More Australians are playing golf today than at any other time in the game’s history in this country. The economic reality is, however, many of us now need to make our golfing dollar stretch a lot further than it did even five years ago.
WAKEHURST GC
Seaforth, Sydney
Green fees: $65 (weekdays); $70 (weekends).
Many years ago, Wakehurst had a reputation as one of Sydney golf’s roughest diamonds.
But like the ugly duckling that turned into a graceful swan, Wakehurst has evolved into a beautiful layout.
And the course is only going to get better in the next few years as the club continues a redesign as part of a masterplan created by former Tour player Craig Parry.
Wakehurst lies in the middle of dense bushland, providing the platform for tight fairways across the terraced landscape, leaving little joy beyond the great view for erratic hitters.
NORTH RYDE GC
North Ryde, Sydney
Green fees: $60 (Mon-Thu); $70 (Fri-Sun).
North Ryde lies in a pocket of suburban Sydney where private courses dominate and good-quality, affordable public access golf is hard to come by.
An impressive redesign, overseen by Sydney-based course architect James Wilcher, which began little more than a decade ago, was a turning point. These and a host of other changes since have added some steel to the golfing test, without impacting the fun the diminutive par-69 has to offer.
WATERFORD VALLEY
Knoxfield, Melbourne
Green fees: $50 (weekdays); $70 (weekends).
Designed by Pacific Coast Design’s Phil Ryan, Waterford Valley has been the golfing success story in the heart of Melbourne’s eastern suburbs in the two decades since opening for play.
Stretched to more than 6,500 metres from the back markers, Ryan has punctuated the wide Santa Ana fairways with lots of bunkers – 63 to be exact – as well as 11 lakes and wetlands scattered across the layout. And then there are the large bentgrass greens, which have developed a well-earned reputation for being first-class putting surfaces year-round.
KEPERRA CC
Keperra, Brisbane
Green fees: $59 (weekdays); $69 (weekends).
Keperra is widely regarded as one of Brisbane’s prettiest courses, but it is more than just a pretty face.
Set among sub-tropical flora and alongside creeks, lakes and billabongs, it is easy to see why the layout is so popular and testing.
And it has challenged some impressive names over the years. Tour winning pros Peter Senior and John Senden played out of Keperra in their early years, while the club’s annual Keperra Bowl event has seen the likes of Marc Leishman (2005 winner), Jason Day and Cameron Smith compete for the coveted trophy.
MOORE PARK GC
Moore Park, Sydney
Green fees: $45-$49 (Mon-Tue); $52-$56 (Wed-Thu); $55-$59 (Fri); $65-$69 (weekends).
Moore Park has featured in plenty of headlines during the past few years, as Sydney City Council and the NSW Government look to cut the course in half to create more parkland.
If that is allowed to happen, golfers will lose half of one of the best value for money 18-hole rounds available in Australia’s biggest city.
Moore Park is always well presented and the tree-lined holes weave across terrain with enough elevation change to offer interesting shots and the occasional scenic view of the CBD just a few kilometres away.
GAINSBOROUGH GREENS GC
Pimpama, Gold Coast
Green fees: $55 (weekdays); $65 (weekends).
Gainsborough Greens feels like it is a thousand miles from the hustle and bustle of the Gold Coast. Laid out on relatively flat terrain, the Fred Bolton-design course – updated in recent times by Graham Marsh and Ross Watson – weaves between 20-odd water hazards, which give rise to a host of exciting moments during a round. The tee shot over water to a well-bunkered green on the 177-metre par-3 2nd hole is the first of many that will get the heart rate up.
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