Our Club Mona Vale Golf Club | Page 6

History The first golf course at Mona Vale was part of the Oaks Polo Pony Stud Farm, an opulent Riviera-style resort for the well-heeled of Sydney developed by George Brock about 1900. The golf course was a minor part of the resort, which also comprised a race and polo ground and several buildings. At the southern end of this expansive estate, Brock built an ornate three-storey mansion and four single storey villas as a clubhouse and accommodation. Brock spared no expense building his dream resort, but it was based on the unfulfilled promise of a tramway that would have brought guests to his door. He was unable to repay his loan and was eventually forced to sell. The estate was subdivided and put up for auction in 1907 but the sale was not a success and further auctions were held over following years. Worse still, the three-storey mansion was gutted by fire in 1912 and rebuilt but it never returned a profit and gradually decayed. But while the estate languished, the locals took things into their own hands. About 1920, a grey-bearded Scot named McFarlane scratched out a crude threehole golf course and began to attract fellow hackers to his course. Slowly, the number of players grew and it became necessary to expand and relocate the course, parts of which encroached on private land. Kitchener Park, which was owned by the Commonwealth but vested in Warringah Council, was chosen as the site for the new golf course and a nine-hole golf course was developed using voluntary labour. Around 1925, a greenkeeper was hired to maintain the course and, in October 1927, it was decided to establish a proper club and draw up a constitution and rules. 4 www.mvgc.com.au