At a meeting chaired by Mr Clive Rudder in October 1924, it was moved by Mr C H Lloyd and seconded by Mr J Jones that a golf club be formed in Coffs Harbour and that it was to be known as the Coffs Harbour and Districts Golf Club. V C Smith was President, J Jones was Secretary and Mr Hawke was Treasurer. The official opening of Coffs Harbour Golf Club took Place in 1926 at a six-hole course at the showground site.

In March 1927 Dr Hawke became President when Mr Smith left the district. This was an instrumental move as Dr Hawke was to become the main force behind the success of the Club.

In July 1938 acquisition of new ground behind the public school on the site of the old tick dip reach a satisfactory stage. Dr Hawke had the land surveyed and was advised by Mr Vincent MLC that it had been granted as a reserve for a golf course.

It was then that the Club engaged Mr Carnegie Clark to design a 9 hole golf course. The opening took place at the temporary clubhouse on 2nd June 1940. Dr Hawke remained President right through until 1950, giving 26 years service and, in October, the long serving Dr Hawke was awarded a much deserved life membership.

In 1951 the Club held its first Professional tournament which was known, and still is, as the North Coast Open. The first winner was Kel Nagle and has had such winners as Norman Von Nida, Billy Dunk, Stuart Ginn and international professional Gary Player. In 1970 it became an amateur tournament with winners like Scott Gardiner and Paul Sheehan who now play on the Japanese and US Tours.

In 1962 greens were converted from couch to bent  grass. In 1969 the committee adopted a master plan for a new championship course together with a third 9 holes to allow for greater flexibility of play.

In the 1980's and 90's large amounts of money were put into the golf course to attract visiting golfers, with over 25km of drainage put into fairways and converting greens from bent grass to Couch (328). In 1989 the greens were totally rebuilt from the ground up and built to USGA specifications, with a local dune sand from Macksville proving to be the closest partial grading. David Scutts was the Course Superintendent at that time and in his 10 year term he constructed 25 of the 27 greens. I spent 9 years under David as assistant and we achieved a lot in such a short time.

Norm Carr and Des Hardy completed all shaping and excavation works whilst greens staff did all other works associated with the rebuilding project.

In 2003 the Club had a master plan drawn up by David Burrup. The plans were done to improve playability and address other minor issues. In the past 2 years we have introduced more no-mow zones along with wasteland areas that tie in with the natural landscape. In coming years our main goals are to complete our concrete path program to help weatherproof the golf course and to install a new irrigation system that is very outdated and tired.

If you haven't been to play Coffs Harbour then you should, because it provides some of the best tests of golf around.

The course has a staff of 10 and 1 mechanic and, as you can imagine, there is plenty of area to mow on a 27 hole golf course, the Club is very fortunate to have a group of guys that are passionate about coming to work every day and I thank them for that.