Riversdale Golf Club

The origins of the club at Riversdale Golf Club can be traced back to the Surrey Hills Golf Club which formed in 1892 on a site just a couple of miles north of where the club currently play. Moving to Camberwell in 1907, the club became known as Riversdale before finally settling at its present Burwood location twenty years later.

Alex Russell designed the course at Riversdale Golf Club and the club organized a match in 1930 to celebrate the official opening. Three Australian Open Champions, namely Mick Ryan, Ivo Whiiten and Joe Kirkwood (a former professional at Camberwell) joined 11-time Major winner Walter Hagen in a four ball game to mark the occasion. Ossie Pickworth won the inaugural Victorian Open here at Riversdale in 1957 and the event returned to Burwood in 1970 when David Graham claimed the title.

Various changes have occurred to the layout over the years. Vern Morcom suggested alterations just after World War II ended, fairways were converted to Santa Ana Couch grass over an eight-year period beginning in 1987 and modifications to bunkers took place in the mid 1990s.

A round at Riversdale begins in unusual fashion with two par threes encountered in the opening three holes. Back-to-back par fives are played at holes 6 and 7, preceded by the toughest hole on the outward half, a 430-yard par four where a blind tee shot is played to a narrowing fairway with bunkers down the left.

The back nine begins with a short par four to a green with water protecting three sides of the putting surface. The round ends with a testing, doglegged par four with severe-looking bunker complexes on either side of the fairway where it kinks left to the green.

The Riversdale Cup is the second oldest amateur competition in Australia, having been inaugurated by the club in 1896. It’s one of the most prestigious events in the country and recent prominent winners include Robert Allenby in 1990/91 and Aaron Baddeley in 1999.

Crafter and Mogford prepared a "20 Year Course Master Plan" to coincide with the club’s centenary in 2007. Since that time, steady progress has been made with implementing course and landscape improvements, starting with remodelling of the 9th tees and drive bunkers, then the redevelopment of the practice putting green and 2nd greenside bunkers.

A major overhaul of the bowls area in 2015 saw the introduction of a multi-tiered short-game practice facility, combining the bowls and existing chipping green area into one very large precinct. Other course works include the remodelling of the 15th green site, the 18th greenside bunker and the 3rd green complex.