Inflation is on the rise and the cost-of-living is starting to hit the hip pocket nerve. But there’s no need to sacrifice your golf game.
Here, we reveal the best golf you can play in metropolitan areas of Australia – which includes all state and territory capitals and cities with a population of more than 200,000 – where the green fee presents a real bargain.
To qualify for the list, a course’s most expensive green fee was not to exceed $50. From there, we poured through notes and observations made by Golf Australia editors and Top-100 ranking judges to come up with the courses we believe present challenging, fun golf at a price that won’t put a hefty dint in the household budget.
The green fees listed are the rack rate for visitors and we prioritised the courses in order of their lowest green fee available across the week.
$50-$46
CLAREMONT GC
Hobart, Tasmania
Green fee: $50 (seven days).
The picturesque Claremont Golf Club (pictured above) is laid out across a peninsula, surrounded on three sides by the Derwent River, about 20 minutes’ drive north west of Hobart’s CBD.
There are superb views across the water to Mt. Wellington and Mt. Direction, while the river comes into play for the first time at the 174-metre par-3 2nd. It is a demanding hole that is further complicated by a small river inlet that cuts across the hole between tee and green. The target is small and, when the wind blows off the Derwent from the right, the green can be tough to hit with the tee shot.
If you have a problem keeping your shots on the straight and narrow and sliced drives are common-place, be cautious when playing Claremont’s toughest hole – the 410-metre par-4 5th. The glistening waters of the Derwent can be seen through the pine trees lining the right edge of the doglegging fairway, which is never far from the riverbank as it turns markedly from left-to-right and finishes at a smallish green guarded by a lone bunker.
ROSSDALE GC
Melbourne, Victoria
Green fee: $50 (seven days).
Located in the beautiful Melbourne bayside suburb of Aspendale, Rossdale Golf Club is home to a nicely manicured course that weaves through corridors of pines, eucalyptus and coastal banksias.
The original course at Rossdale was laid out in the early 1920s by Australia’s finest amateur of the time, Ivo Whitton. The five-time Australian Open Champion created an interesting layout for the club, then known as the Australasian Golf Club.
The name Rossdale was adopted in 1949 when the club commissioned course architect Vern Morcom to remodel Whitton’s work. Holes were re-routed, bunkers added and the overall golfing experience improved to provide a more strategic test.
Rossdale boasts some quality short par-4s, where you need to question your club and shot selection from the tee. The 319-metre 7th is one such hole. Doglegging right-to-left, the hole generally plays into the prevailing wind, which adds to the challenge of the tee shot coming out of a chute created by tall pine trees. With out-of-bounds left, the right half of the fairway is appealing, but don’t hit too long as you might find the lake that cuts into the playing line.
$45-$40
REDCLIFFE GC
Brisbane, Queensland
Green fees: $45 (weekdays), $50 (weekends).
Redcliffe is one of Brisbane’s most awarded golf clubs, and once you step onto the property it’s easy to see why.
Designed by Stan Francis in 1935, the course has been routed so the prevailing ocean breezes have a major influence, especially across the final three holes of the round.
The course is maintained like a park with the well-grassed and contoured fairways bordered by mature stands of native eucalypts, which feature an abundance of birdlife.
Recent works to upgrade the course’s irrigation system have taken the layout’s conditioning to the next level.
One of Redcliffe’s most memorable par-4s – the 364-metre 5th – was also a favourite of Queensland golfing legend, Norman Von Nida. The elevated tee provides a view of the trouble – lots of trees right and water to the left – in the valley en route to the green, which lies just beyond four bunkers (three right and one left) and slopes markedly from back to front.
WYNNUM GC
Brisbane, Queensland
Green fees: $45 (weekdays), $47 (weekends).
Located in Brisbane’s beautiful bayside suburbs, Wynnum gives the initial impression not much has changed since the club was established in 1922. The charming Federation-style clubhouse has a welcoming Queensland feel about it and the course is laid out in two loops in and away from this hub.
Obviously, things have changed here over the years and the course has moved with the times and remains an enjoyable and exacting test for players of all standards. No two holes are the same and the variety of left and right dogleg holes certainly adds to its appeal, as does the high level of presentation of its playing surfaces. The greens at Wynnum are regarded as some of the best to be found in the Queensland capital.
YOWANI CC
Canberra, ACT
Green fees: $45 (Mon-Thurs), $49 (Fri-Sun).
The north Canberra course is an excellent test among mature tree-lined fairways with a couple of picturesque lakes adding to the challenge of several holes. Yowani is also widely regarded for the high quality of its putting surfaces.
Contour Golf Design has been appointed to oversee a major redevelopment of the course, with work due to begin in 2023.
ALBERT PARK GC
Melbourne, Victoria
Green fee: $44 (seven days).
As you can imagine, with the 1st tee just two kilometres from the Melbourne CBD, the views of the city skyline from right across this layout are amazing.
And that is the star attraction for this layout, contained within beautiful Albert Park (and its Formula 1 grand prix track). Location, location, location!
That said, Albert Park boasts some interesting holes and there is genuine golfing fun to be had here in getting change from a $50 note.
FLAGSTAFF HILL GC
Adelaide, South Australia
Green fees: $44 (weekdays), $49.50 (weekends).
Flagstaff Hill was built in the mid-60s as part of a massive real estate development. In the years since, some adjoining parcels of land have been purchased, others sold off and the complexion of the course has changed along the way.
The most memorable hole here is the club’s signature offering – the 144-metre par-3 7th hole, where the tee shot is all carry across the edge of a huge lake, named Loch Hilan. Obviously, club selection is all-important to clear the water, but you also need to avoid three bunkers wedged between the water’s edge and the right side of the putting surface. If you err on the side of caution and take too much club, there is a deep trap waiting beyond the green.
WANTIMA CC
Brisbane, Queensland
Green fees: $44 (weekdays), $49 (weekends).
How do you feel about walking in the footsteps of an Open Champion?
You can do that at Wantima, as this is Cameron Smith’s home club and it’s just 30 minutes’ drive north of the city.
The course was only established – firstly as six holes – back in 1969 but it has evolved into a quality layout with ongoing investment in upgrading playing surfaces and the design in recent years.
KEPERRA CGC
Brisbane, Queensland
Green fees: $42 (weekdays), $49 (weekends).
Keperra is a fine parkland course, just 15 minutes’ drive from Brisbane’s CBD, with 27-holes enabling three composite layouts to be played.
But it is the Old Course (holes 1-18), home of one of Queensland’s most prestigious amateur events in the R&A accredited Keperra Bowl, which is the highlight. On this course, you can follow in the footsteps of past Bowl champions like Marc Leishman, Jason Day and Cameron Smith as well as past members, John Senden and Peter Senior.
CARNARVON GC
Sydney, NSW
Green fee: $40 (seven days).
Lying in the heart of Sydney’s suburban sprawl, just five minutes’ drive from Olympic Park, Carnarvon might seem like a surprising entry among the listed courses here.
Carnarvon is a something of a ‘sleeper’ course in the Sydney golfing scene but anyone who plays the layout is enthused to return. This a challenging layout that demands long, straight hitting and a nerveless putting stroke to put together a good score.
CUMBERLAND CGC
Sydney, NSW
Green fee: $40 (seven days).
As far as parkland golf courses go, Cumberland is one of Sydney’s finest.
The club prides itself on its pristine playing surfaces and claims to be the first in Australia to introduce compulsory sand buckets.
The par-72 layout offers a good range of holes, with water, sand and elevation changes between tee and green on most holes all combining to add plenty of variety to your round.
HARTFIELD GC
Perth, Western Australia
Green fees: $40 (Mon-Wed & Fri), $50 (weekends).
Hartfield occupies a beautiful bushland setting in the foothills of the Darling Ranges, less than five minutes’ drive south of Perth Airport.
Perth-based designer Michael Coate has designed much of the easy-walking par-72 layout, which is renowned for its well-manicured fairways and greens.
Hartfield is a tight driving course, with plenty of bunkers to keep your mind on the job. For example, the final approach into the par-5 9th hole must avoid four sandy traps short of the green, and another three alongside the sizeable putting surface.
There are hints of Melbourne Sandbelt-style bunkering across the layout, perhaps with no better example than on the par-3 12th hole, where bunkers pinch into the front half of the green from both sides.
NUDGEE GC
Brisbane, Queensland
Green fees: $40 (weekdays), $50 (weekends).
Nudgee has implemented a course masterplan undertaken by course designer James Wilcher, which is nearing completion of the restoration of 36 holes –known as The Kurrai and The Bulka courses.
Wilcher has transformed the golfing landscape here. Where flat greens once ruled, there are now large undulating putting surfaces full of interest, while holes have been re-routed and widened to create a variety of playing lines.
The Kurrai hosted the Queensland PGA Championship back in January, with Anthony Quayle claiming the title.
THAXTED PARK GC
Adelaide, South Australia
Green fees: $40 (weekdays), $45 (weekends).
Thaxted Park is one of South Australia’s most improved courses in recent years.
Part of that improvement has been based around securing its water resources, which has had a dramatic influence on the quality of the Santa Ana couch fairways and bentgrass greens.
The par-71 layout has also undertaken some extensive redevelopment of the front nine with designers Neil Crafter and Paul Mogford overseeing the creation of new green complexes and holes.
www.thaxtedparkgolfclub.com.au
THE RIDGE
Sydney, NSW
Green fees: $40 (weekdays), $46 (weekends).
When The Ridge, located in the heart of the Sutherland Shire, opened its final holes for play in 2013 it ended nearly 10 years of construction through to completion on what was formerly a landfill used by the local council.
Designed by James Wilcher, the public layout immediately proved popular because of the interesting and fun design, combined with good playing surfaces you would be more likely to find at a private club.
$39-$35
MCLEOD CGC
Brisbane, Queensland
Green fees: $39 (weekdays), $45 (weekends).
Laid out across gently undulating land at Mt Ommaney, about 15 minutes’ drive south west of the centre of Brisbane, McLeod is a golfing oasis in the heart of suburbia.
It is a scenic 18-hole journey, with the Mt Ommaney Creek winding through the course to create a home for lots of birdlife and a hazard on several holes.
VIRGINIA GC
Brisbane, Queensland
Green fees: $39 (weekdays), $42 (weekends).
Virginia is a 27-hole championship golf course that combines undulating greens and sweeping fairways with snaking creeks across the property as well as 56 well-placed bunkers.
If you want to follow in the footsteps of champions in Brisbane, this is the place as Greg Norman and Wayne Grady both learned the game here.
WEMBLEY GC
Perth, Western Australia
Green fees: $39 (weekdays), $46 (weekends).
Wembley is the biggest public golf complex in Perth and with two very good layouts about 10 minutes’ drive from the CBD, it is also one of the busiest.
The Tuart, and the neighbouring Old Course, are laid out over 300 acres of undulating land and both layouts feature heavily tree-lined fairways, very good bentgrass greens and a minimal number of bunkers.
If your round goes sour, head to the Wembley driving range or short game area, which are among the best practice facilities in Australia.
MASSEY PARK GC
Sydney, NSW
Green fee: $39 (seven days).
Massey Park lies just minutes from Sydney Olympic Park on the edge of Exile Bay and affords players easterly views along the Parramatta River to the city skyline.
Given its waterside location, it should come as no surprise that its best holes – many of which have been remodelled in recent times – are nearest to the water and are exposed to some breeze.
www.golf.masseypark.com.au
BRIGHTON GC
Melbourne, Victoria
Green fees: $38 (seven days).
Brighton golf course offers players a taste of what it’s like to play Melbourne Sandbelt golf, without the price tag.
The shorter front nine is where you make your score here before holding on across the more challenging inward half, which features several narrow driving holes that will catch the player not quite on their game.
MEREWETHER GC
Newcastle, NSW
Green fee: $38 (seven days)
Merewether is beautifully presented year-round with strip-cut eucalyptus tree-lined fairways and receptive greens laid out on gently rolling terrain.
But it is the variety of the holes – in length, shape and change of elevation – that is the strength of the Merewether layout.
The club has launched plans for a multi-million-dollar redevelopment including seniors-living apartments, while course designer James Wilcher has undertaken a masterplan for a course redesign as part of the new development.
PORT KEMBLA GC
Wollongong, NSW
Green fees: $38 (Mon), $45 (Tues-Sun).
Port Kembla is one of the premier courses of the Illawarra, with lush, easy walking fairways bordered by a combination of gums, melaleucas and low-lying trees.
Former PGA Tour player turned course designer Craig Parry has overseen some redesign work to the course in recent times, including the reshaping of several fairways and the remodelling of some bunkering. All changes have been made to enhance the enjoyment of the layout.
OXLEY GC
Brisbane, Queensland
Green fees: $37 (weekdays), $44 (weekends).
Dating back some 94 years, Oxley is a well-established and beautifully presented par-71 in Brisbane’s south-western suburbs.
The easy-walking layout stretches to more than 6,200 metres from the tips and, interestingly, has three of the four par-3s – all of varying distances – on the outward nine. The inward half is renowned for its challenging finish of five consecutive par-4s.
SHORTLAND WATERS GC
Newcastle, NSW
Green fee: $37 (seven days).
Shortland Waters celebrated its centenary in 2021, with its newly configured par-71 layout at the heart of the milestone event.
The club underwent a multi-million-dollar redevelopment (which was completed in 2019) with eight new holes being built, including six links-style creations on new land adjoining what was the original course.
RINGWOOD GC
Melbourne, Victoria
Green fees: $36 (weekdays), $41 (weekends)
Ringwood is a superb public course lying in the heart of Melbourne’s eastern suburbs, offering quality golf with nice views to the Dandenong Ranges.
There are plenty of holes to really test your game, with one of the toughest coming early in the round. The 400-metre par-4 2nd is a brute with a narrow fairway that turns gradually from right-to-left for the entire journey to the green. A drive placed in the left half of the fairway will give the best approach line into the slightly angled putting surface that lies just beyond a bunker short right.
BEVERLEY PARK GC
Sydney, NSW
Green fee: $35 (weekdays), $43 & $38 (am/pm, weekends).
Beverley Park underwent more than $1.3 million worth of upgrades nearly seven years ago and it has certainly improved the southern Sydney layout.
A creek and several ponds were added to five holes – the 7th, 8th, 10th, 11th and 12th holes – as part of a flood mitigation program carried out by the local council. These new water hazards have certainly provided some bite to the par-70, which is always in very good condition.
CAMPBELLTOWN GC
Sydney, NSW
Green fees: $35 (weekdays), $40 (weekends).
Campbelltown Golf Club has been in existence for more than 100 years but only settled into its current location in 1978 as part of one of the first golf residential estates in Australia.
It is also one of the first design works of course architect Bob Harrison, who later teamed with Greg Norman to create some of the country’s best known layouts like Brookwater, The Glades and the Moonah course at The National Golf Club.
www.campbelltowngolfclub.com.au
CHURCHILL WAVERLEY G&BC– ENDEAVOUR HILLS & ROWVILLE COURSES
Melbourne, Victoria
Green fees: $35 (weekdays), $45 (weekends).
Churchill-Waverley Golf and Bowls Club currently operates two separate golf courses – Endeavour Hills and Rowville.
Endeavour Hills layout lies next to the Churchill National Park and has 27 holes onsite, but it is the 18-hole West Course that will test your game with heavily tree-lined couch fairways, sizeable greens and expansive bunkering covering the undulating terrain.
One hole you will remember here is the sharp dogleg left 15th where longer hitters can attack and shorter hitters can still match them with a good strategy. The generous green, protected on three sides by bunkers, has multiple pin positions and can dictate the way you choose to play the hole.
The Rowville course – a five-minute drive to the north along Churchill Park Drive – is a little more open than its neighbour, but no less challenging with dozens of bunkers scattered across the layout.
GAILES GC
Brisbane, Queensland
Green fees: $35 (weekdays), $45 (weekends).
Gailes is widely regarded as one of the best wet weather courses in the Queensland capital.
In fact, it is this attribute that led to the club hosting the Australian Open back in 1955, when flooding elsewhere in Brisbane meant the event had to move to a better-draining course and Gailes was the choice.
Nearly 65 years on from that championship, won by the great South African Bobby Locke, Gailes is arguably a much sterner test with many trees maturing into towering timbers lining most fairways.
In recent years, most of the improvements have come in the increasingly high quality of its Wintergreen couch fairways and tees as well as the Bermuda 328 greens.
GLENMORE HERITAGE VALLEY GC – LINKS COURSE
Sydney, NSW
Green fees: $35 (weekdays), $43 (weekends).
Glenmore Heritage Valley is a 27-hole complex and the course is generally played as two combinations – The Links (1-18) and The Valley (10-27).
The Links is by far the most challenging layout of the two. It boasts some tough holes but none are more testing than the 589-metre par-5 6th, which features out-of-bounds left of the fairway and a lateral water hazard running the full length of the hole to the right. A great drive must be followed by a solid fairway wood and mid to short iron third shot to reach the green and have a chance at birdie or par.
GOONAWARRA GC
Melbourne, Victoria
Green fees: $35 (weekdays), $39 (Sat), $42 (Sun).
Goonawarra is one of the best public accessible courses north of Melbourne’s CBD.
Opened for play in 1981 and designed Tony Cashmore, Goonawarra is an enjoyable par-70 course with generously wide fairways and large undulating greens. In fact, the putting surfaces are widely acclaimed for their smooth roll and speed.
IVANHOE GC
Melbourne, Victoria
Green fees: $35 (weekdays), $36 (weekends)
A round of golf at Ivanhoe is more like a nature trail walk.
Covering land north of the banks of the Yarra River, Ivanhoe combines the beauty of interesting golf – undulating fairways and greens – with great natural sights like lagoons and water courses teeming with birdlife.
And all this just 20 minutes’ drive east of the city centre.
NORTH WEST BAY GC
Hobart, Tasmania
Green fee: $35 (seven days).
Just 20 minutes’ drive south of Hobart’s CBD lies North West Bay Golf Club – Australia’s southern-most 18-hole course.
The layout started as nine holes in the mid-60s, designed by Alf Toogood – the English-born patriarch of the famous Toogood golfing family that still remains close to the game in Tasmania today.
By the end of that decade the layout had been extended to 18 holes, such was the popularity of the course. It has changed significantly during the past 50 years with new holes replacing old as part of a development plan (provided by the Alf’s son, Peter), which added dramatically to the length and challenge the course presented.
North West Bay’s most memorable offering is the 429-metre par-4 11th. The view from the tee, down the fairway, to North West Bay beyond is striking. The gun-barrel straight fairway descends gradually from the tee and with a downhill approach shot, this hole plays much shorter than the scorecard suggests. The key here, though, is to approach from the right half of the fairway, to get the best angle into a green that slopes from left-to-right.
www.northwestbaygolfclub.com.au
REDLAND BAY GC
Brisbane, Queensland
Green fees: $35 (weekdays), $40 (weekends).
Situated on the foreshore of beautiful Moreton Bay, Redland Bay offers picturesque coastal views, manicured Bermuda grass greens and gentle undulating fairways.
Redland Bay was designed by Brisbane-based Stan Francis and is an easy-walking layout with several interesting short par-4s, with the best arguably the 295-metre 7th hole where trees, sand and water play havoc off the tee and a dam needs to be crossed with the short approach into the green.
WOLLONGONG GC
Wollongong, NSW
Green fees: $35 (Mondays), $45 (Tues-Sun).
Wollongong is a links golf experience like few others in Australia, with the course starting ‘in town’ and holes played across the land directly behind City Beach.
Golf has been played here since 1897, but the challenges are much different these days with water hazards being added to the landscape as part of a major redesign by course architect, Ross Watson, which began more than a decade ago.
$34-$20
NORTH ADELAIDE GC – SOUTH COURSE
Adelaide, South Australia
Green fees: $33.50 (weekdays), $42 (weekends).
Only a short walk from the city in the Adelaide parklands, North Adelaide’s par-71 South Course offers a challenging layout with stunning views of Adelaide’s skyline.
The playing surfaces here are superb. Beautiful kikuyu fairways, Santa Ana couch tees and well-tended bentgrass greens compliment the interesting and testing design.
Mature gum trees line every fairway and bunkers are placed to guard most greens, making accurate ball-striking a premium from tee-to-green. But there is no water and very little rough to speak of, so no time wasted looking for wayward shots.
CARDINIA BEACON HILLS GL – HILLS COURSE
Melbourne, Victoria
Green fees: $33 (weekdays), $43 (weekends).
Set in an idyllic rural location abutting Cardinia Reservoir in the foothills of the Dandenong Ranges, Cardinia Beaconhills is a strong test of golf with a panoramic view from many holes.
WEST BEACH PARKS – PATAWALONGA COURSE
Adelaide, South Australia
Green fees: $33 (weekdays), $42 (weekends).
With its terrific kikuyu fairways and enormous undulating bentgrass greens – averaging 750 square metres – West Beach Park’s Patawalonga layout is regarded as one of South Australia’s best public courses.
Redesigned by Neil Crafter in 1998, the Patawalonga is a links-style course with relatively wide fairways punctuated by plenty of bunkering. The remodelled back nine has the lion’s share of the layout’s best offerings with the short par-4 10th offering just enough temptation from the tee to get you into trouble.
COLLIER PARK
Perth, Western Australia
Green fees: $32.50 (weekdays), $41.50 (weekends).
A compilation of Australian course designers – including Peter Thomson, Michael Wolveridge, Michael Coate and Terry Gale – have played a hand in developing the three nine-hole loops at Collier Park, just south of Perth’s Swan River.
Each nine – the Island, Pines and Lake layouts – has a different look and feel from wide, tree-lined fairways on the Pines to the more heavily bunkered Island nine and links style of the Lake course.
PALMERSTON G&CC
Darwin, Northern Territory
Green fees: $32 (weekdays), $37 (weekends).
As you might imagine in Darwin, the Palmerston course is set in tropical surrounds and has been designed to interest players of all standards.
The layout has been the home of Northern Territory PGA Championship since 2016 and will host the event again in May 2023.
Originally constructed in 1995, the layout underwent a major redesign in 2005 to include nine new holes designed by Glenn Campbell. As a result, the par-71 is very much a tale of two nines. The outward half is challenging in terms of length and water comes into play on six of the nine holes, while the inward nine is tighter with more heavily tree-lined fairways.
One of the most memorable holes at Palmerston is the par-3 4th hole known as The Causeway. It is 167 metres from the tips, but can play much longer into the prevailing breeze. The tee shot needs to be played across the edge of a lake to a wide, almost triangle-shaped, tiered green that is protected in front by two small bunkers.
www.palmerstongolfcourse.com.au
CENTENARY PARK GC
Melbourne, Victoria
Green fees: $32 (weekdays), $39 (weekends).
Located on the doorstep to the Mornington Peninsula at Frankston, Centenary Park is widely regarded as one of Melbourne’s best public courses.
Designed by golf professional Bill Clifford, golf has been played at Centenary Park since 1974 when Frankston Council decided to move the course away from the centre of town.
Perhaps the most memorable feature of the layout is the green complexes. The bunkering surrounds on most holes is not overdone and the putting surfaces are challenging and fun.
NORTH TURRAMURRA GC
Sydney, NSW
Green fees: $32 (weekdays), $40 (weekends).
Established in the 1950s, North Turramurra golf course offers players a magnificent outlook onto Ku-rin-gai Chase National Park, which is home to more than 30 species of native animals and birds.
The layout was dramatically improved when it was extensively redeveloped as part of the North Turramurra Recreation Area Project and reopened for play in 2017.
WARATAH GC
Newcastle, NSW
Green fees: $32 (Mon-Tues), $42 (Wed-Sun).
Waratah is the oldest club in the Newcastle region having celebrated its 120th year
in 2021.
There are plenty of highlights at Waratah, from the difficult 415-metre par-4 4th with its smallish but well-bunkered green, to the series of holes that run alongside Cockle Creek bordering the course.
CARRAMAR GC
Perth, Western Australia
Green fees: $31 (weekdays), $36 (weekends).
Designed by former Touring professional Bob Stanton, Carramar was built and opened in 1994 by the City of Wanneroo.
From the championship tees the course measures 6,121 metres and is renowned as one of the most challenging public layouts
in Perth. While the course does not play
long, Carramar’s test comes in keeping your shots away from the surrounding native bushland and on course for the large greens on each hole.
MARANGAROO GC
Perth, Western Australia
Green fees: $31 (weekdays), $36 (weekends).
Marangaroo is a Murray Dawson design lying in the heart of Perth’s northern suburbs, about 25 minutes’ drive north of the CBD.
The layout – not long by modern standards at 5,616 metres – meanders through a beautiful native bushland setting and, since opening in 1988, it has become one of Perth’s most popular public courses.
BERWICK MONTUNA GC
Melbourne, Victoria
Green fees: $30/35 (off peak/peak, weekdays), $35/40 (weekends).
Berwick Montuna is a picturesque par-69 on Melbourne’s south-eastern outskirts that measures a tick over 5,000 metres from the back markers.
The highlight of the round opens the back nine with the 354-metre par-4 10th. Regarded as one of the hardest holes in Melbourne, the dogleg left features a lake cutting into the fairway that prompts some thought from the tee – either lay up short of the water and leave a long approach into the green, or play aggressively and aim for the sliver of fairway leading to the green.
www.berwickmontuna.com.au
BRIGHTON LAKES R&GC
Sydney, NSW
Green fees: $30 (weekdays), $45 (weekends).
Brighton Lakes is undoubtedly the best course it has ever been in almost 100 years of existence.
Forced from their original course site beside the Cooks River, opposite Sydney Airport, North Brighton GC became New Brighton GC when it headed west to Milperra in the 1950s.
The course was played for more than 60 years before six holes and a practice fairway were lost to build the Brighton Lakes Estate.
Course architect Bob Harrison was commissioned to design seven new holes and redesign four others as part of the Brighton Lakes redevelopment, which opened for play in August 2019. Today, it is one of the best publicly accessible courses to be found in south-western Sydney.
CAMDEN GC
Sydney, NSW
Green fees: $30 (weekdays), $45 (weekends).
The long-term golfing resident in the south-western outskirts of Sydney is Camden Golf Club at Studley Park, which is the 132-year-old house that stands in the middle of the property bearing the same name.
The house, which can be seen from most corners of the layout, later became a grammar school before being sold to a Twentieth Century Fox executive, Arthur Gregory, who was a keen golfer. Gregory commissioned the acclaimed architect Eric Apperly to design nine holes.
A second nine followed years later created by Dan Soutar. That course was lost when the Army bought the property during World War II but golf returned in 1950 with the formation of the Camden club, whose foundation members looked to revive Apperly and Soutar’s work.
The historic house was sold by the club in 2008, which led to a major investment in improving many aspects of the layout, which included the remodelling of four holes – the 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 13th holes.
Arguably the best hole at Camden is one of this quartet – the 342-metre par-4 13th. A solid tee shot is required to carry the edge of a dam and reach the fairway that runs diagonally from right-to-left alongside the huge water hazard. The key here is to know how much of the hazard you can bite off with your drive to get the best angle into the large green. The penalty for missing such a grand target is a tough recovery with steep drop-offs from the fringe mixed with three large bunkers, short, right and left.
CARBROOK GC
Brisbane, Queensland
Green fees: $30 (Mon-Tue), $35 (Wed-Fri), $45 (weekends)
Founded in 1978, Carbrook really didn’t hit its straps until an extensive eight-year redevelopment was completed in 2006.
While the course has continued to improve over the years, arguably the club’s biggest drawcard is the bull sharks – one of the most dangerous in the world – that have been in residence in a lake on the course for nearly 20 years.
FOX HILLS GC
Sydney, NSW
Green fees: $30 (weekdays), $40 (weekends).
Fox Hills is an easy-walking layout that has always proven popular with social golfers.
A re-routing of the layout in recent times has added greater interest to the early stages of the round. Arguably the best hole here is the rated the hardest on the course. The 362-metre par-4 4th calls for a long, straight drive to avoid a lake to the left and a creek on the right. The creek cuts across the front of the green and wraps around its left edge, while the approach must be precise to avoid tall trees either side of the ideal playing line.
GLEN WAVERLEY GC
Melbourne, Victoria
Green fees: $30 (weekdays), $34 (weekends).
This is a beautiful layout, laid across rolling terrain in Jells Park about 30 minutes’ drive south east of the CBD.
There is enough movement in the landscape here to add some stiffness to the test of hitting the relatively small greens. The short par-4s are simple but fun as they tempt you to have a crack with the driver from the tee.
MARRICKVILLE GC
Sydney, NSW
Green fees: $30 (weekdays), $35 (weekends).
Laid out along the northern bank of the Cooks River, Marrickville’s popularity has surged in recent times as golfer’s look for challenging, fun and interesting places to play.
The layout has changed very little over the decades and it offers a wonderful mix of testing and tempting holes. The round opens with the second hardest hole on the course – a 209-metre par-3 with out-of-bounds in the Cooks River to the right, trees to the left and a small pushed up green lying in the distance.
The best of the par-3s though is the 172-metre 13th where your tee shot must carry the river’s edge left, avoid bunkers left and right and out-of-bounds beyond the putting surface. Good luck with that.
www.marrickvillegolf.com.au
RANDWICK GC
Sydney, NSW
Green fees: $30 (weekdays), $35 (weekends).
If you are looking for a links golf experience, with a bit of quirky Scottish-like golf
design thrown in, you should have a round
at Randwick.
The layout is a par-59 measuring just 3,545 metres from the tips, but what it lacks in the distance it more than makes up for in interesting and fun links golf. And, if you’re off your game on the day, play with your head up and enjoy every moment of the million-dollar ocean views.
GUNGAHLIN LAKES
Canberra, ACT
Green fees: $29 (weekdays), $39 (weekends)
Located in Canberra’s northern suburbs, the Jamie Dawson-designed Gunghalin Lakes features attractive lakes and ponds flanking many of its fairways and greens.
Gungahlin’s highlights come late in the round, starting with the trio of holes from the long par-5 16th hole, which plays alongside a lake and then calls for a water carry to a wide green.
RICHMOND GC
Sydney, NSW
Green fees: $29 (weekdays), $39 (weekends).
The oldest golf course on its original site in NSW, Richmond is the current home of the Australian PGA Seniors Championship and the parkland layout is a ‘sleeper’ course on the burgeoning golf scene of Sydney’s north-western fringe.
Holes 13 to 15 comprise Richmond’s version of ‘Amen Corner’ and include two robust par-4s – the latter with twin water hazards to negotiate on opposite sides of the fairway – before a strong, 164-metre par-3 across water to a wide but shallow green.
GORDON GC
Sydney, NSW
Green fees: $28 (weekdays), $36 (weekends).
Nestled within the leafy suburbia of Sydney’s upper north shore, Gordon Golf Course has been a popular and affordable layout for visiting golfers for nearly 90 years.
The par-65 stretches to 4,600 metres from the tips but the heavily tree-lined fairways and undulating topography more than compensate for the short journey.
As you might expect from a course of this length, the par-3s are prominent on the scorecard. Of the nine par-3s at Gordon, the 185-metre 16th is the standout. From the slightly elevated tee, you are faced with a shot that must carry a creek winding across the front of the wide green. Any shot falling short of the left half of the green will be repelled away from the putting surface by a steep slope and lead to a possible bogey or worse.
CABRAMATTA GC
Sydney, NSW
Green fees: $23 (weekdays), $37 (weekends).
Cabramatta’s layout plays in two loops of nine holes away and back to the clubhouse, which is perched on the highest point of the property, just a few minutes’ drive from the hustle and bustle of the suburb’s busy commercial hub.
The layout has a reputation for always being well-presented making it one of the most popular courses in Sydney’s south-west.
ST LUCIA GL
Brisbane, Queensland
Green fees: $20 (Mon), $39 (Tues-Fri), $46 (weekends)
St Lucia Golf Links is one of Brisbane’s oldest courses, having opened for play in 1926 as the original home of the Indooroopilly Golf Club.
Originally designed by Dan Soutar (who a year earlier finished work on Melbourne’s world-famous Kingston Heath), St Lucia became a municipal course in 1985 and has since undergone a raft of changes. Some holes have been shortened, a number of bunkers removed and others reshaped, while several greens have also been remodelled. The historic Hillstone clubhouse and terrace facilities have been extended.
Only months after opening legendary course architect Alister McKenzie, while visiting Brisbane, offered advice on the design but little evidence of the suggestions remain.
What does remain is a popular, well-presented layout that offers fun golf in beautiful surrounds.
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