Grant brings green to life

A Community Foundation internal grant has brought new life to a garden space at Riverpoint Retirement Village. 

Part of the garden has been converted into an artificial putting green for professionals and amateurs alike. 

The putting green is already popular with the village golfers, as well as being used by other residents with their grandchildren as a fun local activity. 

“A lot of people here have grandchildren or children and when they come into the village we’ve got spare putters here they can use to go out and play,” Village Manager Karina Johnson explained. 

“We even have people who used to play golf that don’t go out to a club to play anymore that have said they’ll come and have a bit of a putt.” 

Riverpoint has an active community that already uses the Community Centre for table tennis, 8 ball, carpet bowls and card games, but the putting green adds an outdoor activity. 

Golfer Graham Barnes said the putting green just “adds something else” to support socialising in the village.

“It’ll be good during the summer when we can all sit out there together and have a beer and rag on each other for how good or bad we are,” he said. 

“People who can’t go out and play anymore because of age or other reasons, they can still come out and have a hit too.” 

As the putting green is such a hit with residents, the golf group already has a running joke that the next project for the village is a driving range!