Talking with some members today who suggest that Northern is about to sell practice fairway and change course layout.

New clubhouse? new maintenance shed?

Course architects?

Any information

Hey casual g
Welcome aboard.
I heard about this ages ago.
Supposedly they have sold the practise fairway for town house re developments.
They are supposed to be using the money for a new clubhouse,
T boxes and creating another longer practise fairway.
Heard they got between 7 & 8 mill.
I heard this from a current member.
Not to sure how much is true.
Cheers bro
Kiwi

Thanks for your welcome Kiwi.

Perhaps a better move would be for Northern/Medway to come together in discussion and propose a merger of clubs and a relocation to another site. They could then create a “superclub” in the north/northwest, plenty of money, good facilities and hopefully good golf courses. Plenty of land out Greenvale/Yuroke way.

Current sites have plenty of boundary issues, have a limitation of land, clubhouses and maintenance sheds in need of upgrades, etc.

With a lot of development up north, lots of money in the bank from sale of existing sites, a merged club should be a serious consideration.

On the other hand, if they merged and retained one course, they could operate a public golf course on the retained course which should be a cash cow for them.

My guess is that they could build 36 holes somewhere not too far away.

Any thoughts on this?

Casual G
Glenroy is an old suburb so am assuming the members are all older types (read conservative).
So merger would in my opinion see a mutiny from the northern members i reckon.
The boundries i feel dont really effect northern.
Haven’t played medway so can’t really comment on their situation.
Have read here somewhere they are getting some recycled water soon too.
Water is northerns main issue with damns only and relying on rain.
The northern suburbs don’t really need another good super course (allready have frog, sunshine , eyensbury, hidden valley).
Would be a brave person to go down that track in the climates (both the financial and weather) that we have at the moment.
Have you played these courses?
Are you a member some where in the nth?
Cheers
Kiwi

Casual G
Glenroy is an old suburb so am assuming the members are all older types (read conservative).
So merger would in my opinion see a mutiny from the northern members i reckon.
The boundries i feel dont really effect northern.
Haven’t played medway so can’t really comment on their situation.
Have read here somewhere they are getting some recycled water soon too.
Water is northerns main issue with damns only and relying on rain.
The northern suburbs don’t really need another good super course (allready have frog, sunshine , eyensbury, hidden valley).
Would be a brave person to go down that track in the climates (both the financial and weather) that we have at the moment.
Have you played these courses?
Are you a member some where in the nth?
Cheers
Kiwi

“NO white belts here baby!!”

They should buy out the Glenroy footy club thugs and move some holes there.

Casual G
Glenroy is an old suburb so am assuming the members are all older types (read conservative).
So merger would in my opinion see a mutiny from the northern members i reckon.
The boundries i feel dont really effect northern.
Haven’t played medway so can’t really comment on their situation.
Have read here somewhere they are getting some recycled water soon too.
Water is northerns main issue with damns only and relying on rain.
The northern suburbs don’t really need another good super course (allready have frog, sunshine , eyensbury, hidden valley).
Would be a brave person to go down that track in the climates (both the financial and weather) that we have at the moment.
Have you played these courses?
Are you a member some where in the nth?
Cheers
Kiwi

“NO white belts here baby!!”

They should buy out the Glenroy footy club thugs and move some holes there.

who ate all the pies?

Glenroy back in A grade now cob they are a quality footy club so stop trying to sit judgement on them. Leave them alone Army!

Kiwi, I live backing onto Northern and can assure that golf balls are a real issue with many in back yards along the 13th fairway, into houses next to 16th green, Cardinal Road off the 1st tee, a number OOB on the 2nd, a few OOB on 15th and also into the football ground on 9th.

As a youngster I earnt my pocket money caddying at Northern and my golf membership is at one of the Yarra River courses where the facilities are better, close to my office, and play the rest of my golf where-ever. The Frog I do enjoy, can’t say the same for Hidden Valley or Sunshine and have not been to Eynesbury as it is more to the west.

Have played a few rounds at Medway but when the wind blows from the west, the industrial smells are enough to make one ill, smells like a tannery or blood and bone industry. With a lot of development proposed for the area around Medway, it may get squeezed out anyway.

Appreciate that members at Northern may be aging but a lot can be learnt from the relocation from the east and other sites during the 1920’s or thereabouts to the sand belt by clubs many today rate amongst world quality. Surely the older members are only custodians of the club and should also consider the future generations.

When playing Northern, the 6th green is very exposed to both the 5th and 7th, the 11th green is exposed to the 8th and crossover 17th fairway when going to 3rd tee. It has some real danger areas internally too, as does Medway. Both courses are on very small parcels of land.

Water is a real issue at both courses and I have not heard of any possibility of recycled water being available any time soon at either course. Have heard Northern looking for bore water, though this has previously been unsuccessful.

When it rains, both courses become mud patches very quickly.

Selling of land, is surely not the way to go. Recently Medway sold of land which they had purchased a few years earlier and now Northern is now planning or has done so already. It is a brave golf club which feels it doesn’t need land, particularly when it has some significant boundary issues at both.

Reading some history books of the local area, it seems Northern once owned the parcel of land where the football ground is, though it is nice to have a good local football team there now.

I opened discussion on a merger that whilst maybe currently meeting expectations of some members both clubs have neglected clubhouses, neglected pro shops, neglected maintenance facilities, practice facilities are poor and these somehow will need to be upgraded to appeal to future generations.

Kiwi, by selling both courses, there would be sufficient funds plus a bit more for a really secure future for both clubs, particularly if the clubs locate further north whilst land is still a plenty – north/east of Melbourne Airport areas.

Perhaps talking with the Govt. and exchanging club land for the land to be developed in Maribyrnong could be another option and it would be close to the current locations for both clubs.

casual G
having only played northern once and having you live on the boundry you have far superior knowledge than me on that score.
Am gussing you are a member at Latrobe, green acres or kew.
I have played latrobe and the acres only a few times.
What i like about the G/acres course is it is being repaired and kept in good cond all the time.
A changing landscape so to speak.
What you have posted above makes a lot of sense.
regards
kiwi

Any update on what’s happening with course changes and proposed sale of practice fairway.

I was on the practice fairway at Northern for the Ivo one year and the cops turned up. People hitting driver onto the footy ground while a game was on!

casual g
Can confirm they have sold the range,
they are moving 2 or 3 holes (cant remember exactly) and building another driving range which will be netted,
they have sunk bores to find water which they have,
are purchasing a reverse osmosis (de sal) plant from states
a few more reno/repairs to club house,
and some more dam work too,
cheers
kiwi

The dams are pretty big, after one or two good spring rainfalls the water would last for a while?

I have always been a big fan of Northern GC and am glad to hear that they are ensuring their future.

exciting times sambwhich

Surely it is better to ask the members to pay more for their membership if facilities are to be improved rather than selling off land, particularly when many holes are adjacent to boundary fences. Also, the 6th is dangerously wedged in between the 5th and the 7th.

Nothern is very cheap for membership, probably the best value in metropolitan Melbourne.

Just hope that in years to come they do not regret the decision.

Did hear that some decades ago the club owned the land that is Sewell Reserve today alongside the 9th and gave the land away to the Council of the day.

This club could have purchased the land which was the timbermill alongside the 13th fairway and the vacant paddock that was next to the timber mill before it was all developed into housing. So many clubs think of today’s pocket rather than well into the future of other generations.

Surely it is better to ask the members to pay more for their membership if facilities are to be improved rather than selling off land, particularly when many holes are adjacent to boundary fences. Also, the 6th is dangerously wedged in between the 5th and the 7th.

Nothern is very cheap for membership, probably the best value in metropolitan Melbourne.

Just hope that in years to come they do not regret the decision.

Did hear that some decades ago the club owned the land that is Sewell Reserve today alongside the 9th and gave the land away to the Council of the day.

This club could have purchased the land which was the timbermill alongside the 13th fairway and the vacant paddock that was next to the timber mill before it was all developed into housing. So many clubs think of today’s pocket rather than well into the future of other generations.

Just got back from the 36 hole Centenary Open, and first game there in almost 10 years, and not much has changed. Still a great course, fairways like carpet and the greens were awesome. Had it not been for the downpour we received overnight the greens would have been crazy fast. Still by far the best course in the North-West.

Any update on what’s happening with course changes and proposed sale of practice fairway.

2 years on and it’s still the same.

Other than during the wet winter months Northern is in excellent condition. Easily the best course north of the Yarra and membership is very cheap.

A nice track would have joined in 2004 if the waiting list wasn’t so long at that time, although these days I couldn’t be stuffed driving that far.

My cousin is a member and he plays very infrequently. He is a bloody fool spends too much time watching his beloved tigers instead of playing golf.

Waiting list is down to under 6 moths at the moment.

Waiting list is down to under 6 moths at the moment.

Formally known as Russ_Has_Vision.

http://www.settlersrun.com….
http://golfshot.com/members…
http://www.golflink.com.au/...

if I had put my name down at that time I would have gotten 7 day in a few months, early in 2004 they wanted some cash so they cleared the waiting lists.

Think it is the same at the moment.

I really like Northern. After a round there, you always feel like it was a pleasant day. I will be joining there in a few years when I get the chance to get my value for money- ie: kids grow up and leave….so should be a member in about 2043.

Hi all just came along this thread and wanted to know does any know how long the waiting list is there at the moment?

Hi all just came along this thread and wanted to know does any know how long the waiting list is there at the moment?

I doubt that its very long, give the club a ring.