ABOVE: Richie Williamson, Robert Mustow and Kevin Hogan, centre, with Coraki Golf Club members at the reopening of the club. Photo: Contributed
Coraki Golf Club has reopened 17 months after the February-March floods last year.
It’s been quite a journey for the golf club and its members.
Floodwaters inundated five fairways and badly damaged bunkers and the 7th green near the entrance.
Cars caused damage to the fairways as it was the only way to get into town as floodwaters receded but some access roads were still closed for some time. The road into the clubhouse and the carpark were the most damaged. Part of the club’s fence floated away in the floods.
The club was closed for five months when it became the headquarters for Disaster Relief Australia for 12 weeks.
After that, the course was repaired and had to dry out.
At the official reopening of the golf club today, Thursday, June 6, Federal MP Kevin Hogan, State MP Richie Williamson and Richmond Valley mayor Robert Mustow were with the members to celebrate.
A joint grant from state and federal governments has allowed the club to build a bigger and better front fence and entrance and to construct 3km of cart tracks.
The club shouldn’t need to close its course to carts again as it has been forced to do on many occasions in the past because of wet weather.
The Coraki Golf Club is appointing a fulltime manager and the club plans to operate seven days a week.
There are plans to build a new clubhouse between the 8th and 17th tees. It’s early days yet but a new clubhouse would be a boost for Coraki.
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