Sport
12 August, 2025
A Potted History of Clifton Golf Club
A public meeting was held on Friday 18th September 1925 to discuss the formation of a golf club in Clifton.
Mr Overton of Warwick Golf Club addressed the meeting which was well attended.
Dr. Rushton Smith was elected President with Mr R. Humphries elected Secretary.
Thirty people had indicated they intended to join and three had already donated Three Guineas each.
Mr Overton’s quotation of Thirty Pounds for design and construction of the course was accepted.
The course is to be located at the Recreation Reserve.
The Club must have languished until 1934 when a meeting was held in the Clifton Memorial Hall at which it was decided to reform.
Mr J. Gardner was elected President and Captain.
Mr W. Conroy was elected Secretary and Handicapper.
An official opening was organised for August 4th.
Membership was set at One Guinea for members and Half Guinea for Associates.
The Course was relocated to Ryeford in 1954 with native couch fairways and sand greens.
Ross Watson redesigned the course in 1980 and grass greens were constructed.
The new course was officially opened in 1984.
Most of the work was done with a Queensland Government grant and volunteer work.
By 2002 the course was quite run down with soil erosion on many fairways and obsolete equipment.
The Riddle family supplied feed lot manure and most of the damage was repaired.
Clifton Shire provided a grader and banks were built to manage overland flows that were causing the damage.
In 2005 a rebuild of the irrigation system was completed courtesy of a Commonwealth Water Grant.
All the old sprinklers were replaced and a variable speed pump was installed.
This allowed irrigation to be programmed at night with low wind effect and low evaporation.
A travelling fairway irrigator was purchased which provided some relief in low rainfall seasons.
From around 2010 the Club has rebuilt the catering area, painted the club house, built two new sheds to house machinery and golf carts and replaced all the turf maintenance machinery.
In 2015 the Club commissioned a ‘course review’ by Ross Watson which involved the building of three new greens, the major modification of one other and minor modification to the rest.
All the bunkers have been modified and new bunkers added.
A large number of trees have been removed and many more planted to add variety and colour to the course.
The first tranche of construction was completed in 2016 and the second in 2018.
A survey of the greens was completed in 2018 so a ‘play book’ can be produced for the benefit of players and the course superintendent.
Championships were played across all of the new course in March 2018.
Clifton Golf Club Significant Dates
1925 - Mr Overton of Warwick is appointed to design a course at the Clifton Recreation Reserve.
1954 - Course relocated to Ryeford with sand greens.
1984 - Major redesign of total course by Ross Watson with grass greens.
2015 - Course reviewed and redesigned by Ross Watson with three greens relocated and others modified.
- Ian Jones
