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Sydney golfers will be able to play on a 12-hole course in the inner city after the state government compromised on its plan to halve Moore Park’s 18-hole golf course to create more public green space.

The Minns government announced on Thursday its final plan for the 45-hectare Moore Park golf course site after a years-long battle over its future.

The government said the new plan would retain a 12-hole golf course – up from a previous 9-hole offering on the same amount of land – after feedback from golfers and the wider community.

“This plan delivers quality open space which will act as a backyard for thousands of people in one of Australia’s most densely populated communities,” the planning minister, Paul Scully, said.

“Moore Park South will have something for everyone, whether people want to play sport, enjoy time outdoors, walk the dog or play a round of golf.”

The number of people living within 5km of the new park is expected to rise to almost 790,000 in the next five years.

The government said the park would include pathways for running, walking and cycling, a fenced off-leash dog area, a community sports field, multi-purpose sports courts and outdoor fitness equipment, space for food kiosks – and the down-sized 45-par golf course.

There will also be an expanded driving range with up to 90 bays, putting and chipping greens and an 18‑hole mini‑golf course.

The community will be able to access the park from July, with substantial upgrades and additions expected to be completed by 2028.

The government vowed that “a minimum of nine holes will be available to play until the 12-hole course is opened in 2027”.

The Greater Sydney Parklands chief executive, Joshua French, said: “Over the next three years, we’ll be focused on delivering a park that is welcoming, accessible and well-managed, with facilities that respond to community needs, now and into the future.”

Splitting the existing 18-hole golf course in half to make way for the new public park had been resisted by golfers and an alliance of industry bodies.

Golf Australia, the PGA of Australia, Golf NSW and the Moore Park golf club responded to a draft plan in 2024 with their own plan to convert what it said was under-utilised land at the northern end of the course while retaining 18 holes.

The golf course is on public land but has been operated privately under successive lease agreements with the NSW government. The current agreement expires in mid-2026.

Jared Kendler, the vice president of the Moore Park golf club, said an 18-hole golf course alongside new parklands had “always been possible”.

“It’s still baffling that the government would not consider our alternative approaches and remains committed to Clover Moore’s dream of cutting the golf course in half,” he said, referring to the lord mayor of Sydney’s long-time campaign for new parklands.

“While any additional hole above 9 helps to add capacity for people wanting to access this great game, we still have big concerns that the people who will be most impacted by cutting the course down from 18 holes will be those in our community who can least afford alternate options.”

Kendler said the course was an affordable option for people with annual fees of $2,000 compared to higher costs at nearby private clubs.

The chief executive of Golf NSW, Stuart Fraser, said on Thursday that: “Golf NSW acknowledges it has been consulted by the NSW government.”

“The preference has always been to retain 18 holes; however, this was physically not possible,” he said in a statement.

Fraser said the 12-hole layout, designed by golf course architect Harley Kruse, would “still offer a challenge” for golfers.

The government said during its consultation, “we heard from golfers that in the absence of 18 holes a 12-hole course would be the preferred outcome”.

In early 20024, US actor Mark Wahlberg filmed a video on the Sydney course, imploring people to “save Moore Park golf club”.