Past Presidents Male & Female  |   Past Captains Male & Female
Past Champions Male & Female  |  Life Members All

On September 25, 1895 Mr. C.F.T. Farran and several colleagues wrote a letter to the town council seeking approval to establish a golf course on the western common beyond the showgrounds. They believe that the game of golf would become very popular and that it would be attractive alike to townspeople and visitors.

On September 27 of that year the first meeting was held at the Ozone Place (now the Hotel Warrnambool) where the club was officially formed, it was attended by 16 gentlemen who had great interest in the development.

It was resolved at that meeting that the annual subscription was to be five shillings (50 cents) and that the members should meet on the ground for play on Saturdays. On October 8, the first committee meeting was held where a price of 17 shillings per diem was accepted from Antonio Loney for rolling the fairways and ladies were to be admitted to membership on payment of a subscription fee of half a crown (25 cents). Later that year the course rules were drawn up by W.F. Molesworth and C.W. Farrar.

In 1896 the first professional was appointed to the club, W.A. Greenwood, who was employed for the following three months to keep the greens in order at two shillings and six pence per week (25 cents). In those times professionals were not only expert golfers that could teach but were also responsible for the course construction and maintenance.

The turn of the century seen some significant changes to the history of the golf club. The Australian Golf Union was formed and Warrnambool became a member for a cost of five shillings. The club received its first lawn mower, a donation from Mr. James Dickson.

A meeting was held on September 21, 1900 and it was agreed that the golf course was to be moved to Albert Park, as it was deemed to be to far from town. The new nine hole course was officially opened on January 17, 1901 and was later extended to 18 holes. This was the home of the golf club for the next 25 years.

By the early 1920’s the club was growing tied of constant criticism from cattle owners and started looking around for an alternate site. Six holes were ready for play in 1926 with this being extended to nine holes by 1928. The committee envisioned having 18 holes in the seeable future, but just ahead laid the great depression and it took six years to complete another three holes.

With world war II following it wasn’t until 1947 were a move was made to extend the course to 18 holes, this was completed and ready for use in 1950. Not long after World War II it was decided that the weatherboard clubhouse, which was maroon with a white fascia, was no longer suitable. It was some time before members could enjoy the fruits of the new facility, which was completed and opened by five time British Open Champion, Peter Thomson, in November 1965.

In the late 1970’s the golf club was approved to extend the course to a 72 par for 18 holes, at that time the number of the front nine holes were included in the back nine and vice-versa. The lengthened course heralded a new era the club as it was soon after some of the biggest project in it is history were embarked on, these included a number of professional tournaments with the staging of the Victorian PGA on a number of occasions during the 1980’s to latterly senior and pro-am events.

From those humble beginnings over a century ago when a number of people wanted to be part of the then new game which was capturing the imagination of people in Victoria the city can now boast that it has one of the most progressive golf clubs in the state.