Booming with the co-sanctioning arrangements of the then European Tour and LPGA, the event that changed the world of mixed gender tournament golf was being discussed as potentially being rehomed to Melbourne after its success at 13th Beach Golf Links.

The Bellarine Peninsula layout with its 36 holes and ample facilities had been the ideal venue since the Vic Open shifted from Spring Valley, yet the best courses in Australia located on the Melbourne Sandbelt were starved of tournament golf. And the Vic Open made perfect sense as a solution, with Royal Melbourne often mentioned as perfect landing spot.

However recent developments have altered the shameful dearth of big event golf on the Sandbelt. And despite its reduced women’s field size and lower prize purses without co-sanctioning this year, the week so far on the Bellarine Peninsula has reminded so many (this writer included) as to why the Vic Open should stay right where it is.

Count major champion among those who believe the Vic Open and Bellarine Peninsula make for an ideal partnership for tournament golf and spectators. PHOTO: Golf Australia.

Geoff Ogilvy and Mike Clayton have helped fill the gap on the Sandbelt with their invitational that made its debut last December and is set to return again in 2022. Royal Melbourne, Yarra Yarra, Peninsula Kingswood and Kingston Heath likely to return as host venues and Victoria Golf Club will welcome the men’s Australian Open later this year.

But beyond the desire of Melburnians to see more of professionals and elite amateurs, the Bellarine Peninsula and 13th Beach’s credentials more than make their own case.

The two courses at the Barwon Heads facility are spectacular and great tournament venues, with a mix of tough holes and birdie chances, the wind always a factor. Making your way around as a spectator is fairly simple and the joy of an up close and personal experience without ropes is something so rare.

"Recent developments have altered the shameful dearth of big event golf on the Sandbelt. And despite its reduced women’s field size and lower prize purses, the week on the Bellarine Peninsula has reminded  why the Vic Open should stay right where it is." - Jimmy Emanuel.

The spectators the ones who truly benefit on the Bellarine.

Take it from this scribe, there are countless other courses worth your time to play and visit while in the area. An early morning or late afternoon round at The Barwon Heads Golf Club, recently renovated Lonsdale Links or even the unique Queenscliff Golf Club on Swan Island to name but a few, bookended by some spectating is an ideal day of golf.

There are beautiful stretches of beach around the area to cool off on a hot summer’s day. Food and drink is a speciality of the region, and some time spent in the Barwon Heads pub will probably yield another close encounter of the professional golfer variety during the week.

The hub of Geelong is a 25-minute drive away, Avalon airport nearby for visitors from further afield and sightseeing on offer for the off-golf days if so needed.

Players too agreeing with the premise of the Peninsula and the Vic Open making a perfect pair.

“I had never thought about that before but yeah,” Geoff Ogilvy said when asked if the region made for a near perfect golf trip and tournament watching destination. “It is kind of the perfect time of the year for that too. 36-hole venue, obviously public can access this course and aspire to that. I mean Mornington gets all the talk, but there is golf courses everywhere here.

“Lonsdale’s got a great golf course, well designed,” he jokingly added of his own work at Lonsdale Links.

“You can’t keep saying good things about a tournament I guess, but it is just a well-run tournament that everybody loves.”

As the marketing material states, The Bellarine is ‘Greater than the sum of its parts’.