We have searched the nation to find 100 of the greatest green fee offers you will ever find at courses you will want to play again and again. Here are the best value layouts in Queensland.
BRIBIE ISLAND GOLF CLUB
Bribie Island is one of the biggest sand islands of Brisbane’s Moreton Bay, and this sandy base has given rise to a wonderful course that offers hints of the famous Melbourne Sandbelt courses.
This is evident from the 1st hole with
Sandbelt-style bunkering lining the edge of the fairway. The rolling couch fairways thrive here, while the smooth rolling Bermuda 328 greens are superb.
Bribie Island has some memorable holes with the 172-metre par-3 16th being one of the best.
Green fee: $44. www.bribiegolf.com.au
GAILES GOLF CLUB
More than 60 years on from being a one-time host of the Australian Open, one could argue that Gailes is definitely a much sterner test than it was then with dozens of bunkers added to the landscape and its many trees maturing into towering timbers lining each fairway.
Gailes’ rolling landscape gives rise to some very good holes, where strategy and shot placement are the keys to good scoring
Green fee: $20. www.gailesgolf.com.au
MARYBOROUGH GOLF CLUB
Maryborough GC is the oldest course to be found on Queensland’s Fraser Coast and presents well-manicured playing surfaces year round.
Arguably the most memorable and picturesque hole closes out the front nine. Despite being Index 18 on the card, the 120-metre par-3 9th can kill your scorecard despite having just a short iron in your hand. The tee shot here must be played over the edge of a large lake to a green that is perched just above the water line and cut into the side of a hill. It is a long, narrow putting surface where the front pin position is close to being three-clubs shorter than a shot to a back flag. Two bunkers right of the green, and another back left, add to the accuracy required here. It is a terrific hole that you’ll want to play more than once.
Green fee: $35. www.maryboroughgolfclub.com
GALLERY: AUSTRALIA'S 20 BEST VALUE FOR MONEY COURSES
MT COOLUM GOLF CLUB
Set at the foot of the spectacular Mt Coolum, the golf club of the same name is rated by locals as one of the Sunshine Coast’s most demanding layouts.
While it’s similarly named and more famous resort course neighbour grabs a big slice of the visiting golfer market, those that seek out and discover the delights of Mt Coolum won’t be disappointed.
The best holes cover the southern half of the course. These include the challenging trio of holes comprising of the 523-metre par-5 4th, 194-metre par-3 5th and the 531-metre par-5 6th, which cut through and loop around wetlands and are heavily lined by rows of melaleucas. These are not only demanding holes for all players, they lie in a beautiful setting where plenty of birdlife abounds.
Green fee: $48. www.mtcoolumgolf.com
NOOSA GOLF CLUB
Noosa Golf Club, which will celebrate its 80th anniversary this year, is one of the ‘must play’ layouts to add to your itinerary when visiting the northern hub of the Queensland Sunshine Coast, Noosa Heads.
Located just 15 minutes’ drive from the restaurants and bars of trendy Hastings St, Noosa GC – which was known as Tewantin Noosa until 2014 – boasts a tranquil natural bushland setting with wide, doglegging fairways that favour a player with the ability to shape the ball left and right from the tee.
Green fee: $50. www.noosagolf.com.au
REDCLIFFE GOLF CLUB
Redcliffe was named the Metropolitan Club of the Year at 2007’s QLD PGA Awards, and it’s still 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.
Green fees: $37 (weekdays); $42 (weekends). www.redcliffegolf.com
REDLAND BAY GOLF CLUB
Situated on the foreshore of beautiful Moreton Bay, Redland Bay offers picturesque coastal views, manicured Bermuda grass greens and gentle undulating fairways. The native bushland that lines the fairways is home to a colony of koalas and native birdlife.
Like Redcliffe, Redland Bay was designed by Brisbane-based Stan Francis and is an
easy-walking enjoyable four and a bit hours spent playing golf.
Green fees: $33 (weekdays); $38 (weekends). www.redlandbaygolf.com.au
SURFERS PARADISE GOLF CLUB
Straight drivers will prosper at Surfers Paradise Golf Club, which is a compact course with narrow fairways on a site bordering the busy Nerang-Broadbeach Rd right in the heart of the Gold Coast.
The design makes fine use of its small area. It requires decisive shot-making and while short at 5,841 metres from the back pegs, your use of the driver needs to be astute as frequently long irons and fairway woods will be more sensible from the tee.
Driver, however, is the club of choice from the tee at the 529-metre 3rd where a hazard lines the right side with trees opposite before the long fairway turns left near a relatively new green complex almost surrounded by bunkers.
Green fees: $25 (Monday); $50 (Tuesday to Sunday). www.surfersparadisegolfclub.com.au
VIRGINIA GOLF CLUB
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.
Opening 89 years ago, Virginia is one of Queensland’s oldest courses so its playing surfaces are well-established and are a joy to play on.
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.
Green fee: $39. www.virginiagolf.com.au
Related Articles
Travel Feature: Golf’s Sunny Side
Review: Bonville Golf Resort
