General News
25 August, 2026
Minyip Golf Club set to celebrate 120 years
Marking over a century of history, the Minyip Golf Club is hosting a tournament celebrating 120 years of golf, social events, and country hospitality on the last weekend of August.
Marking over a century of history, the Minyip Golf Club is hosting a tournament celebrating 120 years of golf, social events, and country hospitality on the last weekend of August.
The young parish of Minyip was established some thirty years before a 9-hole public golf course was formed in 1906, incorporating the nearby Gregson Park.
In the early years of the club, the primitive scrapes were patches of ground cleared of grass, with sand spread over the area and a cup placed in the centre to mark the hole.
Tee markers were often plough discs and an old battery case with sand and water marking the ground.
Golf was played on Wednesdays and Saturdays, with most members travelling by a horse-drawn gig or buggy along unmade roads.
In 1910, Minyip affiliated with the Golf Association of Victoria, and a small clubhouse was built in 1911.
The site remained a nine-hole course until after the First World War, expanding into the timbered south end of Penny’s paddock to 18 holes in 1921.
Due to difficulties arising from the use of private paddocks, a decision was made in 1923 to purchase 22 acres from the estate of James S. Loats, and five holes were established, which remain part of the course today as the 12th and 16th holes.
The rest of the holes were on Crown Land, Gregson Park, and Penny’s paddock, with members even required to hit over a road on one section of the course.
In 1959, an offer of £3,000 ($116,000 in today’s economy) at 6% from Edgar and Betty Waller was accepted, and the club purchased 76 acres from the Penny family for £45 an acre ($1770).
The 1960s brought changes to the clubhouse, which was purchased from Charles Kosch in Coromby in 1960 and was renovated by local builders, John King and Jack Hudson.
The office and equipment shed were also built during this time.
In 1977, a new men’s room was constructed, allowing the clubhouse layout to be altered and a dedicated bar area to be established.
Following a wet 1981 season that forced the cancellation of the annual tournament after just nine holes, the drought conditions of 1982 enabled a major extension to the main clubhouse.
Significant changes were made in response to declining membership at the turn of the century, allowing men and women to play on either competition day of the weekend.
The Minyip Golf Club’s celebratory tournament tees off on Friday, August 28, with a 4 BBB stableford game, assembling at 10 am for a 10.30 am start.
On Saturday, settle in for a social evening of drinks and pizza from 5 pm.
A 4-person Ambrose event on Sunday concludes the weekend, assembling at 10 am, with afternoon tea included in the $60 per-team entry fee.
Contact the club president, Scott McCurdy, at 0407 100 914 for more information.