THERE wasn’t much grass on the fairways of Mt Coolum golf course when Brian Simpson first joined the club in 1989, with players allowed a free drop in areas declared to be a ‘bare patch.’
“We took a preferred lie on almost every shot,” Simpson recalls. “That’s how rough and ready the course was in those days.”
Back then, the modest nine-hole course, situated in the shade of Mt Coolum – a massive 208-metre-high volcanic rock that has overlooked the Sunshine Coast lowlands for 26 million years – was serviced by a stone and timber clubhouse, kindly donated by property developer Felix Parry.
“We used to call it the horror house,” joked Simpson, who has belonged to the club for longer than only a handful of his fellow members.
That old clubhouse is no longer standing, replaced by a modern building containing two bars, a bistro and a balcony that overlooks the scenic course, and this year Mt Coolum Golf Club celebrates its 50th anniversary.
The Mt Coolum course celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2026.
It’s changed significantly over time. The course is now a challenging 18 holes (covered by a luxurious mat of grass), the club boasts a membership of 1260, with 50 more on a wait list, and it hosts more than 60,000 rounds of golf a year to members, visitors and social players.
General manager Sharon Purnell says constant improvement to the course, including recent renovations to the ninth and 10th holes, has been one of the main reasons for the club’s success.
She’s proud that Mt Coolum enjoys a reputation of being one of the region’s friendliest clubs, and says members and staff go out of their way to make visitors feel welcome.
When it began operations in 1976, the club was known as Suncoast Beach Golf Club – the famous Coolum surf beach is only 1km away – and golfers played on a parcel of land leased to the club for a peppercorn rental by Felix Parry’s Suncoast Development Company.
The club bought the land from Mr Parry in 1983, then later leased crown land from the Department of Natural Resources to build an additional nine holes. An 18-hole course opened for play in 1992.
Mt Coolum Golf Club will celebrate its first half-century with a nine-hole competition and a cocktail party on Sunday, September 27.
