Melbourne’s historic Redheads match factory site is being transformed into the $600m Matchworks precinct, with London-born Pitch Golf to open its first Australian indoor golf and cocktail venue in Cremorne. Picture: Supplied
The historic Bryant & May industrial site in Cremorne is set for a major transformation as a luxury virtual golf and cocktail bar brand moves in.
Melbourne’s iconic Redheads match factory will be transformed into a luxury indoor golf and cocktail playground as part of a $600m redevelopment.
London-born Pitch Golf has chosen the former Bryant & May site at Matchworks in Cremorne for its first Australian venue, bringing hi-tech virtual golf, private hitting bays and hospitality to one of the city’s best-known old industrial addresses.
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The brand is expected to open at the 560 Church St precinct in late 2026, with future sites also planned for Sydney and Queenstown.
But this will be a long way from a traditional golf club.
Pitch Golf’s overseas venues combine Trackman simulators, cocktail bars, coaching, private event areas, food, music, corporate hosting and social lounges aimed at making golf feel more like a night out than a five-hour weekend slog.
Its virtual technology allows players to take on digital versions of more than 350 famous courses, including Pebble Beach, Wentworth and Bethpage Black, with a full 18-hole round possible in about an hour.
An artist impression of Matchworks in Cremorne, where the former Bryant & May site is being reborn with offices, hotel rooms, hospitality, wellness spaces and Australia’s first Pitch Golf venue. Picture: Supplied
The company’s London Wharf venue has 11 Trackman bays, two bars, two floors, a riverside terrace, a retail store and sports bar.
Its Soho venue has nine Trackman bays, three social lounges, a restaurant, resident DJ offering and club-fitting studio.
The Dublin site has 10 bays, an elegant cocktail bar and pan-Asian food menu.
The same formula will now be rolled out in Melbourne as Matchworks attempts to turn the old Redheads factory into one of the city’s next major work, hotel, dining and entertainment hubs.
The broader Alfasi redevelopment is a $600m project across the former Bryant & May site, rather than a $600m fit-out for the Pitch Golf venue alone.
Pitch Golf’s UK venues combine Trackman simulators, private hitting bays, cocktail bars and social lounges, with the brand now preparing to bring the concept to Melbourne. Picture: Supplied
The one-hectare site is being converted into a mixed-use precinct with office space, hotel rooms, food and beverage venues, wellness offerings and public areas.
Pitch Golf will sit within more than 2000sq m of retail, hospitality, wellness and creative space planned for the project.
The exact size of the Pitch Golf venue has not been disclosed, but company research shows it will occupy a prominent double-storey space facing Church St and an internal pedestrian lane.
The venue will also join The Hoxton Hotel at Matchworks, with the boutique accommodation brand also choosing Cremorne for its first Australian site.
The Hoxton is expected to bring almost 200 hotel rooms to the precinct, adding tourists and business travellers to the area’s growing base of office workers and residents.
The $600m Matchworks redevelopment will turn the old Redheads factory site into a new inner-city hub for workers, hotel guests, diners and social golf fans. Picture: Supplied
Colliers senior executive of retail leasing Ruby Koop said Pitch Golf would help draw crowds to the project from morning to night.
“Pitch Golf brings an internationally proven, experience-led concept that aligns perfectly with the way people want to socialise, work and play today,” Ms Koop said.
“This isn’t just a retail tenancy, it’s a destination offering that will activate the precinct from day to night, draw a highly engaged audience and complement the broader hospitality, office and hotel uses being delivered at Matchworks.”
Ms Koop said global operators were increasingly choosing Cremorne because of its creative culture, foot traffic and proximity to the CBD.
“We’re seeing global operators consistently choose Cremorne because of its mix of creativity, culture, footfall and proximity to Melbourne’s CBD,” she said.
“Pitch Golf’s debut here reinforces the precinct’s standing as a genuine gateway market.”
Pitch Golf founders Elliot Godfrey and Chris Ingham created the London-born brand after seeing a gap between traditional golf clubs and the way younger city workers wanted to socialise. Picture: Supplied
Pitch Golf was founded in Britain in 2015 by PGA-trained coaches Elliot Godfrey and Chris Ingham, who saw a gap between old-school golf clubs and the way younger city workers wanted to socialise.
Instead of dress codes and private club rules, the brand built venues around technology, hospitality, premium fit-outs and social golf.
Its Australian expansion is being led by Pitch Golf Australia, with the Melbourne site marking the brand’s first step into the southern hemisphere.
The Matchworks project will retain key parts of the former Bryant & May site, including heritage buildings tied to the Redheads factory’s industrial past.
The precinct is also targeting 5-Star Green Star and 5.5-Star NABERS outcomes, with green space and all-electric operations planned.
The former Bryant & May industrial site at 560 Church St, Cremorne, is set for a major second life as a hi-tech golf, hotel and hospitality precinct. Picture: Supplied
Colliers Victorian head of retail leasing Tom Larwill said landlords were chasing venues that gave people a reason to visit beyond traditional shopping.
“Leisure-based and experiential concepts are driving some of the strongest leasing outcomes we’re seeing, as landlords and tenants respond to changing consumer expectations post-Covid,” Mr Larwill said.
He said precincts with offices, hotels, shops, bars and restaurants had an advantage because they attracted people across more hours of the day.
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