A flock of people will descend on the area this evening, not for the usual Friday night games at the Sydney Cricket Ground and Allianz Stadium, but to be part of the grand opening festivities of the redeveloped Moore Park Golf driving range after over $1.3 million worth of work was completed recently.

Director of Public Golf Facilities for Clublinks Management, Anthony Lawrence, officially opened the renovated driving range with a well-struck driver down the centre of the resurfaced and redesigned synthetic range at a VIP event this morning, quoting former US president George W. Bush before opening his shoulders. “Now watch this drive,” Lawrence joked as cameras flashed.

“Last year, more than 16 million balls were hit at this driving range, this year, it gets better,” Lawrence said of the upgrade. “For all the talk of a sport at risk of decline, here we are, driving opportunities for game-changing innovation.”

The most obvious of the completed improvements at Moore Park Golf is the brightly coloured, new FIFA grade ‘all weather’ turf on the range. Chosen for its ability to closely mirror the performance of a golf course, the turf contains plenty of target greens, ‘water’ and ‘bunkers’ to help golfers sharpen their games.

“The driving range unveiled today is largely unmatched in Australia right now, with its custom designed coloured targets and bunkers, durable FIFA grade synthetic turf that simulates ball movement in real grass and touch screen ball dispensers,” said Lawrence of the new surface.

Clublinks Management's Anthony Lawrence admires his official opening drive.

In addition to the new turf the financial injection into the range has seen the purchase of 40,000 new balls and 60 new hitting mats, as well as the installation of LED touch-screen automated ball dispensers.

The driving range upgrade and update was made with close attention paid to ensuring the facility remains as environmentally friendly as possible. Amongst the environmentally focused upgrades are A-League and AFL grade solar powered LED lighting and the durable ‘all weather’ turf, which requires less water.

The driving range is the final piece of work completed by Centennial Parklands at Moore Park Golf over the past year that saw a total of $1.9 million spent in renovations and refurbishments, including restoration completed on the historic club house.

The Executive Director of the Botanic Gardens and Centennial Parklands, Kim Ellis, eschewed the chance to strike the official opening drive but waxed lyrical about the improvements made to the facility and the Parklands commitment to the environmentally sensitive development of golf in the local area.

“Moore Park Golf is Sydney’s, if not Australia’s, most innovative golf course,” Ellis said of the historic site. “We have had many firsts – we are Sydney’s first public golf course, we were one of the first to ensure equity for women on the green.

“I am proud to say we are now one of Australia’s most environmentally friendly courses and we will continue to lead the charge in innovation, building an inspiring future for the game and our visitors.”

The new driving range is now open seven days a week and a special launch event will be held this evening which will see music, competitions and the latest golf equipment together in one place for the celebration of the new and improved driving range.

For more information visit, www.mooreparkgolf.com.au