PETITION FOR CHELTENHAM GOLF CLUB MEMBERS Give Members the Opportunity to Decide on the Proposed 8th & 9th Hole Works

 *** Please DO NOT contribute any money we are just asking for your signature to support a proper process to review the proposed changes to the 8th & 9th holes ***

To: The Committee of Cheltenham Golf Club

We, the members of Cheltenham Golf Club, demand that the Committee refer the proposed major works to the 8th and 9th holes to members for consideration and a vote at the Annual General Meeting on Thursday, 24 September 2026, at 7.00pm in the Clubhouse.

Members should be provided with full information regarding the cost, financial impact, safety assessment and alternatives before any vote or irreversible commitment is made.

The Committee has approved a project involving more than $300,000 of proposed works to the 8th and 9th holes, with the holes predicted to be closed for approximately six months. The “flipping” of the 8th and 9th holes is unproven and may not resolve the stray-ball risk.

In addition to the $300,000 construction cost, a further $300,000 loss in green-fee and membership revenue is a conservative estimate based on a 10% impact. This brings the potential total financial impact to more than $600,000.

We acknowledge that the safety issue is genuine. Errant balls from the 9th tee have created a risk beyond the Club’s boundary, and the Club has a responsibility to address that risk. However, members should have the opportunity to consider whether a simpler, substantially less expensive alternative can achieve the required safety outcome before committing more than $300,000 and accepting six months of disruption.

An Alternative Must Be Properly Considered

Experienced professional golfers and well-credentialled golf course architects have proposed an alternative involving the repositioning of the original 9th tee box and angling it away from the shared Victoria Golf Club boundary.

This approach has the potential to:

• Improve safety;
• Retain the 8th and 9th holes as quality par 4s;
• Avoid approximately six months of disruption; and
• Be delivered at a fraction of the cost of the proposed works.

At the very least, we believe this alternative should be trialled and assessed with Victoria Golf Club before members commit to a $300,000+ permanent course alteration. Why not commence the trial NOW, before the major works are scheduled to commence in January?

Financial Responsibility

The proposed $300,000 construction cost is an estimate and is likely to increase. When the conservative $300,000 estimate of lost green-fee and membership revenue is included, the potential financial impact exceeds $600,000.

The Club is also facing significant additional expenditure, including:

• An estimated $250,000 requirement for a compliant maintenance wash bay; and
• Major works planned for the 5th, 6th and 7th holes within the next two years.

In these circumstances, we believe members should have the opportunity to determine whether committing more than $300,000 to the 8th and 9th holes represents the best use of the Club’s limited capital.

We Therefore Demand That the Committee:

1. Do not proceed with the proposed 8th and 9th hole works until members have had an opportunity to consider the proposal.
   
   
2. Put the proposed works to a members’ vote at the Annual General Meeting on 24 September 2026.
   
   
3. Properly investigate and, at a minimum, trial the alternative 9th tee arrangement with Victoria Golf Club.
   
   
4. Provide members with full information regarding the cost, financial impact, safety assessment and alternatives before any vote or irreversible commitment is made.
5. Do not sign the proposed lease containing the condition requiring the reversal of the 8th and 9th holes until that condition has been removed and the implications have been properly considered by members.
   
   
6. What are the limits of expenditure that the Committee is permitted to approve without the approval of members?
   
   
7. How many quotations for the proposed 8th and 9th hole works have been received, and what are the amounts of those quotations?
   
   
8. The Committee is considering approving the commencement of the major works in January 2027, in the middle of summer. What consideration has the Committee given to commencing the project at a more suitable time?

This petition is not about opposing action on safety. It is about ensuring that members’ money is spent responsibly, alternatives are properly considered, and members have a meaningful opportunity to decide the future of their golf course.

PETITION

We demand that the Committee provide answers to the above questions and that the proposed 8th and 9th hole works be brought before members for consideration and a vote at the Annual General Meeting on Thursday, 24 September 2026, at 7.00pm, before the Club commits to the proposed expenditure.

***Please DO NOT contribute any money we are just asking for your signature to support a proper process to review the proposed changes to the 8th & 9th holes***