General News
2 January, 2026
Chally back on track
2026 is looking up for Ararat’s Chalambar Golf and Bowls Club, with members agreeing to a plan to allow the club to continue operating as part of a merger with a private operator. The club has been in administration for over 12 months owing more than half a million dollars to several creditors including the Australian Taxation Office and GWMWater. 156 members attended a meeting prior to Christmas and unanimously supported the joint venture with newly formed entity Mad Golf Inc. Mad Golf was set up by former Ararat resident Adam Haddow and his husband Michael Combs as an entity to manage and redevelop the golf club.
Members unanimously supported changes to the constitution at the special meeting on December 22 which gives the green light to the administrators Taylor Insolvency to get the club out of administration and proceed with the merger with MAD Golf inc.
Mr Haddow told the meeting Mad Golf is committed to better times ahead for Chalambar Golf Club.
“We are super committed to Ararat. We love the place, we love all you people and we think Ararat is a very special place and could be even more special and we want to work with you to achieve that.
“We now have the contracts, we now have to sign then and execute them with Rececca (the administrator), it then has to go to gaming (Victorian Gaming Commission) so that takes a period of time so it’s not like tomorrow we start operating the golf club.
“It probably won’t be until mid February that we will be formally running the golf club,” he said.
“We’re super excited. We really look forward to working with you to make the club better than it already is,” Mr Haddow said.
In early December, Mr Haddow and Mr Combs briefed members on the proposed merger, which includes plans to refurbish the clubrooms and extend its range of services, including a 40 room hotel.
“Our ambition is to partner with you to make this place go from great to amazing,” Mr Haddow said.
“We want the golf club to become one of the premier locations in Victoria if not Australia for golfing and food and beverage.
“We already have a great golf course, there needs to be some investment in the golf course itself,” he said.
“We think that the dining component is critical. We think there should be more outdoor dining. We need to have a casual bar, it should be an amazing place to come after golf and there needs to be a friendly restaurant dealing with everything from breakfast to dinner.”
Mr Haddow also outlined a medium-term vision for a 40 room hotel on the site which he believes will draw visitation and economic activity to Ararat.
“We do think in the short and medium term we will renovate the golf club, the club rooms and golf course, and in the medium to long term it’s to build a 40 room boutique hotel as an offering for stay and play and event based activities at the club,” Mr Haddow said.
Read More: Ararat