Sydney golfers reject claim local course is 'playground for the rich'
A Sydney golf course has rejected suggestions it is a playground for rich interlopers as the NSW government makes moves to use part of the course for a new public park.
The government plans to convert 20 hectares of Moore Park Golf Course into parkland, an idea tabled at the City of Sydney's council meeting this week.
Lord Mayor Clover Moore argued the course isn't used by locals but by wealthy outsiders, referencing a Rolls-Royce she'd seen in the car park recently.
READ MORE: Lehrmann admits to giving false answer in rape interview
Moore Park Golf Course in Sydney. 9News
But members of the golf club say it is anything but a "playground for the rich".
"It's family, it's a community, it's home," member Giesela Finke said.
"I could not afford to go to one of the rich clubs."
Members claim they're not the ones driving luxury cars to the club.
The government's proposal to convert half the course into parkland. 9News
According to the club, 35 per cent of its golfers live in the City of Sydney, while a further 38 per cent live in the three surrounding councils of Woollahra, Randwick and Waverley.
Moore Park's joining fee of $2000 is small change compared to the likes of nearby Royal Sydney Golf Club and The Australian.
"Most of the people who come here are the working class of Sydney," Moore Park Golf Club president John Janik said.
Members said they would be devastated if the club was converted.
"If this is gone my golfing career is over," Finke added.
READ MORE: Mysterious, powerful cosmic ray hits Earth from beyond our galaxy
Members are devastated by the prospect of the course being downgraded. 9News
There are concerns the $15 million in revenue made by the public course could be cut by as much as two-thirds if downgraded to nine holes.
"All that money goes across the road to Centennial and Moore Park Trust, who then distribute it on the rest of their operations here which is the other 120 fields and 35 sports over there," Janik said.
"If that money is reduced in any way then they'll be affected."
Council is encouraging residents to submit feedback when a discussion paper on the parkland project is released early next year.
Share a tip-off, video or photo with us
