Yowani Country Club chair John McCullagh said the board was under increasing pressure to diversify its income stream, as the cost of running the business grew and its gaming revenue fell.

Mr McCullagh said the redevelopment was essential to the club's future.

"As you would know, all clubs struggle these days and we have to look at alternatives to generate other sources of income and the only asset we had which was able to do that was the land it sits on," Mr McCullagh said.

"We have one of the best golf courses going around at the moment, we want to maintain that, we want to make it better but more importantly we want to have a clubhouse that is financially stable."

The club straddles the juncture of the Federal and Barton Highways and will have light rail running right down the front.

Yowani plans to build a new clubhouse on a parcel of land west of the golf course that is currently owned by the territory government and where sheeted asbestos is buried.

The clubhouse would sit next to a pond on the club's land and could be accompanied by villas.

Elton Consulting director and former Land Development Agency executive Dan Stewart said Yowani had submitted a direct sale application for that land.

"We don't redevelop the land where the clubhouse sits until the new clubhouse is built," Mr Stewart said.

"The golf course and the clubhouse will remain operational at all times."

If the direct sale application was rejected, Yowani would build the new clubhouse near the old one in the precinct to be redeveloped.

That redevelopment will include up to 300 terrace-houses of about two or three storeys and 900 apartments of about seven storeys on Northbourne Avenue, Cox Architecture director Chris Millman said.

It would also include some retail and restaurant space as part of the mixed-use developments. The development could even include a hotel.

The redevelopment will follow the curve of Sullivans Creek, with the lowest density housing facing the creek and golf course.

Mr Millman said the development planned on naturalising Sullivans Creek, which is currently an open concrete drain, and building bike and footpaths through the area.

He also hinted at some on-site method of energy generation and battery storage, but said the details were yet to come.

The golf course would be reconfigured so residents did not end up with balls through their windows, Mr Millman said.

The whole development would take place over the next 15 to 20 years and go up in stages.

The first stage would include the new clubhouse and housing on the south-eastern edge of Yowani.

It would also include construction of an access road, which would link up with the tennis club.

Mr Millman said traffic modelling for the site was "in train" with a planning report to be filed in the first quarter of next year, and the Estate Development Plan to be submitted in mid-2018.

The club will apply to have the land rezoned next year.

Unlike the Federal Golf Club's proposal to build 125 retirement units on its land, which required the club to apply to deconcessionalise its lease, Yowani has a market value lease.

But the redevelopment will fall within the boundary of the City Renewal Authority's new Northbourne corridor planning precinct, special rules for which are yet to be set.

"It's really a once-in-a-generation opportunity to redefine the club," Mr Millman said.

Chairman Mr McMullagh said the current Yowani clubhouse was built in the 1960s but was no longer fit for purpose.

He said financial pressures were "same as any club".

"Decline in support for the games of golf and bowls, reduced patronage in traditional sources of revenue like gaming, accommodation and in-clubhouse activities," Mr McMullagh said.

"It's a common theme across all clubs these days. The biggest [loss] obviously is in terms of gaming revenue and the losses there.

"We only have 26 machines, the reality is to make money out of poker machines, you need 100 or more and we simply don't have those and patronage of gaming has simply fallen significantly by a factor of 65 per cent."

Mr McMullagh indicated the club would not look to increase the number of poker machines in its new clubhouse.

"We're looking at all opportunities to diversify income away from those traditional sources of revenue including gaming," Mr McMullagh said.