More than 100km of pristine beaches combine with the tranquil beauty of the Glasshouse Mountains, Blackall Range and Noosa Hinterland to provide one of the great natural wonders of this country.

However, the Sunshine Coast is more than just the perfect mix of coast and country. It is the idyllic location to relax and unwind – spoil yourself at a day spa, feast on five-star cuisine, feel the sand between your toes on a beach walk or, of course, play golf under deep blue, sun-drenched skies.

Golfers are spoilt for choice on the Sunshine Coast with world-class resort and public access courses as well as some impressive member clubs that welcome visitors most days of the week.

When you are planning your next golfing holiday, consider the Sunshine Coast and the selection of courses featured here. 

PACIFIC HARBOUR G&CC

Pacific Harbour Golf & Country Club opened in April 2006 and the reviews that followed could not speak more highly of the Ross Watson-designed par-72, located towards the northern end of Bribie Island.

The stunning course and magnificent $11 million clubhouse have continued to impress over the past 15 years, with the layout ranked at No.28 among Australia’s Top-100 Public Access Courses in 2021.

While the views of the Glasshouse Mountains from the clubhouse deck are certainly memorable, it is the quality of the star attraction – the golf course – that you will long recall. Watson’s creation is superb in that it presents a stern challenge for better players without being too hard for the casual or holidaying golfer who can tackle the course from any of the forward tees.

Watson has a flair for creating superb par-3s and he doesn’t disappoint at Pacific Harbour, with all four covering a range of distances that demand tee shots with different clubs in the bag.

The 4th measures 184 metres from the tips but a wide entrance to the putting surface is accepting of tee shots that land short and run on, while there is no such luxury on the 142-metre 7th.

This is Watson’s homage to the world-famous island green 17th hole at TPC Sawgrass – the home of the Players Championship – in the US, although Watson’s version is only a semi-island putting surface. Like Sawgrass, the green is perched above the water with a timber wall rising from the juice.

Pacific Harbour G&CC. PHOTO: Brendan James.

The 136-metre 13th, known as Kakadu, skirts the edge of some wetlands and plays into a prevailing breeze, so club selection is vital. This is also the case when playing the penultimate hole – a 205-metre brute that features the longest bunker in the Southern Hemisphere (just on 200 metres long). This bunker forms a beach barrier between the fairway/green and a lake that flanks the entire right edge of the hole. Hence, the hole is known as The Beach.

Green fees: $74 (18 holes, weekdays); $89 (weekends).

www.pacificharbourgolf.com.au

BRIBIE ISLAND GC

Bribie Island is one of the sand islands of Moreton Bay and its natural sand base provides the perfect foundation for growing quality playing surfaces on rolling terrain that also boasts terrific drainage.

Even though Bribie Island Golf Club is a stone’s throw from the sea, it is 18 holes in a bushland setting that is closer to offering a Melbourne Sandbelt experience than any other Queensland layout, having been laid out on the island’s rolling sand dunes.

The bunkering is one of the highlights of the 6,162-metre par-72 layout, which features fairways thickly lined in parts by a wide variety of native trees. The rough is fairly sparse and sandy lies are guaranteed.

Another highlight is the large, Bermuda 328 putting surfaces that are seemingly always well-presented, while the slope of the greens offers plenty of putting challenges.

Bribie Island GC. PHOTO: Brendan James.

The opening hole – a 349-metre, par-4 dogleg right – offers a real taste of Sandbelt golf with large bunkers hugging the left side of the fairway narrowing the driving zone. Stay clear of the sand and the approach to a two-tiered green is fairly straightforward.

Bribie Island boasts a very good collection of par-3s with the 16th being the most memorable of them. From the tips, the hole calls for a shot of 172 metres to the middle of the putting surface. Your tee shot must carry the edge of a lake and avoid bunkers left and right of the angled green. Big misses here can be repelled away from the putting surface into the trees that surround the green.

Bribie Island is a good test but it’s also a lot of fun to play, which is certainly reflected in its No.79 rank in Golf Australia magazine’s list of the nation’s Top-100 Public Access Courses published in January this year.

Green fees: $50 (18 holes).

www.bribiegolf.com.au

BEERWAH GC

It is a beautiful drive west into the Sunshine Coast Hinterland, where you will find the small country town of Beerwah.

Beerwah is perhaps best known as the home of Steve Irwin’s Australia Zoo. But is here where you will also find the Beerwah Golf Club – set against the incredible backdrop of the Glasshouse Mountains, which are ancient volcanic crags that soar out of the surrounding plains and are clearly visible during your round.

The course celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2019 and has thrived for decades based on the hard work of volunteers and a dedicated founding membership that boasted just 38 members and 18 associates when the first soil was turned to build the layout. The founding President was local chicken farmer Tony Baker-Finch, while his wife, Joan, was on the associates committee.

The surname should sound familiar. Their son, Ian, first fell in love with the game at the age of 11, negotiating his way around the Beerwah course and would, of course, go on to have a wonderful professional career including winning the 1991 Open Championship at Royal Birkdale. Both Tony and Ian, father and son, are today life members of the club.

Beerwah GC. PHOTO: Brendan James.

The course’s conditioning and design has improved markedly to what was in Baker-Finch’s formative years at the club. The playing surfaces are very good, while the design is simple but enjoyable. It is a layout of contrasting nines, with most of the outward nine running north-south, and the inward nine favouring an east-west direction. When the wind blows here it can make for an interesting challenge to club selection during a round.

For mine, Beerwah’s best two holes come midway through the back nine starting at the 348-metre 14th hole – a sharp dogleg right par-4 that will tempt bigger hitters to cut the corner over the tall gum trees. Miss the fairway though and your second shot will be from a sandy wasteland at the base of the trees. The best approach into the narrow green is from the left of the fairway to best avoid the huge bunker left and another short of the putting surface.

Like the 14th, there are several ways to play the 504-metre par-5 15th hole successfully – no matter whether you’re a long, straight or short hitter. The perfect tee shot here should be aimed at the lone tree on the left edge of the fairway with a slight left-to-right ball flight. This will leave you in the ideal position to play down the right edge of the fairway, opening up a good sight line to the green. Beware though, as there is a pond hidden behind the tree short and right of the green, so the best miss here is left into the bunker or just short of the putting surface.

If you venture to the Sunshine Coast and are looking to explore the Hinterland, Beerwah Golf Club is a wonderful place to start.

Green fees: $45 (18 holes).

www.beerwahgolfclub.com.au

MALENY GC

After 20 years of planning, consultation and construction – employing volunteer labour and wisdom, Maleny Golf Club finally celebrated the opening of its completed 18-hole course in February last year.

A plan for the course was first tabled in 1999, but construction on the course did not start until 2014 after an extensive community consultation. With a budget of just $1.6 million, construction was primarily done by volunteers and supported by local contractors and saw the first nine holes opened in 2015.

The course – designed by renowned architect Graham Papworth and inspired by the origins of the game in Scotland – covers about 25 percent of the Maleny Community Precinct, with the remaining land being devoted to other sports as well as heritage, walking paths, rainforest and wetlands.

“This day marks the end of the club’s rather long beginning and start of a bright future as the home of golf in the Sunshine Coast Hinterland,” Club President Jeff Kruse said at the opening.

“Our course superintendent Mick McCombe has really worked miracles with volunteers and contractors to oversee the transformation of dairy pastures and some dense weedy patches into a quality course. In the process he won two national and one state awards for excellence.”

Maleny GC. PHOTO: Getty Images.

Just weeks after the official opening, COVID-19 made its way into Australia closing borders and forcing some regions into lockdown. But the ‘new’ par-68 course got a publicity shot in the arm during lockdown when 2013 Masters Champion Adam Scott live-streamed a round of golf with the Maleny’s resident pro and mate Wayne Perske.

In an earlier round at the course, Scott set Maleny’s course record with a 62, which included a double bogey on the opening hole.

It’s easy to see how Scott could have stumbled at the 1st hole – a 136-metre par-3 that is played from an elevated tee over a deep gully to an angled green, which slopes markedly from right-to-left. The green is actually terraced into a hillside and a rock wall beneath the low side of the putting surface creates a steep drop-off and any ball finishing at the base of the wall will leave a nigh-impossible recovery shot.

The following hole is perhaps my favourite. It is a big sweeping downhill right-to-left par-5 of 468-metres with out-of-bounds right and an environmental wetland hazard lining the left side of the fairway. Second and third approach shots will all be played from a downhill lie to a two-tiered green, protected in front by a lone bunker. Any player keen on making four or better here, almost certainly will bring bogey or worse into play.

Maleny offers plenty of fun and challenging shots. It is a course that is a shining example of the high standard of golf that can be achieved on a limited budget with a committed membership.

Green fee: $38 (18 holes).

www.malenygolfclub.com.au

PELICAN WATERS GOLF CLUB

Pelican Waters is one of the finest Australian examples of how modern golf course designers can create a top layout just about anywhere.

Designers Greg Norman and Bob Harrison turned flood-prone land just south of Caloundra into one of Queensland’s finest courses. In fact, the 6,289-metre par-72 home of the Queensland Open was listed at No.29 in Golf Australia magazine’s Top-100 Public Access Course ranking in January this year.

Pelican Waters GC. PHOTO: Getty Images.

During their years together as a design team, Norman and Harrison, who are both keen students of the design work of Dr Alister MacKenzie, turned the design clock back almost a century to create layouts with short par-4s, risk-and-reward par-5s and the occasional punchbowl green. Pelican Waters is no different.

The layout is due to undergo a major remodelling with some holes being lost to accommodate 270 home sites. Construction on new holes is due to begin later this year, so there is only limited time remaining to play Norman and Harrison’s original course.

Green fee: $85 (18 holes with cart).

www.pelicangolf.com.au

CALOUNDRA GOLF CLUB

Caloundra Golf Club is a traditional bushland course where accuracy and good shot-making are demanded by the tree-lined layout.

The par-71 has some very impressive holes surrounded by lush vegetation that is home to kangaroos and a wide variety of birds, including rainbow lorikeets and galahs. The terrain varies from relatively flat to undulating, with some of the best holes covering the more dramatic landscape.

Caloundra GC. PHOTO: Brendan James.

The front nine features back-to-back 500-metre-plus par-5s but it is the first of these – the 515-metre 4th hole – that is a true gem. You can’t see the green from the tee as your drive must carry a lake to find the fairway, which climbs up and over the crest of a hill that slopes markedly down from right-to-left. Hit the high right side of the fairway and there is a plenty of run as you head over the hill and turn slightly left heading for the green. A decision needs to be made as to whether you lay-up or carry the burn about 50 metres short of the slightly elevated putting surface. This is a terrific three-shotter where players of all abilities can excel or come a cropper.

Another aspect to like about this course is the variety of hole shapes that call for fades and draws from the tee. Not one shape dominates, which certainly adds to the shot-making appeal of the Caloundra course.

Green fee: $55 (18 holes).

www.caloundragolfclub.com

HEADLAND GOLF CLUB

The vista confronting you as you round the corner of the clubhouse from the Headland Golf Club carpark en route to the pro shop
is impressive.

The view of the Mooloolaba coastline from the Buderim-based club is one of the best on the Sunshine Coast and adds to the memorable round you will have at Headland – a well-designed course that has been hosting visiting golfers since starting as a nine-hole course back in 1958. Just over seven years later, the course was extended to 18 holes. While the routing has been tinkered with only slightly during the past 45 years, most of the major changes have been to the greens, lengthening of holes and the creation of new tees.

Today, Headland is a modern layout with large, rolling greens covered with beautifully maintained Bermuda grass.

Headland GC. PHOTO: Brendan James.

Vast tracts of the layout can be seen from the clubhouse balcony but some of the best holes are across the lower reaches of the course and cannot be seen. By far the best of these is the 341-metre par-4 12th, which is one of the more visually impressive holes on the Sunshine Coast. Coming out of a chute created by a wall of trees left and right, the drive needs to be into the right half of the fairway to avoid kicking left toward the lake that comes into play about 150 metres from the tee. The lake then closely hugs the left edge of the short grass all the way to the long green, which is protected by a sole bunker cut into the short, left fringe. By far the best miss with your approach is to the right, but even then you will need to chip over some mounds onto the green.

The 12th is the first of an impressive and challenging sequence of holes leading back to the clubhouse, with the long par-4 15th and 16th holes being the challenging highlights of the round.

Green fee: $58 (18 holes).

www.headlandgolfclub.com.au

TWIN WATERS GOLF CLUB

With its spacious, rippled fairways, outstanding putting surfaces and vast tracts of sub-tropical vegetation, Twin Waters has been a leading fixture of Sunshine Coast golf ever since the Peter Thomson and Mike Wolveridge design opened for play three decades ago.

The course doesn’t appear to be the most difficult test around yet it plays far tougher than first impressions suggest. Thomson and Wolveridge mix of expansive and pot bunkers are dotted across or alongside most fairways, all designed to swallow anything bouncing near them. The greens are mostly broad and feature gentle, rather than wild, undulations but those subtleties ensure they can be difficult to read. Many are ‘push-up’-style putting surfaces with runoffs that turn many a good iron shot into a missed green and a challenging up-and-down.

Arguably the most memorable hole at Twin Waters is the 379-metre 8th, which bears a slight resemblance to the Road Hole at the Old Course at St Andrews. Rather than driving across a hotel, however, the carry here is across a lake and bunkers before a tough approach to a raised green with a single, deep pot bunker guarding the left side and all manner of strife over the back.

Twin Waters GC. PHOTO: Brendan James.

Twin Waters’ closing holes offer contrasting fortunes. The 17th is a devious long par-3 with no margin for error and almost zero chance to bounce the ball onto the green from the 202-metre back tee, while the 18th is a reachable par-5 of just 462 metres to a big green fronted by a steep, thick grass-covered bank.

Twin Waters has been a mainstay of Golf Australia magazine’s Top-100 Public Access Courses ranking for the past decade. In January this year, the layout was placed at No.56 in the country.

Green fee: $82 (18 holes).

www.twinwatersgolfclub.com.au

MAROOCHY RIVER GOLF CLUB

Every year since the Maroochy River Golf Club opened six years ago, the Graham Marsh layout has been cemented in the national rankings. In January this year it rose to No.54 in the Top-100 Public Access Courses published by Golf Australia magazine.

This ranking is an incredible achievement considering the quality of the land that Marsh and his design team faced. Given the flood-prone nature of the property, the land profile was raised considerably during construction and provided a relatively blank canvas for Marsh to create a layout, which needed to appeal as a challenge for players of all standards.

He certainly hit the mark on that front. The expanse of land allowed Marsh and his design team to offer wide fairways, big greens and four tees on each hole. The broad avenues of play are welcoming to the high handicapper or casual player, while the accomplished player is offered the opportunity on most holes to take a more aggressive line – skirting a scheme of bunkers or water hazard – to get a shorter or more straight-forward line to a flag.

Maroochy River GC. PHOTO: Brendan James.

The par-4 10th is a fine example. From the tips, the slight dogleg right hole stretches to 390 metres but the shortest route to the green is to take on the first of three bunkers near the right edge of the fairway. Big hitters can carry the first bunker but they can get a bounce into one of the two smaller traps beyond. The safe playing line wide of the sand leaves a longer shot and also brings a harder approach where a bunker short left of the green is more in play.

The bunkering is a real feature of the journey. The shape and size varies a lot, and while the depth of many leans towards the shallow side, they are visually intimidating enough to make you second guess your club selection or playing line.

Maroochy River’s playing surfaces and, in particular, the Bermuda Tifeagle greens are fantastic. Marsh’s green contouring and variety of shapes have been complemented by the smooth rolling surfaces and are a lot of fun to putt on. The greens surrounds are also trimmed short enough to add the putter as an option from well off the putting surface.

Green fee: $65 (18 holes).

www.maroochyrivergolfclub.com.au

MT COOLUM GOLF CLUB

Set at the foot of the spectacular monolith Mt Coolum, this par-72 is one of the Sunshine Coast’s most challenging member-based layouts. Those who seek out and discover the delights of Mt Coolum won’t be disappointed.

Variety is one of the great attractions of the course. A mix of tight tree-lined fairways and wider more generous landing zones are scattered throughout. There is also an interesting blend of small, subtle-sloping greens and larger undulating putting surfaces … all of which compensate for the course measuring only 5,901 metres from the tips.

Mt Coolum GC. PHOTO: Brendan James.

The best holes cover the southern half of the course. These include the challenging trio of holes spanning the 523-metre par-5 4th, 194-metre par-3 5th and the 531-metre par-5 6th, which cut through and loop around wetlands and are heavily lined by melaleucas. These are not only demanding holes for all players, they lie in a beautiful setting where plenty of birdlife abounds.

Mt Coolum has six par-5s – including four on the back nine – with the most memorable being the 433-metre 17th, which doglegs left around a scheme of bunkers before turning back to the right around the edge of a lake. Your approach here can be over water to a well-bunkered green with imposing Mt Coolum in the background.

Green fee: $53 (18 holes).

www.mtcoolumgolf.com

PALMER COOLUM RESORT

One of the truly iconic courses in not just the region but all of Queensland has endured a tumultuous period in recent years.

Beginning with a redesign of one-third of the golf course in 2009 to establish a sought-after residential quarter on what were formerly the holes nearest the beach, Coolum then felt a change of ownership and management that saw Hyatt depart and Clive Palmer step in. In 2012, the resort bid farewell to the Australian PGA Championship, a staple of the Sunshine Coast sporting scene for a decade.

The design changes implemented by original architect Robert Trent Jones Jnr affected the first six holes, giving the layout an entirely new start at the expense of its original opener and a five-hole stretch across busy David Low Way that began at the 4th. The ‘new’ holes, however, bring play to a previously unused section of the property behind the resort and clubhouse and now give us an interesting par-5 to begin what is now the back nine, after the nines were reversed a few years back.

Palmer Coolum slipped out of the Top-100 Courses ranking in this magazine six years ago on the back of a period of steady decline of the presentation of the course. However, when Golf Australia visited for the purposes of compiling this feature, the layout was in much better shape than it had been for previous visits.

Palmer Coolum Resort. PHOTO: Brendan James.

Another promising sign for the future of the course and the resort was a recent pledge from Mr Palmer to invest $100 million in a redevelopment of the resort. How much will be dedicated to the course is not yet known.

The foundations of a Top-100 ranked course remain. There are still thrilling, fun holes, like the downhill waterside par-3 2nd, the short par-4 7th hole that finishes in the shadows of Mt Coolum as well as the iconic 385-metre par-4 9th hole beside the lake and scene of so much tournament drama. Improved conditioning is already evident and with a significant investment Palmer Coolum could recapture some of its glory days.

Green fee: $115 (18 holes inc. shared cart).

www.palmercoolumresort.com.au

PEREGIAN GOLF CLUB

Peregian is arguably the least-known course on the Sunshine Coast simply because it began its existence as a members-only layout.

Today, visitors are warmly welcomed with tee-times available seven days a week.

Designed by Phil Scott, father of 2013 Masters champion Adam Scott, the par-72 can be enjoyed by players of all standards, which is important for a course in the heart of a golf holiday destination.

In my opinion, for a course to be fun for all players it should have a good variety of par-3s, not just in length, but also in the type of tee shots they demand.

Peregian GC. PHOTO: Brendan James.

Peregian has four very different par-3s and the best of these is the 162-metre (from the back pegs) 14th. As you stand on the tee, the hole appears quite simple, despite the fact you can’t see the bottom of the flag on the slightly elevated putting surface. The hole requires at least one more club than you would normally use to cover the same distance on a flat approach, as the green sits higher than you realise. Three deep bunkers left and another to the right, all lining the front half of the green, will cause problems for any mis-hit tee shot. Club selection is also a challenge, with tall trees ringing the hole and subduing the effects of the breeze … or so you might think.

Green fee: $75 (18 holes).

www.peregiangolf.com.au

NOOSA SPRINGS GOLF & SPA RESORT

Trendy Noosa Heads exudes style and sophistication and a day or two spent at Noosa Springs exemplifies this notion.

The Tuscan-style clubhouse and adjoining spa and resort facilities complement a scenic and strategic golf course that is susceptible to the swirling winds whipping off adjoining Lake Weyba.

The 2nd hole brings play closest to the lake. The 339-metre par-4 starts in a chute of trees before opening to a fairway that’s wider than it appears from the rear tee but one lined by dense foliage on both sides. The green is exposed to the fluky breezes and is large but shallow, forcing golfers to pick the right club. The front nine warms up further with an all-carry par-3 over water at the 4th and the best hole on the property at the next.

Noosa Springs Golf & Spa Resort. PHOTO: Brendan James.

Designer Graham Papworth gave golfers a simple way of playing the 329-metre 5th, which is bordered by a lake that stretches along the entire right side of the hole. A long iron then a wedge or short iron avoids most of the danger, but the fairway widens about 200 metres from the tee as the hole doglegs gently right and so can be driven in certain wind directions with a powerful left-to-right drive. It’s one of those ingenious holes where pars are simple but bogeys and doubles are irritatingly more so.

The inward nine undulates more than the outward half and winds past Noosa Springs’ expansive residential precinct. Decisions are required on the 15th and 17th tees, the former a long par-5 made even longer by a creek cutting the fairway in the driving zone that effectively forces it to be played as a three-shotter for all but the biggest hitters, and the latter a 340-metre par-4 with water guarding the left side of the green, making finding the right position from the tee paramount.

Green fee: $125 (18 holes inc. cart).

www.noosasprings.com.au

NOOSA GOLF CLUB

Noosa Golf Club is a haven for wildlife and golfers, just 15 minutes’ drive west of the boutiques and restaurants of Noosa Heads’ Hastings Street.

It’s a beautiful setting for the par-72, which dates back to 1937 but has undergone several major redesigns during the past 40 years. The layout was first redesigned in the late 1970s by Jack Newton, while further renovations were made in the early 2000s to enhance the greens and many doglegging fairways.

More changes are on the horizon too as the club has commissioned talented course architect Richard Chamberlain to provide a masterplan to elevate the course to a new level

Noosa Golf Club. PHOTO: Brendan James.

The course lays across an easy-walking landscape but there is enough movement in the terrain to make for some interesting holes.

The ability to accurately find the correct side of the fairway from the tee is a distinct advantage given the number of doglegging holes on the course. The sharpest turns can be found on the 416-metre 3rd and 321-metre 11th, two par-4s where the ability to shape the ball is advantageous. The 3rd is a big dogleg left that plays far shorter if you can hug the left edge or turn the ball around the corner.

Conversely, the 11th twists right and while distance is less important here, the penalty for erring is greater as huge stands of paperbarks and other assorted towering flora will block any drive lost right or that’s too long and not faded to match the shape of the fairway. Balancing out these tighter holes are several straight holes that allow you to flexing your golfing muscle off the tee.

Green fee: $55 (18 holes).

www.noosagolf.com.au

NOOSA HILLS

If you have plans to take the family to the Sunshine Coast for a holiday, here’s a great excuse to take the clubs with you and introduce the kids to the game.

Noosa Hills is the world’s only 36-hole par-3 course, with holes that can be equally enjoyed by single figure markers and golfing first-timers.

Founded in the late 80s by land owner and passionate golfer Keith Hill, Noosa Hills is set amongst 74 acres of beautiful bushland that is home to lots of kangaroos and other native wildlife. It is a peaceful setting where the only noises are the chirping of birds and the occasional cry of “fore”.

Noosa Hills. PHOTO: Brendan James.

The first 18 holes built at Noosa Hills, the North Course, is slightly longer than the South Course and features plenty of bunkers and a few water carries.

Highlights include the ‘double green’ shared by the 1st and 3rd holes, the gorgeous signature 5th hole, the aptly named “misery” 6th hole – the longest hole on either course at 179 metres – and the massive 45-metre long green on the 14th hole.

The South Course features two distinct nine-hole loops. The front nine is the shortest at Noosa Hills, with no water carries and only a couple of bunkers, which makes it perfect for beginners and kids.South’s back nine features some of the toughest holes at Noosa Hills with the 10th, 14th, 17th and 18th holes all requiring water carries.

Hill sadly passed away a few years ago and the course was put up for sale. Thankfully a local family purchased the course early last year and Hill’s golfing legacy will continue.

Green fee: $35 (18 holes).

www.noosahills.com.au

NOOSA VALLEY COUNTRY CLUB

There are few, if any, prettier places to spend a few hours playing golf on the Sunshine
Coast than Noosa Valley Country Club.

It is a beautiful nine-hole layout which you might mistake for a botanical garden
if it weren’t for the nicely manicured fairways and greens found between the
trees. It might be the only golf course in the country to have featured on a TV gardening program.

Green fee: $30 (nine holes).

www.noosavalleycountryclub.com.au

COOROY GOLF CLUB

Cooroy lies in the heart of the rolling valleys of the Noosa hinterland, about 25 minutes’ drive west of Noosa Heads.

Of all the courses showcased across the preceding pages, Cooroy Golf Club can rightly be tagged the ‘hidden gem’ among them all.

The club was formed in 1934 at a meeting of 38 people with dreams of turning grazing land with interesting topography into a golf course. Nearly 25 acres of land was cleared with hand tools and within a few months a six-hole sand green course was in play. The course was expanded to nine holes two years later and in 1939 the first three grass greens were put into play. The layout remained largely unchanged for the next 45 years.

The biggest changes took place in the 2000s with the purchase of additional land and new holes – designed by professionals Paul King and Charlie Earp – being built, which culminated in the opening of the current 18-hole course in 2005.

Cooroy Golf Club. PHOTO: Brendan James.

What the course lacks in length (5,359 metres from the back markers) it more than makes up for in interesting holes as it plays nine holes out and nine back, like the Old Course at St Andrews. The short par-4 9th alongside two lakes to the left is a narrow, but exciting, journey from tee to green, while the following hole, a 164-metre par-3, plays along the edge of the aforementioned lake in the opposite direction. It features a narrow green with a long ‘coffin’ bunker left.

My favourite hole starts the trek back to the clubhouse from the far end of the golf course. The 505-metre par-5 14th is a genuine three-shotter that plays over the crest of hill and sees the fairway wind its way around the edge of a lake and on to the wide bunkerless green.

Green fee: $38 (18 holes).

www.cooroygolf.com.au

SAVE MONEY WITH GOLF PASS

Now more than ever, visitors to the Sunshine Coast can also add golf onto their to-do list with the Sunshine Coast Golf Group’s Golf Pass.

Three of the region’s most renowned courses have teamed up to offer a golfing experience likened to few other, allowing visitors to play Noosa Springs, Peregian and Twin Waters with one handy and easy to manage Golf Pass.

Individually, all championship courses are of revered quality, yet when combined in sequence they form an exceptionally captivating challenge that differs greatly to the usual golf holiday. Now, the Golf Pass enables the golfer to choose his or her own sequence and itinerary of bookings, allowing individuals and groups versatility, yet also the ability to savour an experience that truly is unique on all levels.

The Golf Pass offers a 20 percent discount on the total cost of green fees and includes share carts with some great availability on tee-times in the purposely built booking engine. 

For most traveling golfers though, a holiday is only as good as the golf courses played and for anyone taking up a Sunshine Coast Golf Pass, this delivers on a whole new level in a holidaying hot-spot.

Sunshine Coast Golf Passes are only $239 per person are valid for 18 months and can be purchased at www.golfsunshinecoast.com.au

Magnolia Lane apartments overlooking the Twin Waters course. PHOTO: Brendan James.

WHERE TO STAY

MAGNOLIA LANE APARTMENTS

Located just 30 metres from the 1st tee and 9th green of the Twin Waters course, the Magnolia Lane luxury apartments is a good base to explore all the courses of the Sunshine Coast.

The spacious one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments, offer stunning views over Twin Waters. They all boast large balcony areas or terraces, master bedrooms with en-suite, spacious living areas, fully-equipped kitchen, satellite TV, air conditioning and WiFi available. There is also lift access to all apartments.

Stay and play packages start from $310 per person (two nights, one course). Seven nights, with rounds of golf at five courses, start from $980 per person. Rounds of golf can be booked for Twin Waters, Noosa Springs, Pelican Waters, Mt Coolum, Maroochy River, Palmer Coolum, Headland and Noosa Golf Clubs.

For details or to book, call (07) 5448 8777 or visit www.magnolialane.com.au