Penfield Golf Club - 50th Anniversary

Penfield Golf Club is Celebrating 50 Years of Golf 1959 - 2009.

Penfield Golf Club, located at Salisbury in South Australia, will achieve the Golden Anniversary of the foundation of the club on the 14th September 1959 and will celebrate the event throughout the year September 2009 to September 2010 with a range of activities and events for current and past members and the public.

A function to commemorate the foundation meeting will be held on 14th September 2009. This event will formally open the year’s activities, launch the commemorative wine range and memorabilia display, raise the 50th anniversary club flag and publicise a range of golfing and social activities planned for the coming year. Local dignitaries and past members, including foundation members, will be invited to this event.

A major event will be a re-enactment on 9th April 2010 of the hitting of the first ball on the golf course on 9th April 1960. There will be Guest and Open Golf Days during the year and a variety of clubhouse activities to commemorate the 50th year of the club’s operation. Memorabilia will be on display in the clubhouse including photographic displays of course developments and members activities over the years. A new trophy has been raised to commemorate the Golden Anniversary.

Penfield GC was originally called W.R.E.I. GC. Most of the founding members of the club and those volunteers who actually built the course worked at the Weapons Research Establishment at Salisbury. They were also founding members of the Little Para GC which during the 1950’s played at the Adelaide Municipal Links North and South courses. Golf in Adelaide was booming at the time and access to courses was limited, particularly in the North. Frustrated with competing for tee times at North Adelaide the Little Para group first approached the SA Housing Trust for land for a course in the Elizabeth area but the costs were prohibitive. The group then approached the management of WRE with a proposal to build a golf course on an unused parcel of land bounded by Commercial Road and the Adelaide Gawler rail line. The initial proposal received a less than enthusiastic reception when the Curator at the time decreed, “they were mad …… it cannot be done”. However, with the support of the Institute, the WRE staff association, the proposal was accepted and the rest, as they say, is history.

The legendary efforts of the volunteers are captured in the memoirs of Tony Martin, the original Club Secretary written in 1984 for our 25th anniversary, and describe the countless hours of effort using fairly primitive and limited resources other than manpower to carve out a 9 hole golf course on what was basically claypans and eaten out sheep paddocks. Volunteers planted tees, greens and fairways and hundreds of trees to create the original course. 50 years on those trees have matured and are outstanding features defining one’s approach to playing the course. There have been changes and gradual development of the course during those years – what Committee can resist the urge to ‘improve’ a golf course – but it retains its original features of alternate tees, tree lined fairways, numerous and strategic bunkering and excellent greens. Current players owe those original members a huge debt of gratitude and that is what we want to celebrate during our Golden Anniversary year.

Many founder members have moved away from golf but we still have Ray Cox who is our only foundation member still playing regular Saturday competition golf. Ray is the Patron of the 50th Anniversary and clearly recalls building and nurturing the 3rd green in particular which was his ‘baby’ during that time.

Penfield associated with SAGA in 1960 and has been a regular competitor in the SA Pennant competition for most of those years since. During the 1980’s club membership reached peaks of more than 600 and there was fierce competition for a game on Saturdays. Latterly we maintain around 450 members and competitive members can always get a game on a Saturday afternoon. Ladies play competitions on Tuesdays and need more members. We have opened the course to public green fee players outside competition times and this has been very well received with the course being very busy most days.

We can still accommodate new members and there is currently no waiting list to join.

Past members in particular are invited to visit the club and make themselves known and sign the visitors book. We are compiling a list of past members as part of the 50th Anniversary memorabilia collection.







	50th Anniversary Penfield Golf Club is Celebrating 50 Years of Golf 1959 - 2009. Penfield Golf Club, located at Salisbury in South Australia, will achieve the Golden Anniversary of the foundation of the club on the 14th September 1959 and will celebrate the event throughout the year September 2009 to September 2010 with a range of activities and events for current and past members and the public. A function to commemorate the foundation meeting will be held on 14th September 2009. This event will formally open the year’s activities, launch the commemorative wine range and memorabilia display, raise the 50th anniversary club flag and publicise a range of golfing and social activities planned for the coming year. Local dignitaries and past members, including foundation members, will be invited to this event. A major event will be a re-enactment on 9th April 2010 of the hitting of the first ball on the golf course on 9th April 1960. There will be Guest and Open Golf Days during the year and a variety of clubhouse activities to commemorate the 50th year of the club’s operation. Memorabilia will be on display in the clubhouse including photographic displays of course developments and members activities over the years. A new trophy has been raised to commemorate the Golden Anniversary. Penfield GC was originally called W.R.E.I. GC. Most of the founding members of the club and those volunteers who actually built the course worked at the Weapons Research Establishment at Salisbury. They were also founding members of the Little Para GC which during the 1950’s played at the Adelaide Municipal Links North and South courses. Golf in Adelaide was booming at the time and access to courses was limited, particularly in the North. Frustrated with competing for tee times at North Adelaide the Little Para group first approached the SA Housing Trust for land for a course in the Elizabeth area but the costs were prohibitive. The group then approached the management of WRE with a proposal to build a golf course on an unused parcel of land bounded by Commercial Road and the Adelaide Gawler rail line. The initial proposal received a less than enthusiastic reception when the Curator at the time decreed, “they were mad …… it cannot be done”. However, with the support of the Institute, the WRE staff association, the proposal was accepted and the rest, as they say, is history. The legendary efforts of the volunteers are captured in the memoirs of Tony Martin, the original Club Secretary written in 1984 for our 25th anniversary, and describe the countless hours of effort using fairly primitive and limited resources other than manpower to carve out a 9 hole golf course on what was basically claypans and eaten out sheep paddocks. Volunteers planted tees, greens and fairways and hundreds of trees to create the original course. 50 years on those trees have matured and are outstanding features defining one’s approach to playing the course. There have been changes and gradual development of the course during those years – what Committee can resist the urge to ‘improve’ a golf course – but it retains its original features of alternate tees, tree lined fairways, numerous and strategic bunkering and excellent greens. Current players owe those original members a huge debt of gratitude and that is what we want to celebrate during our Golden Anniversary year. Many founder members have moved away from golf but we still have Ray Cox who is our only foundation member still playing regular Saturday competition golf. Ray is the Patron of the 50th Anniversary and clearly recalls building and nurturing the 3rd green in particular which was his ‘baby’ during that time. Penfield associated with SAGA in 1960 and has been a regular competitor in the SA Pennant competition for most of those years since. During the 1980’s club membership reached peaks of more than 600 and there was fierce competition for a game on Saturdays. Latterly we maintain around 450 members and competitive members can always get a game on a Saturday afternoon. Ladies play competitions on Tuesdays and need more members. We have opened the course to public green fee players outside competition times and this has been very well received with the course being very busy most days. We can still accommodate new members and there is currently no waiting list to join. Past members in particular are invited to visit the club and make themselves known and sign the visitors book. We are compiling a list of past members as part of the 50th Anniversary memorabilia collection.		Would you like to play? Would you like to play golf at Penfield? To find out more about the times available, booking process, fees. etiquette, dress and conduct. CLICK HERE Would you like to join? To find out more on how to join the club and the types of membership, fees conditions and facilities. CLICK HERE Would You Like to Socialise? Penfield Golf Club is a great place to socialise with other golfers! To find out more about bar opening times and how to hire the clubhouse for functions. CLICK HERE Would you like to see the course? If you are interested in viewing the course before you play and are also interested in how the course is set out. CLICK HERE Members of the Golf CLub login here to view the members section of the site.