IN an unprecedented move, the various sporting and recreation facilities on the Bluff have united in aid of the Bluff National Park Golf Club, which will close within three months unless its financial crisis is turned around.
On Monday, 14 July sport and recreation members met to form the Bluff Combined Facility Committee (BCFC), tasked with “ensuring safe and sustainable facilities for the Bluff and sharing the power of sport through community participation,” according to Fynnland Combined Sports Club vice-chairman and BCFC committee member, Clinton Landsberg. The golf course, which faces the potential of imminent closure, has been marked as priority number one for the newly-formed committee.
Currently, the golf club, which serves as a green lung for the community and home to 193 bird species, is running at a loss. “The club is teetering. This is a do or die situation – if the club progresses further into debt in the set time frame of three months from 1 July, the committee has the power to shut it down,” said newly-appointed manager, Marcus Ingram.
In a bid to kickstart the fundraising initiatives required to get the club out of the bunker, some members donated funds totalling R17,000 and two events are planned for the near future. The first is a family day, on 17 August, including golf, food, live band, a potjie competition and entertainment for children. On 24 September there will be a music festival, with Snotkop, the Campbells, Blarney Brothers, Pieter Smit, Robbie Wessels and Kurt Dern set to perform.
They hope to include other sporting facilities on the grounds, such as a hiking or biking trail. “The most successful sporting facilities are multi-disciplinary. That the golf course only serves one sporting group is a contributing factor in its demise. The hope is that if this land provides for numerous sports and recreation options, more people will get involved,” said Landsberg.
“We are doing everything we can, but we need the community to step in and support us. There are many ways people can get involved, and there is an opportunity for local entrepreneurs in the special zoning permit we already have in place for a hotel to be built on site,” said Ingram. This special zoning, which was granted in 1992, allows for the construction of a hotel, which may include recreational and sporting facilities and ancillary shops.
Reactions on the Bluff to the golf club’s predicament have been mixed. People have taken to social media platforms to voice their opposing opinions – some believe the club should be closed down, as it only caters to a small portion of the population, while others argue that the land would fall into disrepair or be used by criminals, damaging the ecosystem, decreasing property values and increasing crime.
For information on ways to assist the golf club or on the special zoning permit, call Marcus Ingram on 031-467-7448 or 072-632-6931 or email marcus@bluffgolf.co.za. For information on the BCFC, call Clinton Landsberg on 060-400-9000.
