First major Harvey Golf Club upgrades in 50 years are teed up

A Harvey institution is set to get a hole-in-one — receiving its first major upgrades in 50 years.

The Harvey Golf Club is getting half a million dollars worth of upgrades this year, thanks to a joint effort from the club, Alcoa and the Shire of Harvey who are all taking a swing at expanding the community asset.

The club will expand its existing building to facilitate a growing number of players as more and more people want to use the green.

The club is contributing $150,000 from its own coffers, with Alcoa providing $140,000 and the shire is giving $263,000, as well as providing a further $215,000 to the club as a self-supporting loan.

Harvey Golf Club president Michael Lowe said more and more members had joined in recent years, and there had been no major upgrades since it was first built in 1972.

He said while a lot had changed for the club since the 70s, the clubhouse remained the same.

“We need the space to be able to continue growing organically,” Mr Lowe said.

“We are extending the building to create much-needed additional seating, including a beautiful alfresco area that overlooks the greens.

“We’re a club with growing membership and visitation, so this project is crucial to meeting the needs of the golf community and helping the sport thrive well into the future.”

Shire president Michelle Campbell said she was excited to see the upgrades complete.

“I don’t play golf, but once this is finished, I might come here with a snack and a drink and offer some of my advice to the golfers,” she joked.

“This is a great project, and we’re excited to see it come to fruition, and I’m sure there’ll be lots of people who benefit from it.

“This fits right into our sport and recreation plan, endorsed just last year, which lights the way to new and improved infrastructure, facility management, club development and activity programming.”

Contractor Chrysalis Quantity Surveying and Cost Consulting’s director Daniel Thickbroom said the team was particularly excited for the project.

“This will be a good one, I may have to get down here a little bit early to play a few rounds before we start work,” he said.

“This is going to be good, with lovely grounds, the product at the end will be fantastic.”

Alcoa community relations manager Tom Busher said the upgrades were one of many projects the company supported.

“We routinely work with the shire to ensure capacity-building projects like this get off the ground and beloved institutions like the Harvey Golf Club can grow with the times,” he said.

“I’m certainly excited to visit for a round of golf and a meal after we cut the ribbon on this project.”