The abrupt and total closure of Vincentia Golf Club and course by the St George’s Basin Country Club Board on 26th August has hit both the community and golfers hard. The action appears to be punishing members for voting NO to the proposal to change the classification of more than 50 percent of the Vincentia golf course land from “Core” land to “Non-Core”.
The purpose of the vote was to transfer control of the land from Club members to the Board - enabling the SGBCC to sell to a developer without further consultation with members. The Board had been in negotiations with a luxury seniors living developer Oakstand, and the reclassification would have allowed the club to sell the site for development.
What has transpired is a sad indictment on the history and hard work of early residents. Vincentia Golf Club was born in the 1960s when thousands of community hours were invested into constructing a 9 hole golf course, and some years later, a club house. The course had the reputation as being the best on the South Coast due to dams on the site providing a complete watering system to the greens. It was officially opened in 1969 by John Hatton - when he was a Councillor and Shire President of Shoalhaven Council (prior to entering NSW State politics as an Independent).
The club enjoyed many happy years and traded with a small profit. The course was extended to 13 holes, with the ambition to eventually expand to 18 holes. However, financial debt accumulated from the extensions to the club house, and the improvements and extensions to the course. In 2016, Vincentia Golf Club commenced amalgamation with St Georges Basin Country Club. The Country Club took over the $1.5 million liabilities in return for ownership of the entire property - the club house and golf course. At the time, the total estimated value of the Club’s assets was in excess of $6 million.
The vision had been to become the “Premier Club on the South Coast”, harnessing the strengths of both the St. Georges Basin and Vincentia properties as a dual complementary footprint. The details and responsibilities of the parties to the amalgamation were set out in a Memorandum of Understanding - a legal agreement setting out the undertakings by SGBCC in respect to maintaining and revitalising the Vincentia club. The SGBCC’s draft 2016-2021 Strategic Plan seemed altruistic - to be a win/win situation. And initially, annual Presidents’ reports indicated that the Vincentia premises was performing satisfactorily.
The relationship began cooling off in 2021, when a change to financial reporting presented the Vincentia premises as operating at significant loss. This has been presented for the last 4 years as the evidence of financial unviability. However, the basis of the reported losses has been challenged and attempts to discuss and resolve this have been repeatedly denied by the CC Board.
Meanwhile, a preliminary Strategic Plan commenced by SGBCC for 2021 to 2026 identified that a significant debt of $11.3 million had been accrued due to extensive renovations at the SGB club, and the purchase of adjacent land on Paradise Beach Road, Sanctuary Point in 2018 - with the intention to build motel accommodation for bowlers & golfers. The debt reached a peak of $11.3M in 2019, and by 2021 had been reduced to around $8 million. Over the same period, no investment was made to improve the premises or offerings at Vincentia and the premises slowly started to decay and become unappealing. Opening days and times were cut, entertainment was reduced with little or no promotion.
Around 2020, the Board of the Country Club began secret discussions with developers without informing the members. Suspicions were rife as residents witnessed helicopters and inspections of the site. Subsequently, the Country Club bought the paper roads which formed parts of the land on which Vincentia Golf Club and course were built. At this point the community became aware of possible re-development of the golf course, and the removal of the paper roads pointed to the possibility of clearing the way for development.
The Country Club engaged Tully Heard Consultants in 2022 to examine the viability of Vincentia Golf Club and to make recommendations about its future, including prospects for sale and re-development. The report was finally released to Members in December 2023 and has been widely criticised as inaccurate and biased. For example, it opened with the statement, “We have not conducted an audit of the information provided by others but have accepted it in good faith. We do not give any warranty with this information.” Key financial data misrepresented the trading results of Vincentia; the financial reporting has been demonstrated not to be based on actual figures but largely, apportioned figures. Other instances of failure to properly portray facts are evident regarding population numbers, changes to the area’s demographic since COVID. It also dismissed the tourist market from key considerations. Despite this discredited report, the Country Club insist on the use of the document to form the basis for decisions about the future of Vincentia Golf Club.
The Friends of Vincentia Golf Club (FoVGC) group was promptly established. It set up a Facebook page and website to keep people informed and up-to-date. Interest from residents, club members and the community has been growing.
In June 2024, the Country Club announced they had signed a “Heads of Agreement” with the developer, Oakstand. The proposal was to sell 7-8 hectares of the top portion of the Vincentia property for $12.5 million and for Oakstand to build a minimum of 200 units in three-storey apartment blocks for seniors living, with a 60 bed high care facility. The water supply for the golf course would be on land owned by the developer and the course would be reduced to 9 holes with a vastly smaller clubhouse contained on the ground floor of one of the seniors’ accommodation blocks, without a restaurant or function room. The developer conducted several stakeholder workshops. The design concept was modified, including introducing a mix of 1-storey to 4-storey buildings to ease neighbours’ concerns, and a separate club building because of the anticipated complaints about noise from the resident seniors. At the time of the Vote there was only a design concept, with no specific co-ordinates for the land to be sold, no certainty of the impact on the golf course, and no certainty on the building impact on the site.
Criticism from residents, club members and the Vincentia community mounted. Issues included the loss of privacy, the effect of major excavations and construction - dust, noise, heavy vehicles on our narrow local roads, loss of community amenities, in addition to the impact on council services (water pressure, sewers, drainage, etc.), the environment and threatened species due to extensive clearing of sensitive vegetated areas.
Without a Business Plan there was no information on the improved financial viability for the site, and no commitment to the long term future of the Club, with the President several times saying that voting YES would have guaranteed (only) a further 3 years of the Club’s operation.
The Country Club called an Extraordinary General Meeting on 25th August for members to vote on the reclassification of land from Core Club land to Non-Core land. All groups involved in the consultation sessions with Oakstand requested for the EGM to be delayed until 2025 so that adequate plans and information could be provided to enable members to make an informed decision. However, the Country Club’s Board refused and insisted the vote take place at the EGM on 25th August 2024.
The turnout for the EGM held at the Country Club was huge. The auditorium was packed. People were standing after all seats were occupied and others couldn’t gain entry but listened outside through the PA system. It was obvious at the outset of the meeting that many people came with the intention to vote YES - to change the classification from Core to Non-Core.
Numerous speakers residing within the Bay & Basin, spoke from the floor for more than an hour, on why the vote should be NO. They spoke on the financial reporting by the Board, the disadvantage to neighbouring properties (none had been contacted, contrary to the radio interview by President - Bob Proudfoot), the impact of the excavations and construction on the whole of the Vincentia community, the lack of information on providing health care for the influx of ageing demographic, the exclusion of the younger generation in the plans, the loss of amenity - especially how the community rely on the Auditorium/Function room.
The shift in the audience as the meeting progressed, was noticeable. People stated they were changing their stance to NO, or they slipped out without voting.
There was only 1 speaker from the floor advocating a YES vote. A total of 538 valid votes were counted. The result of the Vote: 415 NO: 123 YES.
Instead of recognising the democratic process and the voice of its members, the Board immediately closed down the Vincentia clubhouse and course - affecting the whole of the Vincentia community.
A Vincentia Golf Club (VGC) Working Group was formed, consisting of neighbours, golf club sub-committees, and Vincentia community groups. Members met with the Country Club Board on the 4th September to discuss re-opening the club and course. The Country Club Board raised the prospect of another EGM to vote for an altered development to reduce the number of apartments, and an enlarged clubhouse (from the proposed 250 sqm to 650 sqm) on Core land. The Working Group believe it is unlikely the Country Club will achieve a different result by insisting members go back and get a YES vote, without substantially changing the proposition put to the members, and is currently waiting details on the scope of the suggested altered development.
To this end, the Working Group have put forward alternative options of an alternate plan for a staged re-invigoration of the site, or de-amalgamation. Parties concerned await advice from the Country Club on this proposal.
In the meantime, a GoFundMe campaign has been established by the Friends of Vincentia Golf Club Inc., and a legal firm engaged - recommended by Golf NSW.
On the 13th October, in a well attended Annual General Meeting, the results of the ballot held the week leading up to the AGM for 2 Vice President positions were announced. Phil Kennedy is the new Senior Vice President, and Patricia Hutching is Junior Vice President. Both are new directors to the CC Board.
Conclusion
The loss of the recreational facility, the club with its restaurant and auditorium - the location for weddings, engagement parties, birthday parties, funeral memorials, large community meetings, music events, is being hard felt.
The Country Club Board’s intent since the EGM has been to revise the previous development proposal and gain Members’ acceptance via another vote. The Board has set a date of 1st December 2024 to determine the future of the site. The President, Mr Proudfoot, is on record as stating he did not know what the Board would decide to do next, but that any solution would involve development because the Club’s commissioned sustainability report (Tully Heard report) advised there was no other way.
It is unlikely the Country Cub will achieve a different result with a revised proposal. Particularly in this timeframe and in the continuing absence of fundamental information, including a Business Plan. However, the VGC Working Group are continuing to engage with the Board in order to find a way forward to re-open the golf course and clubhouse.
The VGC Working Group believe what has been proposed by the CC Board will not benefit the Vincentia community. Our population is growing, and visitor numbers are increasing. The sudden closure of VGC demonstrates a failure by the CC to recognise the importance of the tourism sector - especially over summer months, that support many hundreds of people. Vincentia Golf Club provided dining, drinks, golf, pokies, trivia and poker evenings. The young demographic needs to be considered as they have lost the only facility in Vincentia where bands and dancing can take place.
The immediate closure was not an economic necessity. It is hoped the new Board will consider their social responsibility to the Bay & Basin community, and re-open the Club prior to the most profitable summertime patronage, while working to determine a path for the site’s future.
Written by Anna Everts
FoVGC Committee Member