The history of the Clifton Springs Golf Club is a long and most interesting one. Its origins were in the old nine hole course associated with the old hotel and spa resort dating back to the early 1900’s. History has it that golfers drove off from the top of the cliff to a sand green on the beach, then play was back up over the cliff. Land developers Willmore and Randell purchased the hotel and golf course with considerable surrounding land, and about 1958 launched the concept of the Country Club. The original nine hole course was redesigned and a further nine holes added to create, what is today, a first rate eighteen hole course. The area has been beautified by the planting of many thousands of trees and shrubs and which today, so well have they developed that this area is home to numerous native birds of many varieties.
In 1964 the Clifton Springs Country Club Social Club was formed, its membership drawn from the thirty odd homes on the estate then permanently occupied. Negotiations with the developers by the President, Secretary and Treasurer of the Social Club achieved playing rights for its members for the modest fee of 10 pounds per annum for men and 6 pounds for ladies. Although members played only social golf at that time, it did mark the beginning of the Club as we know it today. In 1970 at a meeting chaired by a director of Willmore and Randell and attended by some twenty two residents and lot owners, the Clifton Springs Country Club was launched.
The Golf Club was admitted to the Victorian Golf League and participated in Pennant Competitions. Efforts by the Country Club to get further development of the sporting facilities were rewarded by the construction of tennis courts, car parking and Club facilities built into the main clubhouse. Negotiations between the Country Club and the developers for the purchase of the entire facilities were not marked by success. However, in July 1977 the Shire of Bellarine became the new owners and in consequence this well developed area became known as the Clifton Springs Community Centre and Sporting Complex. Good relationships with the Shire by both the Bowling Club and the Golf Club were marked by the construction of separate Clubhouses and the golfing section renamed the Clifton Springs Golf Club. This Club, we are happy to say, was admitted to membership of the Victorian Golf Association in 1978.
The clubhouse was officially opened on March 1 1980. About three years ago, the Golf Club leased the course from the council and is now responsible for course maintenance. This has seen a marked improvement in the condition and presentation of the course. Our Club has a wide range of membership classifications, advantage of which is being taken, as evidenced by the rapidly growing number of participants. Total membership now is almost 700, and new members are most welcome.
Members and Associates are very proud of their Clubhouse, its excellent facilities, its view over the 9th and 18th greens to the Bay,
and the distant YouYangs. The members look forward to the future with pleasure and with great confidence.
In November 2009, Clifton Springs Golf Club celebrated the centenary of the first competition held on our course. Now a challenging 18-hole layout, we can trace our origins back to the late 19th century. It is believed it first took shape as part of a clifftop hotel development catering for holidaymakers coming by paddle steamer to the nearby mineral springs. The original Clifton Springs Golf Club held its first recorded official Saturday competition on November 20, 1909 on what was then a nine-hole links layout, set out by a well-known course designer Dick Banks.
Following the amalgamations of municipal councils in Victoria, the City of Greater Geelong became the owner of the course and from January 1st 1993, the golf club took over the operation and maintenance of the course.