Golf Legend Graham Marsh Reflects on Kalgoorlie Legacy

Golfing legend Graham Marsh has returned to his birthplace of Kalgoorlie for the WA PGA Championship, reflecting on his unique legacy in the historic mining city. Marsh, who turned 82 this year, has built a remarkable career with 70 tournament wins and 65 golf course architecture projects worldwide.

"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," Marsh 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."

A Lasting Legacy

Marsh's role as the architect of the Kalgoorlie Golf Course has left a lasting legacy in the city, where his family moved away when he was an infant. The course, which opened in 2010 at a cost of $18.5 million, has faced significant challenges, including criticism from some sections of the community for the cost burden on ratepayers and ongoing water shortages.

Despite these challenges, Marsh hopes the course can overcome them and continue to thrive. "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."

Growing the Game

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."

WA PGA Championship

This week, the course is 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," Wilson 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."

Looking to the Future

Marsh warned that there were challenges on the horizon, including the impact of robotics on staffing and the need for ongoing investment in irrigation systems. "I think robotics is going to change things, because staffing is a huge problem in this part of the world," Marsh 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."