ALBANY GOLF CLUB

Albany covers beautiful undulating dunes on the shores of King George Sound, just east of the township. It dates back to 1898 and remains the oldest layout in Western Australia still on its original site.

One of Albany’s most memorable holes is the 342-metre par-4 12th. From the tee, you can soak in beautiful views across the Sound and while the wide fairway looks inviting to blaze away with the driver, it is a tee shot that must take the wind into account.

Green fee: $40. www.albanygolfclub.com.au

Albany Golf Club. PHOTO: Supplied.

BUNBURY GOLF CLUB

Laid out on gently undulating land between the Collie River and Leschenault Estuary, Bunbury’s heavily tree-lined fairways and beautifully kept greens have gained the club a reputation for being one of the best regional courses in Western Australia.

Arguably Bunbury’s most renowned hole is its shortest offering – the 124-metre par-3 10th. The tee sits about 40 metres above the level of the green and affords players, heading into the back nine, a spectacular view. Judging the wind here is crucial as the green lies diagonally away from right to left with bunkers short and long of the putting surface.

Green fee: $47. www.bunburygolfclub.com.au

BUSSELTON GOLF CLUB

The Busselton club dates back 110 years but has only been on the current site since 1979 when designer Murray Dawson created a new 18-hole layout for the club.

Today, the layout is widely regarded as one of the best regional courses in Western Australia.

The course is drought-proof as it has access to recycled town water to irrigate its generous fairways that wind through tall stands of redgums and peppermint trees.

Dawson’s routing offers a great deal of variety with plenty of doglegging holes that call for precise position of tee shots. The 355-metre par-4 5th hole is one such hole where being too aggressive from the tee can bite you where it hurts … on the scorecard. The fairway turns sharply right and there is a temptation there to cut the corner with your drive. It’s a big hit though and there are no guarantees of recovering if you miss. The best play is a 3-wood to the right half of the fairway, which will leave a short to mid-iron into a green that is angled diagonally from left-to-right.

Green fee: $45. www.bussogolf.wordpress.com

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CAPEL GOLF CLUB

Laid out on relatively flat terrain, Capel, like so many courses in this part of Western Australia, features fairways heavily lined with mature Tuart, Jarrah, Banksia and Peppermint trees.

There are a few holes, however, that offer elevated views of the fairway in front, with the 154-metre par-3 12th being one of the standouts. The downhill one-shotter has bunkers left and right and is surrounded by trees, which can make judging the wind deceptive.

Head out for a round late in the afternoon and you’ll share the course with hundreds of kangaroos and an abundance of birdlife.

Green fees: $25 (Monday); $40 (Tuesday to Sunday and public holidays). www.capelgolfclub.org.au

Capel Golf Club. PHOTO: Supplied.

COLLIER PARK

Collier Park is one of Perth’s best inner-city complexes with 27-holes available for play.

Peter Thomson and Mike Wolveridge designed the original 18-hole layout, comprising the Pines and Island nines, while the Lake nine was created by WA-based designer Michael Coate and opened in 1996.

Carved out of an old pine plantation, Collier Park not only offers a high standard of presentation but the variety of holes on each nine will encourage you to visit the course more than once.

Green fees: $31 (weekdays); $40 (weekends). www.collierparkgolf.com.au

THE SANCTUARY RESORT

Designed by Michael Coate and opened for play 1994, the fairways of The Sanctuary are home to more than 60 bunkers and wind around seven large man-made lakes.

The most enjoyable holes are on the back nine where you seem to face a water carry or have water intruding into the playing line on most holes. While The Sanctuary may sound a little intimidating it is far from it. The hazards are there but they can easily be avoided, which is a credit to Coates’ design.

Green fees: $35 (weekdays); $48 (weekends). www.sanctuaryresort.com.au

The Sanctuary Resort. PHOTO: Brendan James.

WEMBLEY GOLF COMPLEX

Wembley is the biggest and busiest public golf complex in Perth, which is not surprising considering the value for money the Tuart layout and neighbouring Old course present.

The courses are laid out over 300 acres of undulating land and both feature densely tree-lined fairways, sizeable bentgrass greens and a sparing number of bunkers. The Old course is a much easier walk than the Tuart, which has several holes that are played from elevated tees or are played towards a green perched high above the fairway.

Green fees: $32 (weekday); $39.50 (weekends). www.wembleygolf.com.au

Wembley Golf Complex. PHOTO: Brendan James.