An assault and 150 other incidents involving dogs and their owners have been recorded by the Beechworth Golf Club, but an off-leash area will remain at the site.
Following a 2018 review and a council proposal in July to create a new off-leash area, an eight-point recommendation was made to Indigo Shire councillors at last night's meeting.
Establishing a framework "for successful co-existence between dog walkers and golfers at Baarmutha Park" in collaboration with user groups was among actions suggested.
Before councillors decided on the recommendation, they heard in open forum it had "little resemblance" to those discussed in a meeting between golfers and council staff.
Councillor Jenny O'Connor, who sat in those meetings as mayor, said the hope was those ideas would be taken forward into meetings between council, dog walkers and golfers.
"The concerns of the Beechworth Golf Club are absolutely legitimate and there's nothing in this motion that suggests they're not," she said.
"I've met with both parties and there is goodwill on both sides.
"If however, at the end of this time (of collaboration) ... we see bad behaviour and a risk to golfers ... I would absolutely revisit this with a view to saying 'I do no longer support dog walking in that area'."
Andrew Croome raised that the Beechworth Golf Club committee in 1999 also opposed dog walking after having it "imposed on them by a last-minute amendment".
"Will the ISC undertake to indemnify the Beechworth Golf Club Committee and its members against any litigation arising from incidents occurring on the golf course as a result of this recommendation?" he asked.
Indigo chief executive Trevor Ierino responded that council's recommended action would not create new liability.
Councillors were also told "a police prosecution was instigated recently as a result of an assault by a dog walker on a golf club member".
Mr Ierino said he received an email about the incident and everyone at council was "shocked and appalled by it".
There will be an increased presence of compliance officers as part of council's resolution, which was made after a risk assessment and a largely negative response to proposals for alternatives at Wallace Park.
The recommendation passed in its original form but with a change to wording, initiated by Cr Diane Shepheard, to remove reference to "closing the loop" on council's engagement with this issue.
"I understand the concerns of the golf club and I have sympathy with them, but we also have, on the other hand, the ongoing usage of that space for 20 years by dog walkers," she said.
"I understand there's been a rub between those two, and I'm hoping that with this motion that we're setting up, that there'll be an opportunity for ... a collaborative use of that space.
"Dog walkers have been put on notice."
Cr Larry Goldsworthy sought to remove Barmuutha Park as an off-leash area in the domestic animals act and was joined by Cr Bernard Gaffney in voting against the recommendation.
Cr Goldsworthy said 150 incidents was "more than a bit of a rub".
IN OTHER NEWS:
"(Dogs) do go and steal golf balls, they do go and defecate all over the place and they have attacked people," he said.
"As has been spoken about, it would be a very rare case indeed where you have people doing recreational activities with their dog walking in front of golfers.
"It's a risk that we shouldn't be accepting."
