Wests Illawarra has shared how through a proposed partnership with Swing Factory, major upgrades and new facilities will be delivered at Port Kembla Golf Club.
According to Daniel Munk, CEO of Wests Illawarra and Port Kembla Golf Club, when the two clubs amalgamated in 2014, the goal was to always keep the golf course operating as a community asset and provide services to golf members.
“We looked at a lot of opportunities of how we could add extra income streams. Part of that was looking at opportunities around developing the driving range and seniors living. Unfortunately, for various reasons, they became a little more complicated and didn’t reach the final stages,” he said.
The latest proposal, negotiated with Swing Factory, would see the operator take out a long-term lease over the entire land of the golf course, with an initial 30-year term, and two further 10-year options to extend.
The deal would see Wests Illawarra receive around $360,000 per annum from base rent, indexed at 3 per cent per year, plus 2.5 per cent turnover on gross revenue above $2.5 billion, also indexed annually.
Swing Factory, which operates driving ranges across NSW and Victoria, would also fund and deliver a new driving range, an 18-hole mini golf course, a refurbished clubhouse, and a reconfiguration and upgrade of the current golf course. Swing Factory would also help replace the golf courses’ 40-year-old irrigation system that is expected to cost some $2.5 million to replace.
“The upside for us is the benefit is not only in what we do in golf, but we’ll have an income stream without expenses. It will offset a significant part of our cap 1 and cap 2 diversification [stream],” Munk said.
“The whole goal for us in the next couple of years is looking at diversification opportunities outside of hospitality. It’s also about looking at other commercial opportunities and having income that’s not necessarily regulated in the same environment. Our goal is to have Wests Illawarra and Port Kembla Golf Club running for the next 100 years.”
Munk added that it’ll also create new tourism opportunities.
“Swing Factory’s goal is to make it a premium course, both as an 18-hole golf course and as a tourist and event opportunity for Wollongong. We’ve been in discussions with Destination Wollongong and Wollongong City Council, and they see this as a great opportunity,” he said.
Munk said the proposed partnership also reflects how golf is evolving.
“Golf can be quite a serious game, and a lot of people are very focused. But the other side of golf, which is the event and entertainment side, has started to develop through technology that’s available at driving ranges,” he said.
“We first saw that a number of years ago in the United States. In the last couple of years that technology has come through Australia in different forms, and one of the leaders in that is Swing Factory.”
Members of the Port Kembla Golf Club will vote on the new proposal at an extraordinary general meeting on 14 September. If the motion is passed, a DA proposal is expected to be lodged in November 2025, with anticipated approval in July 2026.
Munk acknowledged some members are cautious, but said early response so far has been largely positive.
“Change is not always the easiest, but the reality is, life is all about change,” he said. “Our industry is constantly changing. One of the reasons why we’re doing what we want to do with Swing Factory is because of the level of technology; technology is just one of the many changes that we face at the moment, and the majority of people think the concept is good.”