DEVILBEND GOLF CLUB

Devilbend Golf Club is one of the lesser-known Mornington Peninsula clubs, especially to those living outside Victoria, but is certainly worth a visit.

Opened for play in 1975, the layout was designed and constructed by Eric Horne, who decades earlier had worked alongside Sam Berriman, the acclaimed long-time curator and builder of Huntingdale and a host of other Victorian courses.

Devilbend GC. PHOTO: Brendan James

While the land at Devilbend was not ideal for golf – combining several steep hills with swampy lowlands – Horne was still able to create a good, challenging course that has gradually been improved bit-by-bit during the past four decades. During that time all the greens have been reconstructed, the fairways converted to Santa Ana couch and bunkers added.

While the hills at Devilbend provide the platform for some attractive holes, the standout hole plays across a slope and adds to the challenge of hitting an accurate approach. The 408-metre par-4 12th is rated the hardest hole on the course for good reason. Played from an elevated tee, your drive needs to find the right half (or high side) of the fairway to avoid a lake to the left. With the ball sitting above your feet (for right-handers) you need to hit a straight second to keep your ball out of the bunkers that surround the green and to leave a straightforward approach up the length of the angled green.

BAY VIEWS GOLF COURSE

Bay Views is another peninsula layout, like Devilbend, that lies across dramatically undulating terrain. In fact, of all the courses featured here, Bay Views offers some of the best elevated regional and bay views. Hence the name.

Situated on steep sloping land at Arthur’s Seat, Bay Views rises above the surrounding residential areas providing golfers with Port Phillip Bay vistas all the way to Sorrento.

 
Bay Views Golf Course. PHOTO: Brendan James

The acclaimed Vern Morcom created the original layout in the 1950s and, despite it not being on ideal golfing land, there are plenty of good holes to pique your interest including its collection of diverse par-3s.

From the challenges presented by the 180-metre downhill 11th, with its dramatically contoured putting surface, to the short, well-bunkered 15th and 17th (123 and 135 metres respectively) holes, which hint at Melbourne Sandbelt origins in their design.

Bay Views’ presentation has improved markedly since Golf Services Management took over the running of the course in 2014. This investment saw the layout climb to within just a few points of cracking a spot in the 2023 ranking of the Top-100 Public Access Courses in Australia.