Four prominent Australian golfers on where – and how – they like to travel for golf.
If you’re a member of a golf club, play at least once a week, have a decent amount of disposable income and love to travel, chances are you’ve seen more of the best courses in Australia, and the world, than some of the top male and female professionals.
It’s a sobering reality of the tour-pro scene; elite players travel for golf as their job, so spare time doesn’t always call for a golf trip. In fact, they like get away from golf.
But when pros do get to travel purely for pleasure, it’s fascinating to hear where their first choices are and what’s important for a golf trip. Among their criteria, great golf is the obvious No.1, followed closely by pubs, wineries and more. We asked four prominent Australian golf figures where, and how, they like to travel for golf.
Adam Scott
2013 Masters champion, world No.44
For a man who has his own private plane, one would think Scott has played the entire top 100 courses in the world. Not quite, although the 43-year-old has seen his fair share of destination golf.
“I’ll give you my top three destinations for golf,” Scott tells Australian Golf Digest. “I’ll say Scotland because there is so much good golf and good fun. There are pubs and all that for after golf, and Ireland, too, of course. So that’s No.1.
“I really like Cape Kidnappers in New Zealand; I thought it was really great when the PGA Tour brought me down there in 2008 for the [now-defunct] Kiwi Challenge (won by Hunter Mahan and played across Kauri Cliffs and Cape Kidnappers). We were there for three days. The [Tom Doak-designed] golf course is phenomenal. The par-5 15th, called ‘The Plank’, is probably my favourite hole in the world. There’s also fishing and quad biking you can do there and all the while Cape Kidnappers is still very relaxed. So that’s No.2.
“No.3, I’ll go domestic with Barnbougle in Tasmania. It’s just wonderful; it’s a beautiful part of Australia, the golf courses are absolutely spectacular and it’s just so fun and relaxed.”
Naturally, Scott has seen a few spots that are incredibly exclusive. The private island of Laucala in Fiji impressed the 14-time PGA Tour winner on a trip there a little while ago.
“I did a really amazing trip once to Laucala, and it has a golf course [designed by Scotsman David McLay Kidd] that’s pretty cool. It’s a private island, and it’s just unreal, and has that nice tropical weather and surfing, too, obviously.”
Surfing is also a lure for Scott’s next destination: the Te Arai region two hours north of Auckland in New Zealand. The ultra-private Tara Iti Golf Club has been there since its 2016 opening, but now there are two publicly accessible courses at Te Arai Links next door [see page 84]. “I hear there are some good waves next to Tara Iti, so I’d like to get there,” he says. “They have three courses now. Tara Iti is certainly next on my list.
“Other than that, I’ve heard about the Lido Club in Wisconsin,” where Bandon Dunes founders, the Keiser brothers, are restoring a C.B. Macdonald Golden Age course. “I also think I could do a good trip in Scotland; I kind of like the Highlands up there in Inverness and Aberdeen. I can see myself grouse shooting and wearing a kilt,” Scott laughs.
Karrie Webb
Seven-time major winner and Hall of Fame member
“I reckon the Mornington Peninsula is the ultimate golf escape,” Webb says. “There are so many great golf courses down there, but you’ve also got the great wineries and amazing restaurants. Then, of course, there’s the hot springs and lots of good accommodation options. It’s such a wonderful destination.”
How about overseas?
“In the US, I would say the Monterey Peninsula is my favourite destination,” Webb says. “It’s just outstanding. It’s so beautiful out there. There are lots of great courses to play. Again, you’re pretty close to three or four different wine regions in California, and you’re close to San Francisco. It’s just a beautiful part of the world.”
Lucas Herbert
Four-time winner across the DP World and PGA tours
“Good courses, obviously,” Herbert says when asked what’s essential for a good golf trip. “But also good accommodation. Every golfer in the group needs a room. Good pubs, too, because they become the place you trade stories from the day. And I’d say great views. Whether that’s from the courses or from your accommodation, it always adds that extra level of excitement if you’ve got great views.”
So where are Herbert’s favourite places, domestically and overseas?
“In Australia, I don’t think Barnbougle can be beaten. They are two great courses and it’s got all the necessary amenities for a great mates golf trip. The accommodation is right there, the food and wine are awesome.
“Kind of domestic but kind of overseas is New Zealand. I’ve played the New Zealand Open in Queenstown quite a bit and I just love the city. It’s so beautiful and the golf courses are spectacular.
“Internationally, I’d say Prague in the Czech Republic because it’s such a beautiful city and full of history. But if it must be a golf-specific trip and overseas, Scotland and St Andrews are incredible. There are so many unbelievable courses within St Andrews, there are a ton of Scottish pubs and just the atmosphere around St Andrews can’t be beaten.”
Mike Clayton
European Tour winner and golf course designer
We asked Clayton: where in Australia can call itself a great golf destination?
“Well, Seven Mile Beach when it opens [in November 2024] is going to be great,” Clayton says of former PGA Tour player and Hobart native Mat Goggin’s passion project, for which Clayton’s CDP design firm is building the course. “But before that, the Mornington Peninsula is very good.”
How about internationally?
“England is the best, I think, for variety, price and ease of access,” Clayton says. “The most underappreciated trip is Paris and up through Belgium and into Holland. Morfontaine [in France] is super hard to get on but Chantilly, St Germaine, St Cloud and Fontainebleau are really great courses. In the Netherlands, places like Utrechtse Golf Club de Pan, The Hague, Eindhoven and Kennemer Golf & Country Club are great. Royal Zoute in Belgium is on the rise, too. In the US, obviously Bandon Dunes and Sand Valley in Wisconsin, but Tasmania’s Barnbougle and Seven Mile Beach are very similar and way cheaper.”
getty images: David Cannon; sunningdale: Gary Lisbon; istock.com/Diego Fiore; gary lisbon, getty images: PGA TOUR; istock.com/Jonathon Marthick-Hone Gerald DeBoer, WILLIAM WEST • previous spread: gary lisbon; getty images: Ezra Shaw
