History

Foundation

In 1950 Burleigh Heads was a quiet seaside town boasting only a Bowls Club and two Tennis Courts. Thanks to the foresightedness of Kevin Snee who was running the Hotel Burleigh on The Esplanade, the thoughts were planted to start a golf club. Along with two keen golfing enthusiasts namely Dr Tony (Paddy) Golden and Duncan McCrae, they met to arrange a round of golf at either Southport or Tweed Heads. Instead, because they believed that Burleigh Heads at the midpoint, was the ideal place for a golf course they inspected a couple of possible sites for a new course. And with that, it was decided to call the first official general meeting on 7th November 1950.

The residents of Burleigh Heads were soon invited to a public meeting at Hotel Burleigh on 7th November 1950. They were to learn of the proposal to establish a golf club and construct a course. About 100 acres of Miami bush land was to be purchased at a cost of ‘ten pounds’ ($20) per acre. Finance for the venture was to be raised from the sale of Registered Debentures and Memberships. That meeting approved, then proceeded to form the Burleigh Heads Golf Club and to appoint its inaugural committee.

Encouraged with the generous support of the townspeople, the committee arranged socials, working bees and bonfires, as they acquired fresh skills with axe, shovel, public relations, dynamite, course layout and tight fiscal management.

Course Architect James Scott was recommended to the club by Geroge Shambrook then President of Coolangatta Tweed Golf Club. Scott had assisted with greens relocation at the Victorian Club. He was employed to design some of the first holes. His cost to shape and form a green was $6.60.

In 1952 Chatfield and Morrison agreed to build two greens and turf for a cost of $57.00. On the 1st of January 1954 the first green staff were employed, consisting of 3 permanents and 1 casual. Their first job was to plant Queensland Blue Couch. During the year the first vehicle was purchased. It was a 1935 two ton dual wheel Dodge.

In the spring of 1955, the first official game over a 5-hole circuit was played on our course complete with a club house. Thereafter membership became an attractive option for the golfers watching.

An assorted group of dedicated hackers, with their wives and families had transformed the bushland to set up and begin this region’s finest golf course. For the majority, their next task was to learn how to use their “first set of golf sticks”.

Many hours of unpaid work was done by the founding members of the day. Fund raising, road closures, land clearing, club house building. The list goes on and on. Without the effort and the foresight of these early members, there would be no Burleigh Heads Golf Club. We the present members thank them for their efforts.

The first 9 holes was in play from November 1956 and then in early in 1959, foundation member Bill Patterson, designed the existing 2nd nine, that is in play to this day, with the help of a book on course construction from the U.S.A. Besides the book he obviously had the ability to create a great nine out of virgin land. The scrub behind the present 17th through to the 16th tee is an example of how the back nine looked at this time. In 1970 the club changed its name to Gold Coast Burleigh Golf Club.

From a humble beginning of 10 to 20 members to present overall membership of approximately 1,200, its clear how successful the club has become. Our sincere thanks goes out to the many Board and Committee members who over the years have given their time, voluntarily to create the great golf club we all know today.