The Federal Golf Course

Frank Dunshea: Recollections of Acton between 1926-1946
[Excerpts on the Federal Golf Course]

"The Acton Race Course also included about 7 holes of the 9 hole Federal Golf Course within its boundary. […] As well as the Golf Course there were also some football fields with very rough surfaces included inside the race track.

Kaye's Dairy Farm also used the race course area to graze sheep which had to be rounded up and transferred to other paddocks on days when the track was in use. To keep the sheep from straying onto the sand greens of the golf course each green was surrounded by a low fence which the players would have to chip over to the green then step over the fence to putt out.

The other holes of the golf course outside the racecourse boundaries were in Kaye's cow paddocks and in playing these holes it was necessary to hit over Springbank Creek.

Paddling for and finding golf balls in Springbank Creek was a useful source of pocket money for the Acton kids, balls that didn't clean up too good were repainted with white paint and sold to golfers for a few pence. I remember one lady golfer who was a cook at the Butter's residence who would often buy some balls from us if we went to the kitchen door. […]

The Golf Club had a small weatherboard building inside the race track, later on a larger building was built on the slopes of Butter's hill still inside the race course boundary before the Federal Golf Club moved to its present site behind Red Hill."