By Michael Davis
DEVILBEND Golf Club on Melbourne’s Mornington Peninsula, has been through the weather mill recently.
The club had just recovered from massive rainfall where two of its dams breached, only to be lashed shortly afterwards by freakish cyclonic winds of more than 120kph which lashed Victoria.
“It was unreal,” general manager Tim O’Sullvan said. “It hit about 7.30 when I was driving to work, I thought we would be in a bit of trouble.
“The road in was blocked by a massive tree, which had fallen across it. The staff could not get out until 3 pm.
“We lost 10 or 12 huge trees. The boys did a massive job on the chainsaws and we actually got golfers out there on the weekend.
“And in typical Devilbend fashion, the members came back and helped us with the clean-up. The spirit at this place is fantastic. It is just like a big club in the bush. Everyone pitches in and does their bit.”
It was certainly an amazing month for the club after reopening from Covid lockdown number six in Victoria.
“Mother Nature has certainly thrown everything at us from earthquakes, yes there was one in Victoria, to hurricanes, along with some pretty decent rainfall,” O’Sullivan added.
“The ground staff have done a magnificent job in cleaning up the course and you wouldn’t know there had been a storm now.”
Golf continues to flourish at this hidden jewel among the many courses on the peninsula, with many new players experiencing golf at Devilbend. Membership has taken off with the innovative lifestyle membership proving very popular at just $495.
“The age demographic is certainly reducing, with many of our new members being under the age of 40,” O’Sullivan said. “This has seen the average age of our members reduce dramatically in recent times from 62 to 53.
“This is great for the future of golf and its continued rebirth.
Anyone looking for a game on the Peninsula over the holiday period should give Devilbend a try. You can book online or call the pro shop on 5978-8470.
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