The Royal Hobart Golf Club at Seven Mile Beach today announced the appointment of an Australian Golf Course Architect, Richard Chamberlain, as the first step in its plans to significantly upgrade the facilities at the Club.

“Richard was chosen after a thorough search in which the Club received presentations from a number of Australian firms” the Vice-Captain Mr Matt Blackburn said.

“We were spoilt for choice because all of the candidates interviewed presented very well and would have produced excellent results. However, we chose Richard because we felt that his ideas were a perfect fit with the needs and aspirations of the club”.

“After several years of reviewing the course, examination of historical photos and our original plan, we came to the view that the course had lost some of its design principles and the time was right to fix this” Mr Blackburn said.

Having celebrated its centenary in April last year, the Club is looking forward to the next 100 years and sees a bright future for golf in Tasmania.

Captain of the club, Dr Colin Buxton, said that Royal Hobart Golf Club was fortunate to have a very solid membership base and was in sound financial shape at a time when many clubs were struggling with dwindling numbers.

“We want to ensure that we keep it that way and believe the only way to do so is to present our course in the best possible shape, to provide options to people that are time poor, and to tap into new markets such as the current visitor boom”

“We also believe that we have a responsibility to develop the game in Tasmania and we are keen to develop our practice facilities as a state of the art opportunity along the lines of a golf academy, particularly for junior and elite golf development in the State.” Dr Buxton said.

He said the appointment of Richard Chamberlain was to develop a new Master Plan for the Club which would ensure that the club keeps pace with the changes in the game and the expectations of its members.

“The current course is now 60 years old and is in need of a facelift” Dr Buxton said. “We want to ensure that Royal Hobart is a premier golfing experience for members and visitors alike” he said.

Key elements of the planned course upgrade include:

• Development of state of the art practice facilities at the Club that include all weather tees, indoor teaching studio equipped with modern coaching technologies, as well as short and long game practice precinct.
• A comprehensive review of greens and bunkering, both intended to introduce more strategy into the course thereby making it more interesting and exciting to play.
• A 9 hole pitch and putt designed to encourage greater family fun and to provide options for kids who are taking an interest in golf.
• Identification and mitigation of safety concerns around the course.
• Water and vegetation management to ensure that the course compliments the

  biodiversity values of the area.