Monash Council is planning for the future of the Oakleigh Golf Course, and we are inviting residents and community members to help us do this.

There are two future options for the land being considered by Council:

• Retain the 9-hole golf course, or
• Transform the site into a regional park.

Council is committed to the land remaining as open space, and no other options are being considered.

Consultation is open until Thursday 30 November.

Monash Council is considering the future open space and sporting infrastructure needs of the community to ensure we are making the most of the space we have available in Monash so that residents can participate and be active. This includes acknowledging the historical use of the site for golf and the importance of the site for local golfers.

Like other suburban councils Monash has limited open space available, with forecasted population increases to stretch this space even further.

On average, Monash has 2.5 hectares (25,000m²) of publicly accessible open space per every 1,000 residents. Of the suburbs immediately around the golf course, Oakleigh has 3.3 hectares (33,000m²) per 1,000 residents and Chadstone has 1.7 hectares (17,000m²) per 1,000 residents.

Consulting with our community will help to ensure that a crucial Council asset is providing the highest value and community benefit possible.

Council regularly assesses the how it’s assets and services can provide the highest overall benefit to the community, while also considering the cost of providing existing assets and services and/or creating new assets and services.

In this case, Council is assessing how Oakleigh Golf Course can provide the highest value and benefit for the community and is seeking input from the community to assist in this assessment.

The population of Oakleigh and Chadstone is forecast to increase in the future (source: forecast.id):

• Oakleigh: Current population – 10,203; 2041 forecast population – 15,234; Change +49.3%
• Chadstone: Current population – 10,075; 2041 forecast population – 11,561; Change +14.7%

Increases in population can place pressure on existing assets and services, including open space parkland and sport and recreation facilities. For example, the amount of open space per 1,000 residents is expected to decrease to two hectares by 2041.

Council has conducted a review of Oakleigh Golf Course relating to course infrastructure, participation analysis and trends, financial analysis, demographic analysis, provision of golf courses and facilities in the surrounding area, assessment of community needs, and alignment to Council and community priorities.

The outcome of the review process has resulted in the development of the two options to be considered by Council for the future of the site.

Any future development of Oakleigh Golf Course, as either a golf course or regional park, will prioritise environmental and biodiversity outcomes and will seek to provide additional protection for native flora and fauna within the site.

The future design options for Oakleigh Golf Course have been developed to ensure that the environmental value of the site is protected and enhanced.

No. Oakleigh Golf Course will remain as a nine-hole golf course if it is decided to retain golf at the site.

No. Oakleigh Golf Course will either be retained for the specific purpose of golf or transform into a regional park.

Monash Council is committed to retaining the entire site as open space for the community to be used as either a public golf course or regional park. No other purpose for the site is being considered.

The Council Plan 2021-2025 and Health and Wellbeing Plan 2021-2025 include key focus areas relating to enhancing places and increasing access to quality public open spaces and facilities.

The Monash Open Space Strategy establishes the strategic priorities for open space provision across the municipality and considers areas of open space deficit and future needs (see FAQ regarding open space).

The Monash Playground and Playspace Strategy identifies the need to provide a significant destination playground within Oakleigh.

The Active Recreation Opportunities Strategy identified the need for more active recreation infrastructure across the municipality to encourage increased physical activity.

The Environmental Sustainability Strategy, Urban Biodiversity Strategy, and Urban Landscape and Canopy Vegetation Strategy promote the protection and enhancement of the natural environment, including areas of native vegetation, habitat, and biodiversity value.

This review aims to consider the role that Oakleigh Golf Course plays in delivering on Council’s strategic direction whether it is retained as a golf course or transformed into a regional park.

Council will consider stakeholder and community feedback on the two options and decide on the future use of Oakleigh Golf Course in early 2024.

Preliminary concept designs have been developed to represent the proposed layout of the site for both options that are being considered. The concept designs are indicative and further detailed design development will be required once the preferred future option for Oakleigh Golf Course has been determined by Council following a public consultation process.

It is expected that any changes to Oakleigh Golf Course will not occur until 2029 at the earliest, this will be confirmed through budgeting and design work in the coming years. It is expected that Oakleigh Golf Course would remain open for golfers during this time.

While the course clubhouse and pro-shop facilities are suitable and fit-for-purpose for a course such as Oakleigh Golf Course, they are ageing and will require future renewal works. The maintenance areas, including a separate site office, and irrigation system will also require upgrading. Total asset renewal is currently estimated at approximately $20 million.

The number of rounds played at Oakleigh Golf Course over the last five financial years is:

• 2018-19: 17,177 rounds (47 rounds per day)
• 2019-20: 21,338 rounds (58 rounds per day)
• 2020-21*: 26,571 rounds (83 rounds per day)
• 2021-22*: 25,174 rounds (85 rounds per day)
• 2022-23: 30,301 rounds (83 rounds per day)

*Due to the COVID restrictions, Oakleigh Golf Course was closed for 44 days during 2020-21 and 68 days during 2021-22. This has been accounted for in the “rounds per day” calculation.

Oakleigh Golf Course is used by two golf clubs with a total of 144 members (as of August 2023):

• Oakleigh Golf Club (65 members)
• Oakleigh Veterans Golf Club (79 members)

Approximately 58% of golf club members are City of Monash residents.

Council is also directly engaging with key stakeholders such as Golf Australia, these local golf clubs, and casual golfers to ensure that the views of current users of the golf course are understood and considered.

During the consultation process Council has spoken with a number of groups, clubs and organisations using Oakleigh Golf Course for organised programs and activities. We encourage these groups, clubs and organisations to take part in consultation by providing feedback so this can be considered by Councillors. If Council decides to make changes to Oakleigh Golf Course, it is expected that these will not occur until 2029 at the earliest and the course will remain open for golfers during this time. Council officers would use this time to work with groups, clubs and organisations to find alternative options – which could include Council’s second public golf course at Glen Waverley.

Oakleigh Golf Course is comprised of a series of land parcels that are either owned and managed by Monash Council or Crown Land that is managed by Monash Council.

There are six golf courses (one public, five private) within 5km of Oakleigh Golf Course and a further nine golf courses (three public, six private) within 5-10km of Oakleigh Golf Course.

Within 5km of Oakleigh Golf Course: Malvern Valley Golf Course (public), Riversdale Golf Course (private), Metropolitan Golf Course (private), Huntingdale Golf Course (private) Commonwealth Golf Course (private), Yarra Yarra Golf Course (private).

Within 5-10km of Oakleigh Golf Course: Brighton Public Golf Course (public), Wattle Park Golf Course (public), Glen Waverley Golf Course (public)*, Spring Valley Golf Course (private), Cheltenham Golf Course (private), Box Hill Golf Course (private), Kingston Heath Golf Course (private), Capital Golf Course (private), Victoria Golf Course (private).

*Glen Waverley Golf Course is a public golf course owned by the City of Monash.

Council is committed to providing a public golf offering for the community. No changes to use of the Glen Waverley Golf Course site are being considered and Council has recently invested in a Glen Waverley Sports Hub project that will provide significant improvements for users of Glen Waverley Golf Course. This project is on track to be open in early 2024.

For more information:: Monash Tennis Centre - Glen Waverley Sports Hub | City of Monash

Monash Council contracts a golf course operator to manage the operation of Oakleigh Golf Course.Monash Council maintains the golf course and related facilities and infrastructure.

Monash Council generates revenue from contract fees paid by the golf course operator and incurs expenses associated with the maintenance of the golf course and related facilities and infrastructure.

The average subsidy per round excluding Council overheads is:

Financial Year	Subsidy per Round
2018-19	$1.06
2019-20*	$3.29
2020-21*	$2.98
2021-22*	$4.90
2022-23	$5.61

*Note: Golf Operator contract fees in 2019-20, 2020-21 and 2021-22 were subject to reductions due to the change in Golf Operator (2019-20) and COVID-19 pandemic (2020-21 and 2021-22).

A regional park is a large area of parkland preserved for recreational use and nature that attracts people from both inside and outside of the City of Monash.

A regional park would provide opportunities to create additional open space, natural vegetation, trails and paths, and active recreation and play facilities, and would be accessible to the whole community.

The concept design for a possible regional park shows the potential layout and configuration. If Council resolves to transform the site into a regional park, there will be further opportunities for the community to provide input into the design for the site.