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.
YARRA BEND GC
Fairfield, Melbourne
Green fees: $49 (weekdays); $56-$58 (weekends).
Yarra Bend is Melbourne’s premier inner-city course, boasting views over the Yarra River and beyond to the CBD.
Investment in the facility during the past two decades has seen Yarra Bend evolve into a golf super centre with state-of-the-art practice facilities, club fitting and a mini golf course.
The course, originally built in 1936 and designed by Vern Morcom, was remodelled by Geoff Ogilvy, Mike Clayton, Mike Cocking and Ashley Mead (OCCM) and this significantly improved the playing experience.
NORTH WEST BAY GC
Margate, Hobart
Green fees: $55 (seven days).
Australia’s southern-most 18-hole course is just a 25-minute drive south of Hobart’s CBD.
There are impressive bay views from most parts of the course, but North West Bay’s most memorable outlook and challenge is on the 429-metre par-4 11th. The view from the tee, down the fairway to the bay beyond is striking. The 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
SURFERS PARADISE GC
Clear Island Waters, Gold Coast
Green fees: $55 (seven days).
Despite the name, the Surfers Paradise Golf Club is almost a 15-minute drive from Surfers’ famous Cavill Avenue.
The fairways are thickly tree-lined here and there is no shortage of fairway bunkers and water hazards to avoid. In fact, water comes into play on 11 holes.
One such hole is the short par-4 17th. At 310 metres from the tips, it’s not a hole to be attacked with a driver unless you can bank on a left-to-right shot shape to follow the dogleg shape of the fairway as it veers around a lake to the left. The key here is to get your drive in play and take aim with a short iron into a receptive green beyond the lake.
www.surfersparadisegolfclub.com.au
WOLLONGONG GC
Wollongong
Green fees: $35 (Mon); $40 (Tue-Thu); $50 (Fri); $55 (weekends).
This Ross Watson-redesigned layout, which recently hosted the Women’s NSW Open, runs along a beautiful stretch of beach just a few minutes’ walk from Wollongong’s CBD.
Its natural wetlands combine with a links terrain to create a wonderful golfing experience, which has been evolving since golf was first played here in 1897.
One hole which has been an integral part of the course for many years is worth the price of the green fee alone. The 137-metre 17th is a classic par-3 with a tee perched high above City Beach and the green, which is surrounded by deep bunkers.
GAILES GC
Wacol, Brisbane
Green fees: $50 (weekdays); $55 (weekends).
Gailes looks very different and is a much sterner test than it was when South African Bobby Locke won the Australian Open here in 1955.
Apart from the replacement of greens and dozens of bunkers being added across the course, the fairways are lined by towering lumber.
One of the highlights of a round comes at the opening hole – a rollercoasting 482-metre par-5, where you can set the tone for the remainder of your round. A blind tee shot is followed by a choice of laying up to a flat stretch of fairway or bravely heading for the green elevated above and beyond four deep bunkers, a lake to the right and out-of-bounds left.
MINNIPPI GC
Cannon Hill, Brisbane
Green fees: $47 (Mon-Thu); $55 (Fri-Sun).
When Minnippi opened for play in 2021, it was the first public golf course to be built in Brisbane in more than 70 years.
Minnippi saw the conversion of a previously used landfill near Bulimba Creek to incorporate a residential development and the course, which was built on a major floodplain and presented Pacific Coast Design architects Phill Ryan and Paul Reeves the chance to create an Australian first.
They built an 18-hole course without bunkers, instead lining greenside grassy hollows with timber railway sleepers to add to the challenge. Minnippi also features three loops of six holes, rather than two loops of nine holes.
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