patterson River and Latrobe golf clubs.
The four clubs will combine to host social events to celebrate the anniversary, with opportunities to forge closer ties between one another.
Green Acres will host its own cocktail gala event in July for its members, with music and entertainment, a fireworks display and other exciting activities planned.
Who knows what the next 75 years will hold for Green Acres? However, one thing is guaranteed: if Green Acres continues to be known as ‘the friendly club’, then its future is assured.
More information
To find out more about becoming a member of Green Acres or holding your function there, call (03) 9859 1294 or visit www.greenacresgolf.com.au
This article was prepared by Inside Golf for Green Acres Golf Club with the help of the club’s operations manager, Andy Curtis.
– Michael Davis
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