Antill golf course member banned – after trying to save it

Michael Dentist was banned from his local golf club – because he tried to save it.

Devastated, he engaged a lawyer to help him reverse the decision of Antill Park golf course club board.

But when it became obvious the board would not budge, Mr Dentist, a Picton resident for 18 years, decided that he would leave the area and move somewhere where he could play golf again.

Mr Dentist, pictured above outside the course, has multiple sclerosis and golf is the only sport he can engage in, so getting banned from Antill was also very bad news for his health.

He and his wife have reluctantly put their Picton home up for sale.

So how did it come to this for a man who not only loves Antill golf course but who was on the board of directors for five years and a club captain during his 18 years as a member of the club?

“When I heard that the [Wollondilly] Council were going ahead with their plans to put the lease up for grabs, I could not help thinking that they did not want the current management to continue and that Picton might lose its golf club,’’ says Mr Dentist.

“All the talk around the club by the members was that the directors may lose the golf club, so I went to see a rich investor from the city, who is also a friend of mine.

“We decided to put in a tender just in case the Council really were looking for an alternative management team to run the golf course and look after Jarvisfield, the clubhouse, which is an important local heritage building here in Picton.

“I just wanted to save the place.

“I said to him: would you be interested in this?

“And he said, is Jarvisfield the place you had your farewell party before going to Europe, and I said yes. He said: what about the golf course?

“I said to him: don’t worry about the golf course, I was a director at Antill for five years, I know how to run a golf course, and what I don’t know I know people who do know.

“So for me this was about protecting the golf course and Jarvisfield, protect the membership, protect the members club, secure its future.

“We had a whole business plan.

“At no time did the club ask me what my intentions were or, if they disagreed with my actions, request I cease to be involved with the tender process.’’

But his fate was sealed as far as the Antill club board was concerned.

Within days of the tenders closing early in January this year, Mr Dentist found out he had been banned from playing golf or even visiting Antill golf course.

No reason was given for the ban, and when the South West Voice asked club president Kevin James, pictured below, about it, he said “no comment, that’s all we will say about this matter with Mr Dentist.’’

“This came as a shock after 18 years of membership and the fact that I had done nothing wrong,’’ says Mr Dentist.

“I had not been drunk, damaged any property, been violent or talked disparagingly about any other member of the club.

“I could only assume that I had been barred from the site because of my involvement with an alternative tender group, although the club refused and still refuses to give a reason for the ban, which is still in place.

“I supplied a letter from my GP informing the club that because of my physical condition, namely multiple sclerosis, golf was one of the few exercise activities I could still perform and that barring me from seeing all my golfing buddies was detrimental to my mental health.

 “The club responded by confirming my ban.

“I do not have the $20,000 I would need to challenge this in court, so now I am forced to sell my property and move to an area where I can play golf and start to build some new friendships.’’

Mr Dentist also reported his ban to ICAC and ClubsNSW.

ICAC has responded by saying they cannot investigate private companies, while ClubsNSW have yet to act on the matter.

Mr Dentist says that, on reflection, when he joined the tender with his investor friend “maybe the communication between me and the club could have been better’’.

“But once they knew, nobody came to me and said, you’ve got to stop this, or you’ll get thrown out.

“Had they done that things may have panned out quite differently.’’