In celebration of the Australian Open returning to the hallowed fairways of Royal Melbourne, we take a closer look at Victoria’s finest golf escapes that showcase why the Garden State is a true golfer’s paradise.
No mainland state is smaller in area than Victoria, yet none rivals Australia’s Garden State for golf majesty and variety.
Golf in Victoria is characterised by a series of defined regions that neighbour one another while offering truly different design traits and backdrops. A Murray River excursion? How about a dozen-plus courses lining the great watercourse. The Mornington Peninsula? It’s only home to 11 layouts ranked in Australia’s Top 100 Golf Courses. Across Port Phillip Bay on the Bellarine Peninsula? A whole bunch more. And that’s before we discuss the crown jewel of Victorian golf: the Melbourne Sandbelt.
It would take at least a month to tour the very best of the state’s golf courses, but what a month it would be. You might not be blessed with such a long window of opportunity, nor the capability of travelling right across the state with golf clubs in tow, so we’ve segmented Victoria into regions that can be tackled in more manageable pieces, sampling and savouring each one before moving onto the next.
MELBOURNE
What’s not to love about a city that exudes cosmopolitan sophistication with a dash of volatility? Golf in the Victorian capital mirrors the city’s undeniable swagger, blending underrated suburban layouts with world-class arenas – sometimes side by side. Golf in Melbourne is whatever you choose to make it. Reach high by never leaving the golf ‘penthouse’, dabble on the fringes, or do both. It’s that sheer variety that makes it one of the world’s most revered golf cities.
Peak Melbourne: It’s the Sandbelt, of course, most prominently Royal Melbourne and Kingston Heath, but with a talented support act featuring the likes of Peninsula Kingswood, Victoria, Metropolitan, Commonwealth, Yarra Yarra, Huntingdale and more. Playing that roster alone would represent the golf week of many players’ lives and you wouldn’t waste much time getting to and from each one, as the huddled nature of the Sandbelt is one of its most enduring traits. It is, in every way, top-shelf golf.
Don’t overlook: Woodlands Golf Club is sometimes viewed as the Sandbelt’s stepchild – it either is or isn’t part of the famed family, depending on whom you ask. It matters not, for the layout is a gem and only getting better as design tweaks and improved vegetation management bring out the best in the site. Woodlands is a throwback course. A mere 6,111 metres long and tight in places, it frequently tempts golfers to venture out of their comfort zone. Precision trumps power in most instances in a test that is never boring.
Also consider: Closer to the city, Latrobe Golf Club offers a treelined circuit beside the Yarra River. It has the added benefit of a short-and-sweet “The Island” course – a five-hole loop of par 3s tucked within a bend in the river that can easily be toured in an hour. Then there’s the Yarra Bend course, with its CBD views and fantastic practice facilities. The course is no slouch, either, presenting a challenge that’s navigable for golfers of all handicap levels.
Other options: We also recommend checking out the golf in Melbourne’s west, including Sanctuary Lakes, Kooringal and Eynesbury.
MORNINGTON PENINSULA
So close to Melbourne that, at least from a golf perspective, they essentially touch, the Mornington Peninsula feeds off the Sandbelt’s wonderful natural attributes and in many ways amplifies them. With courses unconstrained by suburban boundaries, there’s a bucolic appeal to the Mornington courses that the Sandbelt can’t duplicate.
Peak Mornington: The National is home to four courses, three of them in one location at Cape Schanck. With at least one layout available for non-member access on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays, it’s more than possible for interstate golfers to build a Mornington Peninsula golf itinerary around the mighty hub. Each of the Moonah, Old, Gunnamatta and (currently mid-redesign) Long Island courses are sublime in differing ways, so whichever course or courses you get to play, there’ll be no disappointment.
Don’t overlook: The primary challenge of playing golf on the Mornington Peninsula is deciding which courses to leave off your list. But playing at least one course at each of Moonah Links and Rosebud Country Club is a must, as is weaving in rounds at The Dunes, St Andrews Beach, Portsea, Sorrento and RACV Cape Schanck if time permits. The 36 holes at Moonah Links possess such variety that playing both loops makes most sense, but if time allows for only one, you should peer deep into your golf psyche to determine which. If you’re a golfer who craves a stern, even brutal, test, tackle the robust Open course; if you like a more sedate yet strategic challenge, opt for the Legends layout. Over at Rosebud, the North course is the logical choice, as its redesign under the watch of OCM has allowed that course to fully blossom. The South will get its turn in time, but the tournament-hosting North is one not to be passed by.
Also consider: Flinders’ quirky holes and stunning seaside location make it well worth playing, while Mornington Golf Club’s gateway location makes it an ideal option to open or close a golf tour of the peninsula.
Other options: We also recommend the semi-rural Devilbend and aesthetically rich Eagle Ridge for something a little different.
BELLARINE PENINSULA
Tournament identity and a growing number of top courses has seen the Bellarine Peninsula slip out from underneath the Mornington’s spotlight in recent years. Armed with a strong collection of top courses and a wealth of off-course attractions, the Bellarine plays second fiddle no more. But don’t take our word for it; take Marc Leishman’s.
“It’s a sleeper [region], that’s for sure,” says Leishman, who hails from Warrnambool, just a few hours’ drive down the coast. “You’ve got Lonsdale, Queenscliff, 13th Beach – and Barwon Heads is one of the best courses going around. They’re not that far from Geelong. It’s a good spot. I used to love going down there.”
Peak Bellarine: The neighbouring Barwon Heads and 13th Beach clubs – with now three-and-a-half courses between them – can’t be missed. Barwon Heads’ old-world charm and recently renovated clubhouse give it icon status on the Bellarine Peninsula. And for anyone who’s watched even a millisecond of a Vic Open broadcast on TV, you’ve no doubt salivated at the prospect of tackling either the Beach or Creek courses.
Don’t overlook: Lonsdale Links and Curlewis. Lonsdale’s courageous renovation a few years ago sought to give the layout a look and feel that’s partly its own but also partially borrowed from the great courses of the world via the ‘template’ holes now in place. Modern takes on Biarritz, Redan and Punchbowl greens, the Road and Alps holes and more homages dot the course in a foray that remains authentic. Curlewis has improved immensely in recent years, however the most striking elements are beside the course. Stylish accommodation beside the first tee and 18th green plus a striking clubhouse precinct and an adjoining driving range have raised the bar at the popular facility.
Also consider: Queenscliff, which occupies its own island, and Portarlington both showcase several Sandbelt qualities on markedly different sites. Queenscliff touches Swan Bay in numerous instances and being entirely sand-based, it’s a haven for golfers during periods of heavy rainfall. Over at “Port”, there’s a heathland feel alongside stout bunkering and exceptional couchgrass fairways that repeatedly draw praise.
Other options: We also recommend Geelong and Anglesea; the former for its fresh and innovative nine-hole course and the latter for its scenery and abundant mobs of kangaroos.
SHIPWRECK COAST
Upon encountering Victoria’s Shipwreck Coast, Matthew Flinders said, “I have seldom seen a more fearful stretch of coastline.” On certain days, the explorer’s phrase can easily be adapted to describe the region’s golf courses. It’s a wild stretch of coastline and one that has ruined as many scorecards as sailing vessels. Yet such precariousness is what draws golfers back, time and again. What the Shipwreck Coast, which spans Port Fairy in the west to Cape Otway in the east, lacks for quantity it makes up for in the quality and quaintness of its golf courses.
Peak Shipwreck: Port Fairy sits 50th in Australian Golf Digest’s biennial ranking of the nation’s Top 100 Golf Courses, drawing an armada of admirers who’ve made the journey to the far reaches of the Shipwreck Coast. When they get there, golfers encounter a genuinely exposed and natural course. Sure, golf might be nearly unplayable some days in the strong winds, but this is links golf, pure and simple. You get what you get, adapt and push on. Port Fairy is the kind of place where golfers learn a little bit more about the examination each time they tee it up.
Don’t overlook: Warrnambool joins its stablemate in the Top 100 (sitting 93rd) and is famous for nurturing Leishman’s game as a youngster. It’s a little more protected than Port Fairy, with several holes lined by coastal scrub. It does, however, own one of the more menacing stretches of holes in Victorian golf – the Shipwreck Bend that takes in holes four to six. Par you way through there and your round has embarked safely.
Also consider: Peterborough has just nine holes, but it’s an epic nine – arguably among the best nine-holers in Australia. Dramatic cliffs frame many fairways and they’re close enough to the ocean to feel its spray on your cheek, while a series of elevated tees enhance the visual and playing experience.
MURRAY RIVER
The largest and most expansive of Victoria’s golf regions is technically the domain of New South Wales, as all but one course are found on the northern side of the Murray River. However, their closer proximity to Melbourne compared to Sydney and the number of twin towns that straddle the river give the area at very least a shared feel. In fact, it’s easy to forget which side of the border you’re on as you duck either side of the majestic watercourse while touring its golf courses, such is the uniqueness of the environment. Several courses are close enough to the river to see it or even have the water in play, while throughout are the towering gum trees so synonymous with the region. There is a sameness to the design style of most Murray courses, yet that welcoming similarity is what helps make it among the most popular golf destinations in Australia.
Peak Murray: The newest addition to Murray River golf ranks as its best. Black Bull is only 10 years old – which is young in Murray golf terms – but has captured the imagination of the legions of golfers who return to the area each year. Set on the shores of Lake Mulwala, the final course design in Peter Thomson’s illustrious portfolio gave the region a standout modern newcomer. Thomson and design partner Ross Perrett weaved holes in and away from the lake in a compelling layout.
Don’t overlook: As with Victoria’s other golf havens, it can be a challenge to contain a golf trip along the Murray. However, if you can get there, Murray Downs near Swan Hill has long been considered the pick of the river’s ‘old’ courses, perhaps more so after hosting last year’s NSW Open. Elsewhere, several Murray courses double up by offering 36 holes, including Yarrawonga Mulwala (where the Executive nine brings it to 45), Rich River, Cobram Barooga and Tocumwal. Each venue makes it possible to have a great golf weekend without needing to move on, although doing so limits your exposure to the breadth of golf the Murray possesses.
Also consider: The ever-evolving cluBarham course is certainly recommended, while Howlong and Corowa are quintessential Murray layouts, the latter in particular.
Other options: We also recommend Commercial Albury, Thurgoona and Wodonga to the east, as Albury-Wodonga’s golf options shouldn’t be ignored.
