EVEN the seemingly bullet-proof South Australian Premier, Peter Malinauskas, appears to have been caught on the back foot over the imminent collapse of the LIV Tour.
But Malinauskas is ploughing ahead with the $45 million development of the North Adelaide golf course, regardless of LIV hosting an event there.
The crumbling breakaway tour is contracted to play in Adelaide until 2031.
The government has officially taken control of the North Adelaide public golf course and started work on the redevelopment, which was originally aimed at having the new course ready to host the LIV tournament in 2028.
While LIV insists it is working on a new funding model to ensure its survival, even Malinauskas seemed to be hedging his bets
To be fair, the SA government has always said redeveloping North Adelaide was about much more than LIV Golf.
The Premier says “a world class” course will be a tourist attraction open to the public for all but one week of the year.
Massive galleries witnessed the remarkable victory by Anthony Kim at LIV Adelaide earlier this year.
“Our investment in the public golf course is ultimately an investment in public community use infrastructure,” Malinauskas told Adelaide media.
“Although LIV Golf underpins one of the reasons why we’re investing in the golf course, 51 weeks of the year it’s there for the public of South Australia to use, and in growing numbers.
“That still stacks up regardless.”
The premier also says the course would host other golf tournaments, like the Women’s Australian Open.
“There may yet be other opportunities in the event something does happen to LIV,” he adds, this statement coming before the announcement the North Adelaide course would host both men’s and women’s Australian Open’s (see above).
LIV Golf has plenty of support in SA, hosting the breakaway tour’s best attended tournament world-wide.
North Adelaide Golf Club president Kevin Naughton told the ABC, the plans to redevelop the course have been around “for almost 30 years”.
“It’s now started and once it’s started it’s unstoppable,” he said.
The government getting to this point involved a nasty spat with Adelaide City Council – who were largely cut out of the project by special legislation – and a politically fraught Aboriginal heritage process.
There were also concerns from parklands advocates about the impact on trees and that has not gone away either.
After months of pre-election speculation about how many trees would be lost, the government revealed the figure was 585 but added there would be 1700 plant replacements.
The redevelopment of the North Adelaide course will transform the South Course into a championship public golf course. There will also executive course, driving range and practice facilities.
During the revamp, the South Course will be closed but the 13-hole North Course and the Par 3 course will still be open for play.
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