Champion golfer reflects on lasting legacy in outback WA

Australian golfing champion Graham Marsh has built almost as many golf courses as the 70 tournament wins he collected over a decorated career.  

At last count, it was 65 projects around the world as a golf course architect since 1986, including Secret Harbour, Terrey Hills and The Vines.

Despite turning 82 this year, Marsh's diary remains full, with projects in Queensland and Cyprus.

It was a full-circle moment for Marsh this week when he returned to his birthplace of Kalgoorlie for the WA PGA Championship, getting his hands on a trophy he won in 1978. 

While his family left the historic mining city when he was an infant, Marsh's role as the architect of the Kalgoorlie Golf Course has left a lasting legacy. 

"We don't have this desert form of golf in Australia, this is the first of its kind, and I think that makes it very special," he said.

"There have been attempts, there was something at Alice Springs at one stage, but never with the commitment that this place has had or with the beauty of this place, to be frank. 

"Every hole has a dramatically different look, whereas on many golf courses, the look is very much the same."

Decades of planning

After decades of lobbying, the 18-hole course opened in 2010 at a cost of $18.5 million, heavily backed by the state government and the City of Kalgoorlie-Boulder, which manages the course today.  

It has faced significant challenges, serving as a lightning rod for criticism from some sections of the community for the cost burden on ratepayers.    

Water shortages in a city reliant on a 560-kilometre-long pipeline for its drinking water remain an ongoing challenge, with work progressing to increase the storage capacity of dams at the golf course. 

A permanent clubhouse and resort has been promised by multiple developers but is yet to be delivered, with the latest proposal stuck in legal disputes with millions of dollars of ratepayer funds already spent.

Efforts to boost tourism and attract travelling golfers have been stifled by a lack of available accommodation for those willing to make the journey.  

Marsh hopes those challenges can be overcome, like some of the unique problems he faced, including transforming the site of a former rubbish tip into the course's driving range.  

"The brief was they wanted a golf course that was world-class, that would bring notoriety to the area, especially through Asia but Australia-wide," Marsh said.  

"They wanted 36 holes, and that was in the design, until the original developer pulled out, and so things changed because it was all about money at that stage. 

"Being involved in a project like this, which had such a rough start, they still allowed us to produce something that is world-class."  

Part of the deal to get the course built included handing over land belonging to Kalgoorlie-Boulder's then three existing golf clubs.  

A portion of that land has been used for a new housing estate called GreenView, with about 250 residential lots developed next to the course and more than 2,000 lots planned in in the future.

A retirement village and a short-stay facility have also been built on other parcels of land freed up by old courses.  

At the same time, the local game continues to grow, with 620 golf members and a renewed focus on developing junior players.

"The fact we weren't constricted by housing inside the golf course, only on the perimeter, it's what we call in the industry as being 'core golf' and that provides for a very serene and beautiful environment to play the game," Marsh said.

"It is very warming to my heart to see that golf has such a powerful role to play in developing the community."

PGA deal extended

This week has seen the course enjoying its time in the national spotlight again as the home of the WA PGA Championship. 

A 120-strong field teed off on Thursday, hoping to join the ranks of several former WA PGA winners who have gone onto bigger things. 

Among them is defending champion Austin Bautista, who is playing in South Africa this week and 2022 winner David Micheluzzi on the European Tour.  

Kalgoorlie has hosted the WA PGA since 2012, and has locked in another five years until 2031, with the City of Kalgoorlie-Boulder's sponsorship worth more than $100,000 a year. 

Mayor Glenn Wilson said it was money well spent, with the tournament watched by 412,000 viewers on pay television last year and estimates it injected $329,000 into the local economy.  

"The benefits that we see from an event of this scale and magnitude go far beyond our city boundaries," he said. 

"This course is unique. It's a credit to our staff."

Victorian Ben Eccles, the 2023 WA PGA champion, said the red dirt of Kalgoorlie made it a unique and tough course to play.

"It's a world-class golf course, it gets the season off to such an awesome start and I don't think I'd be the only one to say that we all look forward to coming here," he said. 

"It's a really special place for me in my career and I'll come back as long as it's held here."

And while Marsh says the course "has never looked better", he warned there were challenges on the horizon.  

"I think robotics is going to change things, because staffing is a huge problem in this part of the world," he said.  

"This course is coming up 17 years old and at 25 years, you're already starting to look at new irrigation systems because they don't last forever … you've got to have the capital, the drive and resolve to put money aside to keep it as a championship golf course. 

"The worst thing you can do is sit back and pat yourself on the shoulders and say this is wonderful. If you're not looking 25 years in advance, you're not thinking long-term and that's what this place will need moving forward to keep its notoriety."