Teed off: golf courses fighting to retain their turf in Australian cities

Ruth Liston wants to make something clear from the outset.

So much so that when golf returned, locals launched a campaign calling on the council to return the land to the community. As one would expect, the golfing fraternity was not so keen on that idea and, after almost two years of petitions being signed, proposals being debated and Facebook groups being trolled, Darebin city council last month rejected a move to open the space to the public after 3pm or allocate non-golf days.

Northcote is the latest in a growing list of public golf facilities that have had to justify their right to hectares of council land. Courses at Victoria Park in Brisbane, Elsternwick in Melbourne and Rosny Park in Hobart have reverted to community parklands, while myriad other public courses have felt the heat of closure campaigns or calls to halve their 18-hole layouts.

In a modern landscape of population pressures, urban density and climate change, Golf Australia knows the battle for public land is just beginning.

Criticisms of a relatively small number of golfers being able to decide the fate of large parcels of land can be even more acute when it comes to private courses, like the exclusive and expensive Royal Sydney.

When it comes to other environmental impacts, De Bohun says the sport has ambitious goals regarding climate change.

Dingle says another looming problem for golf courses is their little-known status as a net-emitter of greenhouse gases, thanks largely to the use of nitrate-based fertilisers.

Back at Golf Australia, De Bohun suggests locals pushing for golf courses to be converted into parklands should be careful what they wish for.