LIV Golf Adelaide again dominated the headlines around the golf industry over the last couple of weeks, but it wasn’t the 102,483 fans streaming through the gates or Joaquin Niemann’s second major tournament win on Australian soil in 14 months that garnered the most attention on the last day of the tournament. Just moments before the final round teed off, LIV Golf and the South Australia Government confirmed that Adelaide would be the exclusive home of LIV Golf in Australia following an extension agreement through until 2031. The announcement was made in front of thousands of fans at the Watering Hole at The Grange Golf Club, with South Australia Premier Peter Malinauskas, LIV Golf CEO Scott O’Neil and LIV Golf Board Member Greg Norman (all pictured right, photo courtesy of LIV Golf Media) delivering the news.

While a huge development in itself, the most intriguing element was the announcement that the Malinauskas Labor Government, in collaboration with the Adelaide City Council, had also committed to plans to redevelop the North Adelaide Golf Course to transform it into “one of the world’s best public access golf courses”. The project would “bring future LIV Golf events to the unique downtown location within the Adelaide Park Lands and provide improved facilities and greater amenities to accommodate year-round use for the public”.

In addition, the redevelopment would “accommodate the continued growth of LIV Golf Adelaide, including a new 18-hole Championship Course (to be designed by Norman), new driving range and practice facilities and space for temporary tournament infrastructure while supporting tourism and maximising interstate and international visitation.” While no details have yet been released as to what the new course would look like or projected timelines, it is thought that the tournament could be played at the new city location possibly from 2028 onwards.

The announcement took many by surprise, not in the least North Adelaide Golf Course superintendent of six-and-half-years Simon Work. Not surprisingly his phone has been running hot since that Sunday as the industry (and, more importantly, his staff) digests what is likely to happen to the facility and the future of the popular tournament. It did, however, provide Work with a little context behind a surprise visitor to the course the week prior.

“One of the guys at work told me that Greg Norman was walking around the place and scoping it out,” explains Work, a past graduate of the Future Turf Managers Initiative program run by the ASTMA in conjunction with Silver Partner Jacobsen. “We’ve had masterplans done here before and they have been shelved due to the cost, so I didn’t really give it too much thought. Then came the announcement on the Sunday at LIV Golf Adelaide and you started putting two and two together.

“I was at The Grange that day to watch the golf and catch up with The Grange guys – my assistant Ryan Smooker and apprentice Bradley Rayson were volunteering for the week – and my phone wouldn’t stop ringing. As I was heading to the Watering Hole I bumped into the Premier and introduced myself and told him I’d have 10 staff asking me lots of questions come Monday morning!” 

North Adelaide Golf Course is a sprawling site located just across Montefiore Rd to the west of the Adelaide Oval precinct. It comprises two 18-hole layouts – the North and South courses – and an 18-hole par three course adjacent to the Torrens River. The South Course (par 71) is considered the facility’s premium course, boasting bentgrass greens, kikuyu fairways and couchgrass tees. The North Course is shorter (par 68) and has couchgrass greens. The beauty of the site is that it is within walking distance of the Adelaide CBD and is easily accessible by public transport.

Since taking over as superintendent, Work and his crew have overseen a number of changes, including the installation of irrigation to the North Course which has helped to improve the playing surfaces, as well as greens reconstruction on the South Course. In past years the crew have reconstructed the practice facility adjacent to the clubhouse and rebuilt the 1st and 11th greens. Most recently, they reconfigured the 7th and 14th greens complexes in the far southern corner of the course which has improved playability and safety.  

“It is still very early and there are no details as yet as to what is going to happen and I guess that will come in time,” continues Work. “In order for them to get the length they need, I could see them maybe taking 10-12 holes from the South Course and 6-8 holes from the North Course to create a championship course.

“It is potentially very exciting but obviously a bit daunting as well as there are still a lot of unknowns. This site is a diamond, being so close to the CBD, and to see it potentially redeveloped would be great. We have made a lot of improvements over the past 5-6 years and seen round numbers jump from 60-70,000 up to 150,000. It would be great to see it taken to an even higher level with such a redevelopment.”