Broken Hill GC

Broken Hill GC- hole 3 tee shot

A Brief History of Broken Hill Golf Club

In 1921 Broken Hill was a dry, hot mining town 330 miles from Adelaide when golf was first introduced to the area by the local butcher's son (E. Jones)

By the end of 1992 the Jones family and friends had formed a club, roughed out 9 holes on the outskirts of town, and applied for affilitiation with the South Australian Golf Association.

In 1923 a further 9 holes was added giving the fledgling club 18 holes- albeit without a blade of grass.

The fairways were dirt and the 'greens' were oiled sand or crushed slag!

In 1928 the club decided to look for more suitable land and opted for a site adjacent to the racecourse.

A nine hole course was layed out by Bill and Albert Robertson, together with H. Beauchamp.

Club members and volunteers cleared the site of bushes, saltbush, acacia trees and rocks and the new 9 hole course officially opened in 1930.

Three years later the club was able to access further land and asked Bill Robertson to add another nine holes, which involved changing the order of play of the existing holes.

Over sixty year later the club converted from dirt fairways and oiled sand greens to couch fairways and pencross bent greens- an amazing transformation!

The Golf Course

Broken Hill GC- hole 1

Good golf courses always fit hand in glove into their native landscape, and Broken Hill GC certainly does that.

Exposed red sand surrounds the islands of playing surfaces.

Rocky outcrops as backdrops remind players of the harsh terrain that the course occupies.

The land does not have much movement but the routing explores all the dips and hollows, incorporates the waterways and winds between the native vegetation.

It is an interesting course.

And it is a good test of golf.

Notable holes include:

- hole 2, a lovely par 3 with a green framed by the rocky hill behind and red sand carry from the tee

Broken Hill GC- hole 2

- hole 3, a genuine 3 shotter with red sand to carry off the tee and perfect outback backdrop to the green (see also pic top of page)

Broken Hill GC- hole 3 green

Broken Hill GC- hole 3 green close

- hole 4, the strongest hole on the course, is a dogleg par requiring two excellent shots to hit the green

Broken Hill GC- hole 4 green

- hole 8, a long testing par 3 protected by trees & bunkers

Broken Hill GC- hole 8

- hole 12, perhaps the classiest hole on the course!. It is a strong par 4 with strategically placed trees demanding your full attention- and the best green complex on the course.

- hole 16, a nice short par 3 to an elevated green

Broken Hill GC- hole 12 green