About
Bill Meader’s original chair from the founding of Victoria Golf Club is still displayed in the club’s foyer, symbolizing his enduring legacy and the club’s historical roots.
Bill Meader was instrumental in the founding and early development of Victoria Golf Club in Melbourne, Australia, established in 1903. Meader, a banker and secretary-treasurer of the Victorian Golf Association, collaborated alongside Oscar Damman to design the original golf layout at Fisherman’s Bend before the club relocated to its current location in Cheltenham in 1927. Though neither had formal training in golf course design, Meader and Damman showed an intuitive understanding of the land’s potential, creating a course that later attracted the master architect Dr. Alister MacKenzie. MacKenzie refined their layout and engineered the club’s famed bunkering, helping to advance the course into one of Australia’s premier golfing destinations.
Under the guidance of later architects like Mike Clayton, the course has preserved its classic Sandbelt characteristics—strategic bunkering, fast greens, and beautiful natural features. Victoria Golf Club is noted as a breeding ground for champions, including Peter Thomson and Geoff Ogilvy, reflecting the strong foundation Meader helped establish in Australian golf.
