On course: Margaret and Raymond McClure play a round at the Frankton Golf Club yesterday.

Our club was advised several years ago that QLDC may not renew our lease at Frankton. Then earlier this year, the council advised it had decided not to renew the lease when it expires.

QGC has spent considerable time investigating alternative sites for the Frankton course, both with the council and by ourselves.

These investigations show very clearly that we can’t provide the community facility we have at Frankton on any alternative site that’s close to bus routes and population. Children in particular require facilities close to the community.

Asked her reaction to the then council’s plans to seize the Frankton course’s land, Jessie Jardine – whose family originally exchanged the land for sport and recreation purposes – said in 1994:

“If the council quits the golf course, it is breaking a promise made more than 40 years ago. I feel strongly that the golf course should be saved.”

Although the Jardine land was not legally gifted for the purposes of golf, this was clearly the intention.

Jack’s Point is a good example of an alternative location which would not be so near at hand, and therefore not so attractive, to a large proportion of those playing the existing Frankton course.

Council company Lakes Leisure has plans for the Frankton golf course land – they include a running track, hockey fields and parking, and are estimated by LL to cost over $40 million.

At no time has my club ever been consulted by either QLDC or LL on their future plans for this land.

QLDC advises that the district is well catered for in golf, citing courses spread from Glenorchy, Kingston, Arrowtown and Wanaka, together with the resort courses of Millbrook, The Hills and Jack’s Point.

The nine-hole course at Frankton differs considerably from these other courses. Frankton is used by beginner golfers, junior golfers, women golfers and senior golfers.

QGC has developed and maintained at Frankton a facility providing recreation to a wide range of residents and visitors alike, at a cost of several hundred thousand dollars over the 55 years the club has leased this site. During this time, the council has received substantial rents from QGC and has had no maintenance costs to bear.

It’s the view of QGC that there’s no social or economic sense in taking away a well-used recreation facility, one that would take substantial expenditure to replace, just to make it available to Lakes Leisure for other recreational activities.

QGC has continually proven it can operate a community facility at no cost to ratepayers. Lakes Leisure has yet to do this. Our club would like to further develop and improve facilities at Frankton but is unable to do so without long-term tenure of the land.

Peter Adam is chair of Queenstown Golf Club’s board of management