Almost two years to the month after a fire ravaged the clubhouse, the doors to the new and improved Nelson Bay Golf Club have been opened.
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The club's general manager, Trevor Harrison, and captain Peter Power were celebrating on Thursday - opening day - that after much hard work and many sleepless nights the clubhouse is back up and operating again.
"It's very exciting," Mr Harrison said.
"It's been nearly two years in the making but we finally got here.
"There's still things we need to do, small things, but the basics are operating."
The club spent close to $10 million on a complete rebuild of its clubhouse.
The old clubhouse, which had stood in Nelson Bay for 55 years, burnt to the ground on Father’s Day in 2015.
After a short period of disbelief the club's board of directors got to work establishing a temporary clubhouse and set about redesigning and rebuilding a new and improved facility.
And improved it is.
While the footprint has remained the same, the building has been rebuilt with a modern and fresh design.
The entrance to the club has been moved to the right-hand side of the building when you drive into the carpark, which has also been extended.
The state-of-the art function room is now located where the entrance and reception used to be.
The inside of the clubhouse has beeen described as "airy" and "light".
This effect has been achieved by the addition of more windows to take in the view of the golf course, designer light fixtures and the open plan layout.
When the fire burnt down the clubhouse in 2015, it also took with it the Bluewater Grill that operated within.
Owners Will and Tanya Semmens continued operating, doing so out of the temporary clubhouse, but the past 23 months has been tough for the couple.
They had to sell their home to keep their business running.
Mr Semmens said the reopening in a brand new building was an opportunity to build on the relationship they had with loyal customers while attracting new ones.
Bluewater Grill staff have been kept busy since opening on Thursday.
The club hosted its first major event at the weekend – the Men of League Foundation’s dinner and golf day.
The Port Stephens Accommodation Golf Classic – previously called The Spring Cup – will be the next major event.
The four-day tournament, which is played across Nelson Bay Golf Club, Horizons and Pacific Dunes, will begin in the Bay on August 14.
Golf will be played in Medowie on August 15, return to the Bay on August 17 (there will be a trivia night afterwards) and at the Salamander Bay course on August 18.
Following the classic there will be a week of events for members including a veterans and ladies day on August 21, a ladies day (August 22), men’s day (August 23), a luncheon for foundation and 40 years plus members (August 24), a business partners lunch (August 25) and a members opening dinner (August 26).
An open family day will be held at the club between 10am and 2pm on August 27.
Open the the public, there will be jumping castles, golf clinics, kangaroo tours and entertainment. Additionally, the clubhouse will be set up in a way to show off its new features, including the all new function room.
The new club will be open between 10am and 10pm Sunday to Thursday and 10am to midnight Friday and Saturday.
THURSDAY:
“Worth the wait” was the general consensus punters visiting Nelson Bay Golf Club had when asked what they thought of the new-look clubhouse on Thursday.
The doors to the building opened at noon on August 3.
Soon after, members and guests interested in seeing the new facilities began streaming in.
There were smiles on the faces of many members who felt the loss of the building when it burned down on Father’s Day in 2015 and anticipation during the past 23 months while waiting for the new clubhouse to be built.
Craig Burnett, a member for 14 years, said the new clubhouse is “brilliant”.
He enjoyed a drink in the TAB area of the club with friends on Thursday, while technicians worked on getting the televisions in the room connected.
“The caravan they set up [after the fire] served us well, but this is brilliant,” he said.
Friend Ken Wagner said the building is “magnificent”.
“We waited close to two years for this and I have to say, it is worth the wait,” he said.
More to come.
Ellie-Marie Watts
A journalist with 10 years experience, Ellie-Marie connects readers to the stories that matter in their communities. A Port Stephens-based news, sport and event writer and photographer with a passion for human interest features.
A journalist with 10 years experience, Ellie-Marie connects readers to the stories that matter in their communities. A Port Stephens-based news, sport and event writer and photographer with a passion for human interest features.
