by Shane Sody
We’ve offered to help Premier Malinauskas to capture the economic benefits of the LIV Golf tourism drawcard, while protecting trees and public access to your Adelaide Park Lands.
The Premier’s plans to chop trees, erect fences, and build over parts of Possum Park / Pirltawardli (Park 1 of your Adelaide Park Lands) have been characterised as “Pillaging Possum Park for FIFO millionaires.”
A social media campaign, using the hashtag #ProtectParksPete has kicked off, and our petition “Protect Possum Park, Pete” has attracted more than 1,200 signatures.
Have you signed yet? https://www.change.org/p/protect-possum-park-pete
Our campaign is two-pronged, and it’s positive. We are intent on both protecting your world-unique Adelaide Park Lands, and also assisting the Premier by suggesting a number of alternative locations to build a new championship golf course (or modify an existing course) to host the multi-million dollar annual LIV Golf tournament.
This is the third in our series of options we’re suggesting to the Premier, so that he can protect your Park Lands, while still catering to the millionaire FIFOs of the LIV Golf circuit.
In April, our first suggested option was at Dry Creek, where there are about 980 hectares of idle evaporation ponds. Choosing that site would allow construction of a brand new course, suitable for LIV Golf, without chopping a single tree or fencing off any of your Adelaide Park Lands.
In May, our second suggested option was at Cherry Gardens, where an existing picturesque golf course, just 23 kilometres from the GPO, offers sweeping hilltop views over the southern Adelaide Hills.
Now; Option 3: Links Lady Bay
Links Lady Bay Golf Course at Normanville. Pic: www.golfaustralia.com.au
Located 75km south of Adelaide’s CBD at Normanville on the stunning Fleurieu Peninsula, Links Lady Bay golf course was designed by Jack Newton, Graeme Grant and John Spencer. It sits alongside grape vines, and four-star accommodation.
Golfaustralia.com.au describes the course as “a testing layout which has been ranked in Australia’s Top-100 Courses for the past 25 years.”
The review by Brendan James (published October 2024) says the course is:
"a terrific links course that follows the traditions of the great links of Britain and Ireland, which remain the game’s benchmark for fine, unpredictable golf courses. Two loops of nine holes stretch out in opposite directions from the front of The Lady Bay Resort.
“From there, each hole runs in a different direction to the previous, which challenges the golfer to become a keen judge of the breeze from all points of the compass. Strategic mounding, bunkering and the natural ebb and flow of the terrain on each hole introduces the element of luck. For this reason, as MacKenzie quite rightly points out, Links Lady Bay is an enjoyable course calling for a full repertoire of shots from a variety of lies. A round here could never be considered boring, even on windless days."
The Links Lady Bay course, near Normanville and Yankalilla. Pic: Google Earth.
The course is a relatively long one, at 6400 metres, similar to the length of the courses at Grange, Royal Adelaide, and Kooyonga.
A member of the Links Lady Bay golf club (a past member at the North Adelaide golf club) has advised APA that to cater to the standards of LIV golf, some improvements would be necessary, such as new putting greens, upgrading irrigation and bunkers.
But these construction costs would be relatively minor, compared to the tens of millions of dollars in construction costs (and wholescale tree destruction) that the State Government is contemplating for Possum Park in your North Adelaide Park Lands.
Importantly, no trees would need to be sacrificed at Links Lady Bay. Bringing LIV Golf to the Fleurieu Peninsula would be consistent with SA Tourism’s goals to boost tourism to SA’s regions, and would complement the area’s existing drawcards of fine food, wine, and arts.
The Adelaide Park Lands Association has not sought the views of the Links Lady Bay golf course managers, nor its members. That’s not our role. We are not the State Government’s real estate agency. Our role is to protect your Open, Green, Public Possum Park / Pirltawardli (Park 1 of your Adelaide Park Lands) from the Premier’s Park Lands proposals which would require:
hundreds of trees being destroyed to make longer, wider fairways;
new buildings to generate multi-million dollar revenue streams; and
months of fencing and grandstand construction disrupting North Adelaide each year.
It’s the Premier’s duty to do “due diligence” and investigate all options; which should include canvassing the views of golf club members at this club, and others.
The Links Lady Bay Golf course is is just one of many potential sites; and we will continue suggesting other options, while we fight to Protect Possum Park and its thousands of trees, from threatened Government chainsaws.
Reviews of the Links Lady Bay Golf club on Google include comments such as:
“The food and service was fantastic at the resort. The golf courses were decently maintained and very enjoyable. The town centre is very close with plenty of cute cafes and the beach was fantastic.”
“Beautifully maintained couch fairways”
“The area it's in is just beautiful, there was plenty of carparking. The staff in the pro shop were friendly and very helpful and just awesome. The golf course was in very good condition. Off the whites it's rated 139, great Links layout. You need to keep up on the front nine. Then more opportunities to score on the back 9 holes. Greens are great size and undulations and good speed.
Highly recommend … have a game there and you will enjoy it.”“Spent a week here playing this course. It very long so be prepared for a long walk or grab a cart. I was told there is 126 bunkers on the course which I believe! Can be a very challenging course when the wind gets up.”
Find out more
Future stories in this series will focus on other alternative sites on which the State Government might build its desired new LIV Golf course, without trying to harm or diminish your Park Lands.
See our previously published stories on this issue and other relevant resources - including a letter from the Premier, and suggestions for activism, collected on this page:
