{"id":441057,"date":"2026-01-27T16:38:19","date_gmt":"2026-01-27T16:38:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/441057\/"},"modified":"2026-01-27T16:38:19","modified_gmt":"2026-01-27T16:38:19","slug":"australias-healthy-addiction-to-golf","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/441057\/","title":{"rendered":"Australia\u2019s \u2018healthy addiction\u2019 to golf"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Madeleine<\/p>\n

January 27, 2026 \u2014 12:04pm<\/p>\n

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Recreational golf in Australia is booming. Record numbers of people are joining clubs and playing at driving ranges, minigolf facilities and simulators to quench their \u201chealthy addiction\u201d.<\/p>\n

Golf Australia claims the boom has killed off calls for courses to be converted to housing or parkland, and it says it will fight to protect courses from development \u201cboth for the people that play, but also for the environment\u201d.<\/p>\n

\"PaigePaige Chrzanowski at Barwon Valley Golf Course. Paige is new to golf.Joe Armao<\/p>\n

The sport\u2019s popularity has led to higher fees at in-demand courses and waiting lists that exceed five years.<\/p>\n

Members of private clubs in Melbourne\u2019s sand belt pay around $7000 to $10,000 a year, plus joining fees of about $20,000.<\/p>\n

\u201cSome clubs have waiting lists where they haven\u2019t previously had waiting lists. Some clubs \u2026 have increased entrance fees,\u201d said Golf Australia chief executive James Sutherland.<\/p>\n

Sutherland said golf clubs had never experienced the sort of traffic they were seeing today.<\/p>\n

\"RoryRory McIlroy helped attract record crowds to the Australian Open in Melbourne.Getty Images<\/p>\n

\u201cTen or 20 years ago, people thought that it [the game] was stiff, with lots of rules, and difficult. Those things have changed,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Data shows 4.7 per cent of people participated in golf in the year to June 2025, up from 4.4 per cent the previous year, according to the Australian Sports Commission.<\/p>\n

Separate figures from Golf Australia show 3.8 million Australians played some form of golf in the year to June, with strong growth among women, children and newcomers.<\/p>\n

More than 477,000 Australians are members of a golf course, up 3.5 per cent year-on-year, Golf Australia said. Clubs membership numbers have increased by a record 24.1 per cent since 2017-18.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

The figures come as the billionaire Fox family mulls plans for its $100 million purchase of Capital Golf Course in Melbourne\u2019s south-east, formerly owned by Crown casino for exclusive use by its biggest gamblers.<\/p>\n

Golf lovers say the growth has been led by Baby Boomers seeking gentle exercise, people playing while working remotely, and time-poor women enjoying new, shorter versions of the sport.<\/p>\n

Related Article\"Cam<\/a><\/p>\n

Golf is also one of the few sports young people can play with their parents or grandparents, said Sutherland. \u201cThere are stories around Australia of four generations playing together in the one group,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Sutherland said entrepreneurs had invested in \u201coff-course\u201d golf such as driving ranges, minigolf facilities and simulators to feed the country\u2019s \u201chealthy addiction around golf\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople want to access the game, and there are lots of less traditional formats now,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Sutherland said increased participation in golf had left clubs and facilities \u201cin better shape financially than they were 10 years ago\u201d, when a KPMG report showed 58 per cent of clubs were exhibiting signs of distress or serious distress.<\/p>\n

With more people participating in golf, Sutherland said the world had \u201cmoved on\u201d from pandemic-era calls for courses to be converted to public parkland or housing. \u201cI think it was a bit of an anomaly in time,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

But some courses are still battling dwindling memberships and high maintenance, water, and staff costs, prompting them to merge with larger clubs or to sell to developers.<\/p>\n

\"PaigePaige Chrzanowski and her two children Evie (7) and Julian (5) play golf at Barwon Valley Golf Course.Joe Armao<\/p>\n

In Sydney, NSW Premier Chris Minns has proposed to chop<\/a> Moore Park\u2019s 18-hole golf course in half to create a 20-hectare park close to Sydney\u2019s CBD. Rossdale Golf Club in suburban Melbourne intends to sell the course for housing and relocate.<\/p>\n

But the conversion of golf courses to housing has not always gone to plan. The country\u2019s biggest superannuation fund, AustralianSuper, bought Melbourne\u2019s Kingswood Golf Course in 2014, intending to put housing on it, but failed to do so. Kingswood was later sold to a developer.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Waverley Golf Club in Melbourne\u2019s outer east merged<\/a> with the nearby Churchill Park Golf Club in 2016, intending to move to the latter\u2019s Endeavour Hills course and sell its 18-hole facility to developers.<\/p>\n

But almost 10 years later, the project remains in limbo as the golf club site is within a green wedge.<\/p>\n

\"TheThe fairways of Cathedral Lodge Golf Club snake through rolling countryside near Alexandra, north-east of Melbourne. Gary Lisbon<\/p>\n

The country\u2019s most expensive course, Cathedral Lodge<\/a> in Victoria\u2019s north-east, which is owned by businessman David Evans and accessible by helicopter, is believed to have hiked its upfront fees to invitation-only members to more than $150,000.<\/p>\n

Newcomers to the sport include Paige Chrzanowski, 38, who plays four to five holes each week with coach Jay McKenzie at the Geelong Golf Academy. McKenzie also coaches Chrzanowski\u2019s two young children and husband.<\/p>\n

Related Article\"The<\/a><\/p>\n

Chrzanowski said that while she had always thought golf was just for men, she is now \u201caddicted\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve found my niche,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Chrzanowski said she expected her family to play golf together in the years to come.<\/p>\n

Daniel Cromie, a former golf professional who now leads Commonwealth Golf Club\u2019s hospitality operations, said the sport was busier than ever.<\/p>\n

Related Article\"Spectacular<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cPeople want places that feel steady and familiar. If we provide warm service, great food and a welcoming culture, the game will continue to grow,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Close to 105,000 golf fans packed into Royal Melbourne golf course in December for the Australian Open. They were there for Queenslander Cam Smith and Rasmus Neergard-Peterson\u2019s one-shot victory.<\/p>\n

US president Donald Trump recently said<\/a> he would consider attending the Presidents Cup, to be held at Melbourne\u2019s Kingston Heath Golf Club in 2028.<\/p>\n

\u201cI actually have been to Australia, and did play one of your great golf courses \u2013 have great golf courses there,\u201d he said during a visit from Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.<\/p>\n

Start the day with a summary of the day\u2019s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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\"MadeleineMadeleine Heffernan<\/a> is a consumer affairs reporter for The Age. She has also reported on education, city and business for the publication.Connect via X<\/a> or email<\/a>.From our partners<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"January 27, 2026 \u2014 12:04pm Save You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":441058,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[566],"tags":[64,63,755,85],"class_list":["post-441057","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-golf","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-golf","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/441057","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=441057"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/441057\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/441058"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=441057"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=441057"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=441057"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}