The 18th green and clubhouse at the Caloundra Golf Club.
DURING World War II the seaside suburb north of Caloundra now known as Battery Hill was so isolated that Australian and Allied forces used the area for target practice, blasting thousands of live shells onto the beaches and into bushland.
It proved too much of a hazard for the few regulars who played a three-hole golf course carved out of the wilderness in 1936 by an intrepid group of pioneers that included the state governor, Sir Leslie Wilson.
Golf was therefore discontinued for the duration of the war. And, when the guns finally fell silent, thoughts of returning to the Battery Hill site were quickly discarded due to the cost of replacing topsoil damaged by the barrage of artillery.
Instead, a steering committee went searching for an alternate site and, after fighting their way through undergrowth so thick they needed a compass to make their way, they found it just a few kilometres from the centre of Caloundra, a popular year-round holiday destination then, as now.
Before long, steering committee secretary Tom Clark had contacted the State Land Commissioner in Brisbane, convinced him to make the trip to Caloundra and talked him into ceding 140 acres of Crown land for the sum of five pounds a year for the first five years, the amount then to be reviewed.
The view from the clubhouse deck overlooking the fifth hole and the chipping green.
Tom Southcomb, a professional golfer from Brisbane, spent a weekend laying out the first nine holes; volunteers, including pineapple farmer Charles Woodward, who used his own bulldozer to clear the fairways, established the course; nine members each agreed to grow and care for a green; and a group of carpenters was persuaded to build the first clubhouse – the cost to be met at some later date.
Indeed, the ingenuity and guile of those pioneers, together with the generosity of benefactors, allowed them to build the clubhouse for less than 100 pounds, the stipulated lawful limit at the time for buildings that were not to be lived in.
Caloundra Golf Club was on its way.
Play actually began in 1950, but it wasn’t until April 8, 1951, that the course was officially opened by the president of the Queensland Golf Council, Mr W. Duncan.
Now, as Caloundra Golf Club marks its 75th anniversary, it looks back on a period of sustained growth, celebrates its achievements, and acknowledges the contribution of thousands of individuals – some of them golf industry icons – whose commitment has made it one of the best regional golf clubs in Queensland.
Ian Baker-Finch, for example, served the final years of his traineeship at the club before going on to win the 1991 Open at Royal Birkdale, and still regards himself as part of the Caloundra ‘family.’
Grant Field, master coach and mentor to superstar Cameron Smith, is a former Caloundra junior champion and trainee professional who, back in the late 1980s, conducted weekly clinics for youngsters who were just beginning their golfing journeys.
Queensland Premier Francis Nicklin at the celebration for the opening of the club’s 18-hole course in 1966, which coincided with the opening of its new clubhouse.
Queensland legend Dennis Brosnan was Caloundra’s first professional way back in 1964, albeit on loan for a short time from Brisbane’s Oxley Golf Club.
And, in the most bizarre of coincidences, renowned golf course architect Ross Watson, the man responsible for the design of many of Australia’s most famous courses, twice lent his expertise to redesign Caloundra’s course – at the beginning and end of his remarkable career.
Back in 1982 Watson was just getting started in golf course design when he was appointed to redesign Caloundra’s 18-hole course, and oversee the conversion of all its greens from blue couch to the new hybrid grass Bermuda 328.
Last year he renewed his association with the club in the most unusual of circumstances.
The original clubhouse at the Caloundra Golf Club.
Watson and his wife had retired to an Over 50s resort near Caloundra and at a social function he was greeted by a fellow resident who said: “Is that Ross Watson, the guy who designed our golf course?”
It was former club president Jim Burns, and within a few weeks Watson had been invited to inspect the course, advise on some construction work taking place on the 14th hole and, ultimately, accept an offer to refurbish and upgrade the entire 18 holes.
So, 44 years after redesigning Caloundra’s course as his first-ever job and five years into his retirement, Watson is busily engaged in doing the same thing in his final design assignment – even down to replacing all of those Bermuda 328 greens, this time with new Tifeagle Bermuda turf.
Under Watson’s supervision two greens a year will be reshaped, the turf replaced and new bunkering completed, with two replacement holes brought into use to ensure golfers still have 18 holes to play.
“He’s here nearly every day,” said general manager Jason Looker, who has been guiding the fortunes of the club for the past 18 years. “We walk the course and I just listen to him. I’ve learned things about this golf course that I’d never even thought about until we spoke.”
The Caloundra course, traditional in nature and bordered by thick bushland, is a par-71 championship layout, measuring 5957 metres off the black tees, and rich in wildlife. A popular attraction is the feeding of rainbow lorikeets at 4pm each day.
It is challenging enough, having hosted a Queensland Closed Championship (1981), a Queensland Open (1988), and a Queensland Women’s Amateur Championship (1998). The final three holes, in particular, will test even the best players, particularly the tough par-four 394m 18th.
Work will be completed mid-year on a network of cart paths that will effectively make the course playable during wet periods.
Caloundra is one of southeast Queensland’s most popular courses, hosting 87,500 rounds last year – down from 89,000 rounds in 2025 and 91,000 in 2024. Social play is available every day, though only from 3pm on Wednesdays and Saturdays.
Like many other clubs in the region it has a long waiting list for membership – a five to six-year wait at latest count. At present there are 920 playing members and 149 on a provisional list, which allows golfers to play but with restricted booking privileges.
Caloundra has a long history of producing talented junior players, several of whom have gone on to successful careers as professionals. The club’s current crop of PGA professionals are passionate about growing the game and developing juniors – not surprising, perhaps, as youthful head professional Bailey Arnott is not long out of junior ranks himself.
His predecessors include renowned coaches Tim Bell, Mark Gibson, Rob McConnell, Danny Freyling and his father, Tom Arnott.
Not surprisingly, the club has produced more than its share of excellent golfers. They include professionals Adam LeVesconte, Sarah Jane Smith, Darren Barnes and Katelyn Must, as well as extraordinary club golfers like Vern Scott, 19-time club champion Chris Wilson, Peter Wouters, Australian senior champion Gia Stolz, and Cheryl Cowie, who was club champion 22 times in the 23 years between 1971 and 1993.
A birds-eye view. Caloundra Golf Club from the sky.
With no town water or sewage system, securing a reliable water source was always a challenge – particularly in the early years. The only water was from tanks, dams and the creek.
Since 1978, the club had received treated water through a pipeline from the Council’s sewage treatment plant, removing the constant pressure of sourcing water. But when the club was informed in 2005 that free water would stop the following year, it began a programme to enlarge existing dams and construct new ones.
The project, which aimed to store 50 to 60 million litres of water in dams and waterways, not only made the club self-sufficient, but added to the aesthetics of the course – and, in some cases, to the difficulty in playing it.
Club president is Donna Dancer, only the second woman to serve in that capacity, and she happily reports that, after almost a year, she’s finding the role remarkably stress free.
“Having a good team certainly helps,” she said, acknowledging the efforts of Jason Looker, who began with the club 20 years ago as a bar supervisor before transferring to the administrative section and becoming general manager in 2008.
Retiring superintendent Wayne Anderson held his position for 34 years, while former president Jim Burns and vice-president Robert Smith were both on the management committee for two decades. “This continuity of service has contributed greatly to the club’s success,” Ms Dancer said.
She says her goal is for constant improvement. “We want to just keep progressing, improve service levels, remain financially secure and continue to provide members and visitors with an outstanding experience.”
The club’s 75th year milestone on April 8 will be marked with a morning tea, to which all past management committee members, professionals and captains will be invited. Later, guests will be invited to join members in an anniversary Ambrose event over 18 holes, one of which will be a ‘party’ hole.
MORE INFORMATION:
Caloundra Golf Club
1 Charles Woodward Drive
Caloundra 4551
Phone: (07) 5491 1811
admin@caloundragolfclub.com.au
www.caloundragolfclub.com
