Brief History of the Laidley Golf Club
On Monday night, 3rd December 1928 a meeting took place at the School of Arts in Laidley to discuss the forming of a golf club. It was decided that a club be formed, to be known as the Laidley Golf Club. Dr. McSweeney was elected President and Mr. J. Pierpoint Secretary and Treasuer pro.tem. The following committee of management was appoingted: The President, The Secretary, Mrs. H. Pierpoint, and Mr. R. A. Ditton. The annual fee was fixed at 10/6 for ladies and £1/1/- for gentlemen. It was resoled that December 9 should be opening day. it was reported that Mr. G. F. Berkeley had donated two gold balls to the Club. The gift was received with thanks.By working bees a few holes were put in the Showground, the ground was levelled somewhat around them, and play was commenced. The Laidley Golf Club held its opening day on the Show Grounds on 9th December 1928. The popularity of the game increased by leaps and bounds and before long there was a considerable waiting list.
In 1931, it was decided to abandon the showgrounds and establish new links on the Recreation Reserve which was about 40 acres in area, not more than 200 yards from the business area of the main street. From 1941 until 1948 the Laidley Golf Club was suspended – due to the War years. This was also the position of the Forest Hill Golf Club which had been opened at Forest Hill in May 1938.
The Forest Hill Golf Club had reformed in May 1948 and reopened for competitions by June of that year. In November 1948 the first steps towards providing a golf course between Laidley and Forest Hill was taken. A meeting was held on Tuesday 23rd November for all interested. Members of the Laidley Club secured the option to purchase 101 acres of land overlooking Dyer’s Lagoon. It was said “This land could be developed, with the lagoon surroundings, into a beautiful scenic reserve”. By February 1949 the services of a golf architect had been secured and arrived at the beginning of March to commence plotting the layout of the course. Construction work commenced as soon as the architect’s plans were available and offer of the use of tractors and other machinery had been received by the club.
In the Queensland Times, Saturday 12 March 1949 it states “The site of the proposed new golf club at Laidley is the best seen for some time, by the golf architect (Mr. T. Southcombe) and the Chairman of the Queensland Golf Council (Mr. D. Duncan). Both men were enthusiastic about the site’s undulating terrain, soil, elevation and the scenic aspect of Dyer’s Lake from the clubhouse”.
Queensland Times, Friday 6th April 1951
“LAIDLEY GOLF LINKS OPENING”
“LAIDLEY, April 5 – A little more than a year ago, golf enthusiasts of Laidley, dissatisfied with the existing links on the recreation reserve, purchased a dairy farm that had all the attributes of a country golf course second to none in the State. An elevated site overlooking the town of Laidley, and bordered on the southern side by a large lake and bird sanctuary, it was found that it could easily provide nine holes totalling 3316 yards, with a par 74 for the 18.
As the land was timbered, the course had to be “carved” out of this property, and axes swung, in many cases by inexperienced hands, soon showed the rough-hewn outlines of the fairways. The mowers were brought into operation and the greens constructed. The weather was kind, and the grass grew so quickly and thickly, that extra machinery had to be borrowed to keep the grass down."
In 1977 the club decided to purchase 29 acres of adjoining land, this initiative showed considerable foresight in planning for the future, when in 1986 an almost identical area of land was resumed for the new Bill Gunn Dam. In 1987 architect Ross Watson rebuilt three holes which had been affected by the land resumption and course reconstruction was completed by 1991.
In mid-1992 the club once again purchased adjoining land for further course expansion. Golf architect David Burrup designed a further nine holes, the land was cleared and fairways shaped.
In 2001 the club received a Grant from the “Sport and Recreation Minor Facilities Program” and with this funding three new holes went ahead and these holes, now known as No. 9 (Par 5); No. 10 (Par 3) & No. 11 (Par 4) were officially opened on 26th January 2003. On Easter Monday 18th April 2020, new tees were added and the layout updated.