Loading Golf Australia clubs and facilities support manager Paul Vardy said the growing populations in Sydney and Melbourne were putting increased pressure on golf courses, particularly in Sydney "because there are a lot more golf courses in Sydney that sit on Crown land or council-managed land". "You could argue, thank God, they were there because they'd already be built on otherwise, but it does highlight this pressure on land not going to go away," Mr Vardy said. "Equally when you lose golf land, you'll never get it back so we hope there's good and careful planning." There are community battles raging over golf courses all over Sydney - from Botany Bay to Bayview on the northern beaches. The debates often centre on Crown land - land owned and managed by the state government - granted to golf clubs under long-term leases. Of about 5000 parcels of Crown land in greater Sydney, 453 are used in connection with golf, or about 9 per cent, according to the NSW Department of Primary Industries. That includes golf courses, driving ranges, clubhouses, and car parks.

Of the 81 golf courses in Sydney, 30 are partly or wholly situated on Crown land, according to the department and Golf Australia. Golf club membership numbers fell 1.4 per cent in NSW in 2018, Mr Vardy said. The AusPlay survey by Sport Australia suggests 2 per cent of Sydneysiders play golf at least once a week, while almost 5 per cent play golf at least once a year. Participation rates are higher in regional NSW. Some clubs allow access to the greens for walkers, dog walkers and picnickers with safety parameters, while others don't. Mr Vardy said Golf Australia encouraged clubs to be "outward looking and inclusive" but safety was paramount. Beverley Park Golf Club filed a development application to Georges River Council to cut down trees and build a fence around its perimeter more than a year ago, to the chagrin of the local community. The issue is still not resolved. The former mayor of then City of Botany, Ben Keneally, wanted to transform the 18-hole Eastlakes Golf Course into a 65-hectare public park. The golf course is designated as a wetlands open space corridor under plans by the Greater Sydney Commission, and the successor council, Bayside, is working to update its plans.

From La Perouse to Randwick, there are four golf courses on Crown land: New South Wales Golf Club, Coast Golf Club, St Michaels Golf Club, Randwick Golf Club. Credit:Robert Pearce Meanwhile, the owners of Kogarah Golf Course, which is private land, want to flog it off for high-density residential development and move the golf course across the M5 to Barton Park, which is mostly Crown land. Bayside Council voted last September that it could not reclassify the land. The Inner West Council is considering a proposal to slash the size of the Marrickville Golf Course, also Crown land, in half to make way for other playing fields. Inner West mayor Darcy Byrne said it was the perfect example of the tension arising over limited open space but he did not personally support the proposal. "It's one of the most accessible and affordable golf clubs in Sydney and it's used by pedestrians and runners and dog walkers as well golf and cutting the course in half would make it not viable," Cr Byrne said.