The Royal Sydney Golf Club is much more than its name might suggest. The heritage listed building has been skirted by a long row of grass tennis courts, bowling greens, croquet lawns, as well as the infamous (?) fairways of the golf course itself since the 1930s.

However, by 2005 a need was felt for a fitness centre offering a more modern take on exercise. The Fitness Centre facility includes a 300m2 cardio and weights gym, 25m outdoor pool, heated indoor pool, a café, crèche and ancillary administration and amenities.

The challenge, and the success, of the new fitness centre are in how it interacts with the landscape of the grounds; both in physical connections and in the ethos of a very well-loved traditional architecture. The centre is accessed underground via the lower level of the clubhouse allowing a large entertainment lawn on the landscaped roof of the new gym. The seamless connection of new to old is enhanced by the respectful selection of materials: Bowral bricks, sandstone and oxidised copper. As a result while the architectural language of the new Fitness Centre is unmistakably contemporary, its etymology is clearly in the traditional verse of the Royal Sydney Golf Club.