Family’s fairway farewell at local favourite golf course

THE much-loved local nine-hole golf course Melaleuca Links, also known as Devil’s Dams, has been listed for sale for the first time in 30 years.

Locals and golf enthusiasts would already know of the 20-acre property off the Bass Highway, complete with a par 3 nine-hole golf course, a licensed café, a garden maze and two self-contained cottages. But what they may not know is the family story behind it all, beginning with an abandoned market garden and a genius greenskeeper with a vision.

Owners Lisa and Stephen Sorrell say golf has always been a part of their lives.

“Stephen has always been a greenskeeper, and he used to work at the Leongatha South Golf Course. All our kids grew up out there,” Lisa said.

When a former market garden was put up for sale in 1996, Stephen saw past rows of vegetables and empty paddocks. What he saw instead was greens, tees, and... dams. Lots of dams.

“He saw this that was up for sale. It was only like 10 acres, and he said, let’s do it. I can see a golf course out here,” Lisa said.

Stephen designed the holes, brought in the excavators and shaped the land. The four years of building that followed weren’t easy.

“We bought it in 1996, and we opened the golf course in 2000, so it really kind of took us four years,” Lisa said. “It was very in its infancy, very basic. And then it grew.”

The work was tiring, but with four kids, their youngest three and their oldest 12 at the time, it soon became a family affair.

“They all wanted to help,” said Lisa. “That was our life. It was a great bonding experience.”

Over time, the business expanded. In 2008, the Sorrells purchased an adjoining 10-acre property and extended the golf course even further. The café then followed a few years after that.

“The cafe area was originally an old house. So Stephen gutted it, and we built the café, which we opened in 2011,” Lisa said.

The unique course built its strong reputation not only from its charm, but also its challenge. For a par 3 course, Devil’s Dams asks a fair bit from its golfers, largely because of, as its name suggests, the dams, as Stephen’s love for water
originally helped shape the course.

“There were two dams originally, and we added another four or five,” Stephen said.

“Stephen loves playing over water, near water, everywhere water. He loves it. He thinks it’s calming. It’s challenging for all ranges of golf ages,” added Lisa.

Hole 5 in particular has earned somewhat of a reputation, asking its golfers to carry a ball over approximately 70 metres of water. Stephen did not sound apologetic about it.

“Water looks good. There’s nothing better than watching a ball plop into the dam,” he said with a smile.

After decades of hard work, the Sorrells have now decided it’s time to sell, with plans to retire.

There has been strong interest in the property, though Lisa said the turf side of the operation certainly takes some know-how.

“The hospitality side is relatively easy to take over, but the turf side of it is a little bit trickier. It takes a lot of knowledge,” she said.

Lisa and Stephen now look towards retirement with pride, having built something truly unique and deeply loved by the community.

“The biggest challenge when we first started was the unknown if it was going to succeed... but surely it has,” said Lisa.