History
The Sunshine Golf Club was established on the 9th of July 1923, at the Sunshine branch of the State Bank, where a meeting between prominent local business people interested in forming a golf club was conducted. Mr H.V. McKay, of Sunshine Harvester fame, was appointed the club’s patron, with Mr Thacker elected as President at the first General Meeting held with the club’s inaugural members.
Early Days
The original course was 9 holes with sand-scrape greens. Located on the banks of the Kororoit Creek, between Glengala Rd and Mernda St in Sunshine, the course was named “The Rock and Thistle” due to the land being heavily encrusted with lava rock outcrops and thick with scotch thistles. The first clubhouse was built on the site in 1927-28 at a then cost of £150 pounds.
Through the post WWII boom, the Sunshine Golf Club quickly outgrew its home and was looking to expand to an 18 hole golf course, in 1963 the club members voted unanimously to relocate, approximately 4km, to the Fitzgerald Rd site in West Sunshine. An 18 hole, Par 70, with grass greens golf course was constructed in little over a year and a half at a cost of $250,000 including the cost of the land. The Ralph St Clubhouse was opened in 1964, however in 1977 it was destroyed by fire
which resulted in the Club needing to construct a new Club house at a cost of $1M. The annual Ashes competition played on ANZAC day celebrates the club rising from the ruins of this event.
Halcyon Days
In 1974 the club was put on the map when it made headline news for hosting the “Fastest Game of Golf”, setting a new world record when Victorian PGA and amateur golfers completed 18 holes in 10 minutes 54 seconds, 4.8 seconds faster than the previous record.
The club was home to a young junior by the name of Craig Parry who learned the game and spent hours honing his skills on the course, at the age of 15 he won the Club Championship and would then go on to greater success on the world stage.
Further successes would come for the club on course in the form of Pennant victories, the Ladies enjoying a golden period winning 5 flags in 6 seasons between 1989 and 1994, gaining promotion from Section 7 to Section 2 along the way.
In the late 80s, the Club made the bold move of redeveloping some holes on the golf course and constructing a new clubhouse and entrance to the course from Fitzgerald Rd, which opened in 1990. The old Club House was sold to the Western Masonic Centre and still stands today in that location.
Recent Times
With the halcyon days of the 80s and mid 90s beginning to fade, the Sunshine Golf Club faced significant challenges, with housing developments encroaching on the borders of the course, insufficient water storage capacity to maintain course standards and rising operational costs to name a few. In financial trouble and on the brink of closure, an approach from a property developer to purchase land and develop a new site couldn’t have come at a better time.
In 2002 the members once again voted in favour to relocate the club, this time a further 3km west to the current Mt Derrimut site. The move was made in November 2007, the new course, an 18 hole, par 72 Championship course with fully irrigated greens and fairways, drought proofed through the introduction of an on-site water treatment plant.
Mt Derrimut was originally a stock breeding property, beginning with the bluestone house dating back to 1854 and later the Mt Derrimut homestead, it operated as a farm until 1952. The homestead complex was purchased by ICI and used as a training centre until 1963, when it was acquired by the Melbourne University for an Agricultural Field Station and used until 1996.
Now and the Future
The golf course at Mt Derrimut is designed by Craig Parry and Pacific Coast Design to complement the historic significance of the site, with the heritage listed dry stone walls being an integral feature on the course. The original bluestone buildings of the past have been retained and used by the club. The renovated clubhouse incorporates the farm homestead which was built in 1883 and boasts spectacular panoramic views of Melbourne’s CBD skyline, making it the ideal setting for special events and functions. Other facilities such as the driving range and mini golf are open to the public servicing the local Brimbank community.
Now trading as the Mt Derrimut Golf & Community Club since 2018, the club has established itself as the “Jewel of the West” for golf in Melbourne’s fastest developing growth corridor. A progressive golf club that promotes an inclusive and safe environment for all members and guests, priding itself on our growing and diverse membership demographic not found at many other golf clubs.
In 2023 the Sunshine Golf Club celebrates its centenary year.
