ASouth Auckland golf course has closed, to the disappointment of its members, after Auckland Airport declined to renew the club's lease so the airport could build a new road.
Auckland Airport - which owns the land - will construct a bypass between State Highway 20A and State Highway 20B on the site and upgrade the adjacent Nixon Rd to alleviate congestion on other roads near the airport.
The Aviation Golf Club operations manager David Campbell said their lease ended on October 31. They had only found out the lease for the Uenuku Way property would not be renewed in May this year. Because they no longer had a lease they could not renew memberships.
"We've been here over 40 years so obviously a lot of long- and short-term members are very disappointed to lose their golf course," Campbell said.
"It's the cost of progress I suppose.
"The constitution states that because we don't have 50 fully paid up members the club [no longer fulfils] the objective and needs to be liquidated." Campbell said there was likely to be a surplus after assets were sold. Once the bills were paid any extra money will be donated to a sporting charity chosen by the club's board.
