South Australia could continue to host LIV Golf for at least another six years, with the state government unveiling plans to invest in a Greg Norman-designed upgrade to the North Adelaide golf course at a cost it has not yet publicly released.
As part of a deal with organisers, the government is set to secure another two tournaments beyond next year, locking in the event’s future in Adelaide until 2028.
But the government said that, under an agreement with Greg Norman Golf Course Design, there was an option for the tournament to continue until at least 2031 at a new North Adelaide golf course, on the site of the existing one.
“We see a big opportunity in North Adelaide. Getting LIV Golf into the city unlocks yet more economic potential,” Premier Peter Malinauskas said.
“We’ll be signing an agreement that reflects this today … to build a brand new world-class, Greg Norman-designed championship golf course on the location of the North Adelaide site which will in turn trigger an option for LIV Golf to be extended until 2031.”
Since the first LIV Golf tournament in Adelaide in 2023, the event has been hosted at Grange.
Mr Malinauskas said the government had come up with some “preliminary numbers” about the cost to taxpayers of rebuilding the North Adelaide course, but he declined to provide a figure at this point in time.
“Once we get that final number, naturally we will release it publicly,” he said.
“It is absolutely the case that within the state budget this year this number will be publicly available and we’re not going to sort of skirt scrutiny in that regard.
“This investment to do the upgrade of the North Adelaide golf course … will be a considerable investment, but we want to do it in conjunction with the council so that we aim to reach agreement with them.”
Adelaide’s Grange Golf Club has hosted LIV Golf since 2023. (ABC News: Rory McClaren)
At the announcement, Greg Norman said various concept plans had already been drawn up “so there’s going to be options for all of us to look at”.
“As a golf course designer you very seldom get the opportunity to be involved with a project downtown — [there are] very few opportunities in the world for that. So our job is not taken lightly,” he said.
“North Adelaide Golf Club is basically a diamond in the rough. And we’re going to unpick it for you.”
City of Adelaide Lord Mayor Jane Lomax-Smith described the North Adelaide course as the “best-located” in the world, because it was “within walking distance” of the city’s hotels.
“This is an amazing asset and over the years the council has maintained and preserved it and invested in it, but about 10 years ago we knew that it needed a major upgrade and a lot of work was put into that and it’s been put on the backburner because, essentially, of the cost,” she said.
“But now … there is an opportunity, as the premier says, to have a win-win.”
Lord Mayor Jane Lomax-Smith says the North Adelaide course has long been in need of an upgrade. (ABC News)
While Mr Malinauskas was tight-lipped on the cost, he said there had been “some numbers … bandied around in the public forum that I don’t think are particularly inaccurate”.
It is unclear which numbers the premier was referring to, but former lord mayor Sandy Verschoor recently told ABC Radio Adelaide that when the council looked into an upgrade several years ago, it determined the cost at around $50-60 million.
“At the time it seemed like a huge amount of money,” she said.
“We went through the whole plan — it was clubrooms and doing a revamp of the north course in particular. We just decided that it was a way-too-big revamp.”
Mr Malinauskas said LIV Golf had generated significant economic gains for the state in the past two years.
“Even before this year’s event, we’ve seen over $120 million of economic activity bought to South Australia because of the success of LIV Golf Adelaide. We want that to continue,” he said.
He said the upgraded North Adelaide course would remain open for public use.
“If a kid grows up today in South Australia and says, ‘You know what? I want to play on the same course that Cam Smith does’, they can’t do it,” he said.
“In 2028, they will be able to do it.”
