Future operations still uncertain for Helensvale Golf Course

The saga continues for Gold Coast City Council owned Helensvale Golf Course as it fails to secure a suitable course operator.

The once popular Gold Coast community golf club ceased all operations earlier this year after its leaseholder, Jigsaw Community Services, went into liquidation.

According to area Councillor William Owen-Jones, Council Officers are yet to find an appropriate party to take over the operation of the course, as the tender for the club closed on June 13.

Owen-Jones said in a notice to residents that there had been an overwhelming interest for the contract, with over 100 downloads of the tender documents and four submissions received. Unfortunately several applications were non-complying as they involved proposed residential development on the course land.

The Councillor said he would prefer the land to remain as a golf course and that a property specialist would now be appointed for the purpose of assisting with commercial negotiations and not as a part of any sales process.

The former membership based club has had a checkered past with financial and operational issues over the past decade. Leasee Jigsaw was initially intended to continue operations of the club and allow for the land to continue to operate as a golf course facility, with no further investigations into potential future alternate uses, until the end of the lease agreement mid next year.

However, Jigsaw Community Services chairman John Atkinson stated earlier this year that he had no option other than terminate operations, as the course was no longer considered viable to remain open from a financial perspective.

Subsequently, the City arranged temporary access for maintenance action to keep the site in a holding pattern, including mowing of existing fairways and rough, maintaining tees and greens and bunkers trimmed and weed free, and water bodies trimmed around the perimeter.

According to Owen-Jones, the basic maintenance of the course would continue in the interim and become more regular in springtime.