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Marrickville Golf Club operates an 18-hole public-access course beside the Cooks River in Sydney's Inner West. Marrickville Council developed the original nine-hole municipal course as a Depression-relief project, completing it in 1940; the golf club followed in 1941 and the layout expanded to 18 holes in 1954. The current men's course plays to par 60 and totals 3,660 metres according to the club's official hole-by-hole guide, while the women's course plays to par 62 over 3,595 metres.
Twelve of the men's holes are par threes and six are par fours, with no par fives. The Cooks River borders several holes and forms an out-of-bounds boundary in places, while bunkers, mature trees, elevation changes and environmentally sensitive penalty areas provide much of the course's defence. The club identifies the 290-metre par-4 17th as its signature hole.
The course is an 18-hole parkland golf course. It plays to par 60, 3,660m, course rating 60.1 and slope rating 99. The course originally opened in 1940. It is open to the public. On-site facilities include Pro Shop, Putting Green, Chipping Area, Practice Nets, Clubhouse, Café, Bistro, Bar, and 8 more.
The golf course grew from Marrickville Council's long-term acquisition of open land along the Cooks River. In 1910 the council purchased a 27-acre property known as Riverside, part of a wider policy of bringing riverbank land into public ownership. Much of it was low-lying, swampy and required filling and drainage.
Further reclamation occurred when the Cooks River was straightened in the late 1930s, leaving former riverbed and infill land that became part of the golf property. In 1938 the council resolved to establish a nine-hole course on the higher ground of Riverside and Richards parks. Work began in 1939 under the Depression-era Spooner relief scheme, providing employment to local men, with married workers given preference.
The original routing was shaped as much by the available public land as by formal golf architecture. The club's history says Marrickville Council Engineer Mr Cottam supervised construction and a local golfer, Mr Apperly, advised on the layout. Their full identities are not sufficiently documented to record as architects.
Higher ground was selected partly because it was considered unsuitable for cricket, leaving flatter land for other sports. The modern course remains unusually compact: the men's layout is only 3,660 metres and contains twelve par threes and six par fours. Several holes use the Cooks River as a boundary, while changes in elevation, small greens, bunkering and mature vegetation create difficulty without significant length.
Marrickville Council officially opened its nine-hole golf course on 30 November 1940, with Mayor Harold Douglas Marr presiding and an exhibition match staged to raise money for the local Lord Mayor's Patriotic Fund. Local golfers then organised Marrickville Golf Club, which opened on 12 July 1941. Membership grew after the Second World War and members helped remodel the clubhouse in 1947.
The club was incorporated on 16 February 1953. Eighteen months later the council completed another nine holes, and the expanded 18-hole course was formally opened on 28 November 1954. Australian professional champion Kel Nagle and NSW professional champion Eric Cremin conducted a clinic before playing an exhibition match as part of the opening program.
Marrickville's significance lies chiefly in its role as accessible metropolitan golf and community open space rather than in championship history. Golf NSW describes it as one of Sydney's more affordable and accessible courses. In 2020 the course became the subject of a proposal to reduce the layout from 18 holes to nine as part of broader parkland planning.
The proposal was defeated after opposition from the club, local representatives and golfers, with Golf NSW arguing that the facility was an important community asset. The course also forms part of the Cooks River green corridor, where walking, cycling, birdwatching and other non-golf recreation occur around the golf operation.
Marrickville continues as an 18-hole golf, sporting and community club with public casual play available throughout the week. The official 2026 fee schedule lists weekday 18-hole golf at $38 and weekend or public-holiday golf at $45, with nine-hole and twilight options also available. The clubhouse and practice facilities are open to the wider community, and the property also supports disc golf.
The club retained its 18-hole footprint after the 2020 planning debate and subsequently secured longer-term tenure. A major clubhouse and precinct upgrade funded through a federal commitment announced in 2025 is intended to improve community facilities, accessibility, stormwater management and landscaping while retaining golf on the site.
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| Fee Type | Price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Weekday | ||
| Weekday Casual Golf – 18 Holes | $38 | Current official non-member rate. |
| Weekday Casual Golf – 9 Holes | $28 | Current official non-member rate. |
| Weekend | ||
| Weekend & Public Holiday Casual Golf – 18 Holes | $45 | Current official non-member rate. |
| Weekend & Public Holiday Casual Golf – 9 Holes | $31 | Current official non-member rate. |
| Twilight | ||
| Twilight Golf After 3pm – Unlimited Holes | $25 | Available seven days a week after 3pm, excluding public holidays. |
Prices are indicative and subject to change. Contact the course to confirm current rates.
| Front 9 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Out |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Par | 3 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 29 |
| Metres | 209 | 168 | 253 | 183 | 265 | 213 | 145 | 172 | 164 | 1772 |
| Index | 2 | 9 | 17 | 7 | 14 | 1 | 11 | 6 | 10 | - |
| Back 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | In | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Par | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 31 | 60 |
| Metres | 328 | 137 | 167 | 172 | 260 | 149 | 263 | 290 | 122 | 1888 | 3660 |
| Index | 5 | 15 | 8 | 4 | 18 | 13 | 12 | 3 | 16 | - | - |
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