Bridge leads club to better times

Member for Bellarine Alison Marchant opens the bridge at Ocean Grove Golf Club with club president Sandy Cresswell and life member Colin Stephens. (Ivan Kemp) 345806_05

Ocean Grove Golf Club has a new bridge making it easier for golfers to travel around the course thanks to funding from the state government.

The bridge at the seaside club replaced the original old wooden decking with secure concrete and was unveiled on Wednesday morning, July 12.

Club president Sandy Cresswell said the new bridge links the middle fairways and makes it easier for people of all abilities to access both sites of the course.

“It’s been six years in the making,” he said.

“It will also enable a greater use of carts going forwards too.”

Mr Cresswell said it felt “sensational” to have the bridge ready to use and thanked everyone for coming to its opening ceremony.

“It was a reasonable turnout and there was probably close to 30 people there,” he said.

“The engineering has exceeded all the limitations and the bridge will be there for 100 plus years that we believe the golf course will be in existence.”

Member for Bellarine Alison Marchant said the bridge was made possible through the $38,000 state government’s Golf Infrastructure Fund and would help more people get involved in the sport.

“Victorians love their golf, and we want them to keep enjoying the sport and that’s why projects like this are so important,” she said.

“We’re building the sporting facilities our communities deserve, so everyone has the opportunity to get out there and get active.”

Ocean Grove Golf Club is one of 18 golf infrastructure projects to receive funding support, with golf generating $883 million for the state’s economy and supporting 6900 jobs.