But 17 years later and after thousands of voluntary hours, the club has more than 100 members and more than 700 visitors playing there each year.

Members now gather after games in the club rooms, which were opened in March, built by donations and voluntary labour.

Club president Barry Forster, who came to Golden Beach to run the store, has devoted all of his spare time to the golf course since retiring.

He and club captain Charlie Myers are proud of what they have been able to achieve at the club.

Recently I was invited to attend the club's novelty event and was taken for a drive around the course by Forster.

The fairways were very good, the greens well kept and I can see holiday makers getting a lot of fun hitting balls at Golden Beach watched by the kangaroos, who like to feed around the course, but did not interfere with the greens.

For more, read Friday's Gippsland Times.