BUNINYONG Golf Club members will be asked to vote on the future of their clubhouse within weeks with plans to build a new, smaller facility nearby.
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The golf club board will table three options to the club's 380 members for the future use of the clubhouse, with the current building seen as too big to service changing member needs.
The club will ask its members to vote to either renovate the current building, knock down the current building and rebuild a smaller design on the current spot, or build a new clubhouse on the site of the existing practice putting green.
Initially there had been a proposal to build on the eastern side of the course closer to houses, which had concerned some residents. However, surveyors said this was not possible, so a new plan was agreed upon to use the putting green site.
The board will recommend to members to vote for the third option of a new building on the new site, as to continue to keep the clubhouse operational during construction.
President Ron Delaland said the current building, which has capacity for up to 300 people, was simply too big for the changing nature of golf club membership.
"Golf has just changed, back in 1990 golf fees were $500 which was 80 per cent of the club's revenue," Mr Delaland said.
"Now membership is $1000 and it's just 27 per cent of the golf club. It's basically all green fees now and people don't hang around like they used to.
"Our presentations are half the length they used to be, people just don't have the time to stay and have a drink after their round like they used to.
"Right now, the building is costing us $25,000-$30,000 a year."
Mr Delaland said if the club renovated, it meant it would still be using the current big building, while a rebuild in the current site was also not recommended as the club would have to operate out of temporary lodgings until the new building was completed.
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"It's not recommended that we renovate, because at the end of the day, we've still got to maintain it," he said.
Mr Delaland said in the past few years there were only six or seven occasions where the building was at capacity, with functions like weddings and funeral wakes, generally smaller and more intimate affairs than in the past.
He said COVID-19 was also likely to change the way clubs operated going forward, with already concerns that the annual AGM might not be able to be held until after Christmas.
Once the vote is taken, the club will forward its plans to the City of Ballarat council for further consideration.
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