“Shelly Beach has always been a wonderful place to play golf, but it has been at its best in recent years,” said Top-100 judge Sandra Lyons. “The holes closest to the ocean are the obvious highlight during a round that never disappoints.”

An easy-walking 6,007 metres from the tips, Shelly Beach is a prime example of the coastal course conundrum – the holes closer to the water are so good that they can overshadow the quality of the holes away from it. The layout is divided by Shelly Beach Road, with the 1st to the 6th, 9th, 10th and 16th to 18th holes grouped on the north side of the road and sharing an open, windswept feel that takes in the vast ocean views. The remaining holes – the 7th and 8th as well as the 11th to 15th holes – lie on the other side of the road and are characterised by heavily tree-lined fairways that run predominantly north and south.

The three most memorable holes also offer the best ocean views. The 361-metre par-4 5th is a devilish hole where a blind drive needs to be followed up with a precise mid or short iron to the green, depending on the strength and direction of the breeze.

The beachside par-4 6th hole is a highlight of a round at Shelly Beach. PHOTO: Brendan James.the

The following oceanside hole measures just 333 metres from the tips but it plays much tougher than the scorecard suggests. It is a tight driving hole, especially into the wind, and club selection for the approach is always challenging in the windy conditions that often prevail.

The 16th is one of the best, or most interesting, of the homeward-bound holes. It is a short-par 4, at 315 metres, of substance where your drive needs to be positioned for the best angle to approach a flag cut anywhere on the diagonally laid green, which has been terraced into a steep sand dune. Where the 5th and 6th holes might play into the wind, the 16th hole will play downwind but it won’t make this short offering any easier.

BREAKERS COUNTRY CLUB

Terrigal is a beautiful village with a beachside esplanade, lined with Norfolk pines as well as restaurants and cafes.

Breakers Country Club is a pretty par-33 nine-hole layout that can lay claim to be one of the most improved layouts in the region.

The course has six par-4s and three par-3s and offers alternate tees for those looking to play 18 holes. In recent years, the condition of the layout has improved markedly with manicured fairways, while the small, slightly raised greens are terrific to putt on.

The nicely manicured Breakers Country Club. PHOTO: Brendan James.

Breakers is a challenging course with thickly tree-lined fairways, while water comes into play on six of the nine holes. One of those holes is the 322-metre par-4 3rd hole where you must choose to lay-up short or try and carry a creek that cuts diagonally through the fairway. The shortest carry is down the right edge of the fairway, but this will leave a complicated approach around tall trees to find the narrow green, which is protected by one bunker left and another right.

Water also plays a major role on the final hole, whether it’s played as the 9th or 18th. From the alternate 18th tee, the hole plays as par-4 of 347 metres that requires a drive to played over a lake to find the narrow fairway. A pond lies short and left of the green, which features a thick semi-circle of trees and shrubs behind and at its sides.

KOOINDAH WATERS GOLF CLUB

Wyong lies just west of Tuggerah Lake and about 20 minutes’ drive inland from the nearest beaches.

The town boasts two golf courses, with Kooindah Waters Golf Club being the most recent addition having opened for play in 2006. It has been ranked in Australia’s Top-100 Public Access Courses ever since.

Kooindah Waters is a fine example of how a golf course development can turn unsightly wet wasteland, often used by illegal rubbish dumpers, into a beautiful property where golf and flourishing birdlife exist side-by-side.

Today the former swamp contains 18 intriguing and challenging holes, with frequent nods to its past life as holes weave between reedy swamps and water hazards reinforced with wooden sleepers and bulkheads.

The final approach into the 9th green at Kooindah Waters. PHOTO: Brendan James.

Another Ross Watson creation, this time in collaboration with Craig Parry, Kooindah Waters is short, tight and rustic, with its unkempt swamps and orange-hued bunkers. Parry’s contributions came with the club golfer in mind, mostly suggestions to widen some fairways and offer alternative options to the hero shot. Watson concurred, and the result was a layout that, while tight and trouble-strewn, still offers multiple opportunities to take on ambitious carries and daring lines.

Precision is of utmost importance as is certainty over club selection. Several approach shots require water carries with little space offered as a bail-out. In many instances the looming water is obvious, such as at the all-carry par-3 2nd and semi-island 17th hole, but on other occasions the trouble is more subtle, with a bunker or other hazard lurking partially out of view.

One hole where Watson and Parry want you to take the aggressive option is the 298-metre 14th. With a swamp left of the driving zone and an array of fairway bunkers scattered left and right, there is more room nearer the green and it arguably makes more sense to bust a tee shot as close to the flag as possible. Just be sure to avoid the wicked little pot short and right of the shallow green.