Club History

Photo courtesy of Albert Park Golf Course

Golf has been played at Albert Park since 1897, making it one of the oldest golf courses continuously played in Victoria. Many of the oldest golf clubs such as Royal Melbourne have moved location over time.

Initially a private Club, the Albert Park Golf Club, designed and set up the original nine hole golf course on land leased from the Albert Park Trust Committee of Management.

In 1931 the Albert Park Golf Club lengthened the golf course from 9 holes to 18 to meet the standard length of a golf course.

In June 1947 the lease for the private club was not renewed as the Victorian Government decided that the golf course should become public. The Albert Park Golf Club subsequently moved to Keysborough and established what is currently known as the Keysborough Golf Club.

A small group of 20 women continued to play at Albert Park and they formed a club known as Lakeside Golf Club Associates (LGCA) based at the Albert Park Golf Course. LGCA subsequently became affiliated with the Victorian Golf League Associates (VGLA) in 1953. Our Club members have been playing continuously at Albert Park since that date.

Initially LGCA held competitions only on Tuesdays. Given that some women were playing golf on Saturdays and Sundays due to work commitments, LGCA requested permission from the VGLA to hold Saturday and Sunday competitions. Whilst the request was initially declined, LGCA persisted and permission was finally granted. This was quite an achievement at a time when women were rarely seen playing golf at a weekend let alone on a public golf course.

In 1970 Sunday competitions ceased.

In 1987 the Club changed its name from Lakeside Golf Club Associates to Lakeside Ladies Golf Club Inc. (LLGC).

In 2017 Parks Victoria released a draft Master Plan that proposed the Albert Park Golf Course be reduced in size to enable other activities take place on the land where the golf course is located. LLGC played an important role in putting the lid on this proposal and saving the 18 hole golf course via the #save18 campaign.

Members of LLGC have over the years shown their ability to stand up on issues that affect the golf course and the Club, be it fighting for the rights of Saturday players or saving the golf course for future generations of golfers!

We celebrated our 65th birthday in 2018 and we look forward to continuing our golfing traditions well into the 21st century.

In 2017 Parks Victoria released a draft Master Plan that proposed the Albert Park Golf Course be reduced in size to enable other activities take place on the land where the golf course is located. LLGC played an important role in putting the lid on this proposal and saving the 18 hole golf course via the #save18 campaign.

Members of LLGC have over the years shown their ability to stand up on issues that affect the golf course and the Club, be it fighting for the rights of Saturday players or saving the golf course for future generations of golfers!

We celebrated our 65th birthday in 2018 and we look forward to continuing our golfing traditions well into the 21st century.

This is an exciting time in our Club. We have a new name, Albert Park Women’s Golf Club. Now that we are confident of Parks Victoria securing 18-holes at Albert Park for another 25 years, the change brings a renewed focus on growing the Club’s membership and improving the playing experience for all members and guests.

In February 2019 the Committee met to review the possibility of changing our name. We decided it was necessary to better reflect our location at Albert Park golf course, minimise confusion with other clubs on the course, and to modernise our title.

Special Committee meetings were convened to determine naming options, and an Extraordinary General Meeting was held on 12-Mar-2019 to present two new names as well as the option of retaining the current name. It was very pleasing to note that our members voted unanimously for a change. Appropriate government authorities were advised and on 8-Apr-2019 Consumer Affairs Victoria formally approved the new name.

All other aspects of our Club remain the same – the course location, the Committee, and our ongoing commitment to supporting women’s golf.