As you drive into RACV Cape Schanck Resort, located on the Mornington Peninsula’s rugged southern tip, you’re met with glimpses of the striking resort building, designed with the surrounding environment as its inspiration.
Preparation for your round is easy. Warm up on the driving range, dial in your pace on the putting green, and sharpen your short game at the chipping area and practice bunker before heading to the first tee. The golf shop is well stocked with essentials, including hire gear if you’ve travelled light. Public play is welcomed seven days a week, with same-day online tee-times available via the website or MiClub portal for seamless booking.
The golf course, designed by the legendary Robert Trent Jones Jnr, is an 18-hole, par 70 layout that marries strategic shot-making with sweeping coastal drama, a combination that has made it a perennial favourite for visiting golfers and locals alike. One of its great strengths is its year-round playability, ensuring you can experience “the Cape” in all its dramatic seasons.
The layout delivers a balanced challenge suitable for golfers of all abilities. Treelined and strategically bunkered fairways demand accuracy off the tee, while the course’s natural elevation changes add another dimension to club selection and course management. Each hole offers its own unique character, keeping your round engaging from the first tee to the final green. The coastal breezes that sweep across the peninsula add yet another layer of complexity, making every round feel fresh no matter how many times you’ve played the course.
Some of our favourite moments include the back-to-back par 3s at the third and fourth holes. The third presents an early test, specifically requiring full commitment from the tee with coastal winds often influencing ball flight, while the fourth rewards finesse and precision. The dogleg sixth plays as one of the shorter par 4s but is deceptively tricky thanks to its long, multi-layered green. That hole leads seamlessly into the seventh, a par 3 that forces you to carry the only water on the course and land on a subtly back-to-front-sloping green.
As you walk off the 13th green and crest the short ridge towards the 14th tee, you’re met with arguably one of the best par-3 tee shots on the peninsula (we’d argue anywhere). The elevated view is visually captivating, offering stunning panoramas across The National Golf Course and Bass Strait. It flows naturally into the 15th, where the view from the green could only be described as a golfing religious experience.
In short, RACV Cape Schanck Resort is that rare coastal course that balances beauty with brains: generous off the tee, intricate around the greens, and unforgettable from those high, perched tees where the ocean fills your frame.
Top that off with a resort offering 5-star spacious accommodation, multiple food and beverage outlets – from the casual Mantellina Café to the fine-dining Cape Restaurant – along with One Spa, full gym facilities, an indoor pool and so much more. There’s little reason not to add RACV Cape Schanck Resort to your bucket list as a must-experience destination, whether you’re visiting for an individual escape or wanting to stay as part of a group. The resort offers stay-and-play packages, along with seasonal promotions that regularly include fantastic golf offers.
In all, bring your imagination, a few extra wedges – and don’t forget to pack your camera.
Photos: William Watt/Contours Agency
THE DETAILS
RACV Cape Schanck Resort
Trent Jones Dr, Cape Schanck VIC 3939
Phone: (03) 5950 8000
Web: racv.com.au/capeschanck
