Golf Clubhouse (former)

The meeting was chaired by Reverend Frodsham and a course was planned for land adjacent to Chelmer Railway Station. Initially, some of the land was granted to the club as a free lease by its owner, JL Cardno. On Saturday 19 December 1896 the Queenslander newspaper reported that the “progress made in connection with the recently formed Brisbane Golf Club had been so satisfactory that the links at Chelmer were formally opened on Saturday afternoon by his Excellency the Governor”1. The Governor of Queensland at the time was Lord Lamington, who was also an avid golfer and founding member of the Brisbane Golf Club. When opened, the club had a membership of forty men. At the end of the opening day, refreshments were offered in a large tent by ladies from the district; a need for a permanent clubhouse was clear from the first day. 

At the club’s first annual meeting, membership had risen to sixty-eight and the construction of a clubhouse was underway. It was designed by noted Brisbane architect Robin Dods - an innovative and influential architect who made a major contribution to the development of housing design in Queensland. For his contribution to the club he was awarded an honorary membership for “having prepared plans and superintended the erection of the house”2. This was the beginning of Dods’ long association with the club which continued until his death in 1920. 

The first Vice President, Alexander McIntosh, general manager of the Royal Bank of Queensland, had secured a £150 loan to build the clubhouse, which was officially opened in July 1897 by the club President and Governor of Queensland Lord Lamington. The club was the preserve of Brisbane’s elite and during the first decade of the club, over half its members were also members of the exclusive Queensland Club. 

By 1899 the golf club had grown to such an extent that a larger clubhouse was required. As the land at Chelmer was only leased and urban development was surrounding the course, it was decided to investigate options for a new site for the course. Some years of considering options followed until in 1903 about one hundred and ten acres were offered for purchase at Yeerongpilly. The new site had the advantages of being near permanent water and a railway station for golfers travelling further than a buggy ride distance as well as being available for purchase rather than lease, giving the club security of tenure and future development options. In 1904 the golf club moved to Yeerongpilly where it remains today. 

Today, the former clubhouse has been converted into a house and first floor verandahs have been added.

1. The Queenslander, 19 December 1896

2. The Queenslander, 27 November 1897

3. Queensland Certificates of Title

4. Queensland Post Office Directories

5. Brisbane Golf Club A Short History, www.brisbanegolfclub.com.au

6. Queensland Government. Queensland WWII Historic Places website http://www.publicworks.qld.gov.au/sites/qldwwiiplaces/pages/SearchResults.aspx?SearchText=Yeerongpilly&FilterType=TEE

7. B.S. Richter The Fairway is Mine: One Hundred Years of The Brisbane Golf Club 1896-1996 The Brisbane Golf Club, 1996