Foundation Day Celebration
Sheffield Golf Club - Badger Heights turned 50
Sunday September 6, 2026
This day was 50 years since a motion was passed to re-form the Sheffield Golf Club at Badger Heights.
The club invited current and former members, family, friends, locals and the wider golfing community to help us celebrate this important occasion.
Golf Event
The day brought our community together for an enjoyable 18-hole Ambrose 3 golf event.
The timetable for golf was follows:
8:30 – 9:00: Registration and payment
9:10 - 9:20:
Player Briefing
9:30 – 15:00: Golf
We assumed someone in every team was aware of how to play an Ambrose event.
(Balls must be placed within 1 club length of the selected ball off the green and within one handspan when on the green (no nearer to the hole). Balls off the green cannot be placed on the green.)
There was a minimum number of 3 drives per player.
Event Participants
We had 21 teams registered for the event. Unfortunately 2 teams pulled out before play on Sunday. 19 groups was still a great turnout. Photos of each team below.
Brendon Taylor, Ryan Edwards, Adam Gardner
Denise Morgan, Lucas Tataryn, Justin Morgan
Mal Hulsman, Samuel Wells, Drew Parker
Ashleigh Corbett, Lyle Thomas, Gavin Thomas
Gerry Hopkins, Les Juggins, Rod Shackleton
Matthew Knight, Greg Collis, Leigh Tuson
Geneen Duff, Winston Duff, Helen Lloyd-Jones
Janice Milner, Dot Barrington, Judy Denney
Craig Denney, Ash Denney, ?, Neil Denney
Aaron Hawes, Rex Wallman, Geoff Dell
Bob Coleman, Rodney Von Stieglitz, Maklyn Jones
Ben Corbett, Ryan Patterson, Roland Proud
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Results for the Day
Formal Proceedings
Formal proceedings began at 3:00 pm and provided an opportunity for us to come together, reflect, and celebrate the club’s story. The program included brief speeches and a recap of the club’s founding, shared by foundation members John Hope and Neil Denney.
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See the article below for a taste of our early history and a link to our photo gallery which will evolve as we get closer to the event.
Presentations and Afternoon Tea
Following the speeches, we recognized the day’s winners (see above) and had a draw the door prizes. Afternoon tea was then served, offering a relaxed
chance for members, friends, and guests to catch up and continue the
celebration together.
Time Capsule Contributions
We received a few items for the time capsule. Items can still be contributed. We may bury the time capsule in March 2027. Stay tuned for more information.
Food and Refreshments
A free sausage sizzle was provided for players.
Registration closed August 31
Fairways, Friendship and 50 Years of History
As Sheffield Golf Club prepares to celebrate its 50th
anniversary at Badger Heights, the milestone offers a chance to honour the
people, perseverance and community spirit that brought the club back to life.
The Sheffield Golf Club at Badger Heights is preparing to celebrate a remarkable milestone: 50 years since its modern revival. On 6 September 2026, members, families and supporters will gather to mark half a century of community spirit, local determination and love of the game. The day promises more than just golf, with an Ambrose event, afternoon tea, a time capsule burial and a special look back at the club’s formative years, presented by foundation members John Hope and Neil Denney.
But the story of Sheffield Golf Club stretches back far beyond 1976. Its roots reach into the 19th century, when it was one of the four clubs that helped establish the Northern Tasmania Golf Association — a contribution so significant that the association later granted Sheffield life membership.
Like many country sporting clubs, Sheffield’s journey has not always been smooth. Before the current course was established, the club played across four different layouts, all on private land. One by one, those homes disappeared as the properties changed hands, and by about 1954 the town was left without a golf course altogether.
The comeback began in 1975, not in a boardroom, but in conversation between a group of golfing mates driving home from Woodrising Golf Club in Devonport. From that simple exchange came flyers distributed across Sheffield and Railton, public meetings to test community interest, and finally a defining moment at the Sheffield Hotel on 6 September 1976, when the motion to reform the club was carried. Thirty locals each contributed $50 to get the dream off the ground. Land was purchased at the foot of The Badgers, work began in earnest, and within three years the club had built nine holes and secured affiliation with the Northern Tasmanian Golf Association.
Today, the names of those 30 foundation members are commemorated on a plaque in the clubrooms — a reminder that clubs are built as much by community effort as by sporting ambition. Not every founder was a golfer, but many became enduring club stalwarts, and several were later recognised with life membership. Two foundation members, Neil Denney and John Hope, remain involved with the club today, linking its earliest days with its future.
The foundation members were as follows:
The anniversary is not only a celebration for current members, but also a chance for the wider Sheffield community to reconnect with the club’s story. Descendants and family members of the foundation group are especially encouraged to attend the 50th birthday celebrations on 6 September, alongside current, former and prospective members who would like to be part of the occasion.
Golf will, of course, remain at the heart of the day. The anniversary competition will be played as a three-player Ambrose, with tee-off from 10:30am. In keeping with the club’s strong tradition of family involvement, family teams are warmly encouraged to take part — a fitting tribute to the generations who helped shape the club in its early years.
There will be an entry fee for the day’s competition, but in the spirit of the celebration, non-members will not be charged green fees.
Once play wraps up, the celebration will continue off the course with afternoon tea, the burial of a time capsule and a special look back at the club’s history from about 3pm. It is expected to be a fitting way to mark not just a sporting milestone, but a proud chapter in Sheffield’s community life.
Neil Denney (Foundation and Life Member), Craig Denney, John Hope (Foundation and Life Member), Stephen Hope competing in a family grudge match on Anzac Day 2026.