Teeing off: Golf Australia chief executive officer James Sutherland made a special two-day trip to Kyabram to officially open of the Kyabram Parkland Golf Club extension and upgrade. He is with club president Geoff Berry and upgrade project manager Don McKenzie, with whom he played a round of golf on Friday before the ceremony on Saturday morning.
One phone call from one of Kyabram’s greatest sporting exports was enough to ensure the official opening of Parkland Golf Club’s clubhouse upgrade was a show-stopping moment on Saturday.
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Former Kyabram cricketing great Jim Higgs was responsible for making the call to land Golf Australia chief executive officer James Sutherland as the special guest for the unveiling of the Kyabram par-three golf club’s $750,000 extension.
Kyabram Parkland Golf Club member, and clubhouse upgrade project manager, Don McKenzie, reached out to Higgs in the hope of being able to secure Mr Sutherland for the opening.
Mr Sutherland, who had an 18-year stint in Cricket Australia’s number one role and retains a board seat with Geelong Football Club, agreed to open the clubhouse upgrade after his “old friend” had reached out to him to ask a favour.
Leg spinner Higgs took 399 first-class wickets, including 66 in 22 Test matches for Australia, and was a Victorian selector before being appointed an Australian selector in the mid-1980s.
His connection to Mr Sutherland, who took on the role of Golf Australia CEO three years ago, came through their involvement with district cricket club Melbourne University.
Higgs grew up in Kyabram and while the Golf Australia boss had never been to the town his relationship with Higgs was enough to ensure his involvement in the ceremony.
Mr Sutherland, and his wife Heidi, even stayed with Mr Higgs’ sister, Gillard Banks, on Friday evening before the Saturday official opening.
“Jim is a great man and I have great respect for him,” Mr Sutherland said, before unveiling the plaque to bring an end to the three-year clubhouse project.
“But the visit is as much about this is golf club’s commitment to innovating and looking forward as it is about my connection to Jim Higgs.
“Kyabram Parkland is much bigger than an18-hole golf course. It has become extremely relevant to the broader community in the way it serves the town,” Mr Sutherland said.
He was referring to the nature of the development, which has seen it become a community asset rather than simply a members-only asset. Soon after the official opening a wedding was being hosted by the club in the reception facility adjoining the clubhouse.
Mr Sutherland and his wife played a round of the 18-hole par three course on Friday, the former Cricket Australia CEO and Victorian state cricketer teeing up with Parkland club president Geoff Berry, Mr McKenzie and curator Paul Price.
“He plays off five, so he hits a nice ball,” Mr Berry, a 17 handicapper, said.
Mr Berry said the Golf Australia CEO hadn’t played many par three courses, particularly one with greens, but did have one birdie on the back nine.
“His wife plays off 12 at Royal Melbourne and she played with my wife Lyn, Faye Glover and Naomi Cartwright,” Mr Berry said.
Mr Sutherland cannot lay claim to being the best cricketer or golfer in his own family, with son Tom, 19, a scratch golfer and 23-year-old son Will the captain of Victoria’s Sheffield Shield team.
His daughter, Annabel,, is an Australian women’s Test cricketer who scored her first century in the women’s Ashes series against England.
Will was playing on the MCG while his mother and father were in Kyabram, while Annabel was scheduled to play at the Junction Oval on Sunday.
Mr Berry said he had been a little sceptical when Mr McKenzie had told him of his intention to have the Golf Australia CEO come to open the building.
“I thought it was pie-in-the-sky stuff, but he knew what he was doing,” he said.
Mr Berry said the enormous significance of the project was testament to Mr McKenzie and the many professional people who donated time and expertise to finishing the upgrade.
“The savings we were able to make, and the finished product, is testament to these people,” he said.
“Wouldn’t have been able to achieve what we have without these people.”
Special guest: Golf Australia chief executive officer James Sutherland speaks to about 100 people who attended the official opening of the Kyabram Parkland Golf Club upgrade.
Mr Sutherland said Golf Australlia’s philosophy that the sport was “for life” fitted well with the Kyabram community, where the average age of the Parkland members is 72.
“Our demographic tends to be much older and that is a good thing. We are not competing for kids, but we hope to get a club in their hand early, allowing them to go away and play other sports, then welcome them back when those same sports have passed them by,” he said.
Mr Sutherland said it had taken him less than 24 hours to pick up on the “sense of community” in Kyabram.
“This is quite a unique golf course and the whole experience has been terrific. We had dinner at Kyabram Club, a beer on the verandah of the club after our round and it was great to meet some of the members,” he said.
“Being able to turn up at the course and play in such magnificent conditions is a credit to Paul (Price, curtator) and his team.”
He said golf had never been as healthy as it was today, explaining the worldwide participation in the sport had grown by 10 million since 2016.
Proud moment: Kyabam Parkland Golf Club president Geoff Berry explains how the upgrade of the clubhouse would not have been possible without the volunteer contributons of the Kyabram community
• More about the upgrade from project manager Don McKenzie on page 9 today.
