Golf is growing in Australia. Participation rates are up, club memberships are up and general interest in the game is on the rise post-pandemic.
74. HORSHAM GC
Horsham, Victoria
UP 17
Judge’s comments: “Five years ago Horsham was in danger of dropping out of this ranking after free-falling nearly 50 spots in the Top-100 Public Access Courses ranking. In the years since, there has been significant investment and improvements made to the course, which have delighted our judges, especially those who recall how good the course was before the destructive bushfires wiped it out in 2009.” – Brendan James.
“Horsham has improved noticeably during the past few years and it must now be considered as offering one of the best value-for-money rounds in the country.” – Craig Smart.
73. BRIBIE ISLAND GC
Woorim, Queensland
UP 6
Judge’s comments: “The Bribie Island layout got smashed by floodwater running through the course early in 2022 but when I visited in October it was in terrific nick. Laid out on sandy terrain, it’s not surprising that the expansive bunkering is a real highlight.” – Gavin Hill.
“This is certainly a challenging layout for all players, and for different reasons. There are demanding par-4s like the 2nd and 10th where length and accuracy are a must and shorter hitters might be happy with a bogey, while the par-3 16th is a real intimidator as you line up to get your tee shot over the lake between you and the green.” – Richard O’Reilly.
72. THE SANDHURST CLUB – Champions Course
Sandhurst, Victoria
UP 4
Judge’s comments: “This is a big golf course with some big moments throughout. There’s probably none bigger than the tee shot on the shortest hole on the course, the par-3 11th, named after Norman Von Nida. It’s only a short iron but the prospect of dropping short in the wasteland bunker, or finding a deeper sandy hazard left or right, can rattle your nerves on the tee.” – Jack Donaldson.
“If this course, and the neighbouring North Course for that matter, were located anywhere but on the edge of the world-famous Melbourne Sandbelt I reckon it would be more acclaimed – its challenging, fun and generally presents really well.” – James Walsh.
71. MONA VALE GC
Mona Vale, New South Wales
NO CHANGE
Judge’s comments: “What an idyllic place to spend an afternoon playing golf. The reward here is getting through 15 holes and making the climb to the tee of the par-3 16th and getting the ocean view beyond the green below. Beautiful!” – Nikki Scott.
“A wonderful mix of tree-lined holes that lead you to a closing trio of more exposed holes where water and wind can potentially ruin your scorecard, all within sight of the clubhouse.” – Joe Thomas.
70. MURWILLUMBAH GC
Murwillumbah, New South Wales
NO CHANGE
Judge’s comments: “This my favourite course in the northern rivers area of NSW. No two holes are the same here with each walk into a tee offering a new challenge. The round opens strongly with a cracking medium-length downhill par-4, with water left and sand
right. The short back nine opener – an uphill par-3 of 137 metres played against a scenic backdrop including Mt Warning National Park – is also an experience you won’t easily forget.” – Greg Rogers.
www.murwillumbahgolfclub.com.au
69. MOLLYMOOK GC – Hilltop Course
Mollymook, New South Wales
DOWN 1
Judge’s comments: “This is certainly one of the must-play courses for any golfer visiting the NSW South Coast. While I found the greens great to putt on, I thought the kikuyu fairways were easily the equal of what you might find on some private courses in Sydney.” – Joe Thomas.
“As the name Hilltop might suggest, a round here really gets the cardiovascular system working hard. But it is the holes with the most elevation change – like the downhill right-to-left sweeping par-4 10th or the 500-metre rollercoaster ride on the par-5 13th – you will enjoy most.” – Charles Thomas.
68. RICH RIVER GC – East Course
Moama, New South Wales
UP 14
Judge’s comments: “The redesign of several holes on the East Course are striking and have improved the golfing experience as well as the visual appeal. Moving the 16th green to bring the water into play has made for a much better hole, while the wider and more playable par-4 17th is now a terrific hole.” – Graham Brady.
“I really like the redesigned holes, like the 6th, 8th, 16th and 17th, but it was the higher standard of the fairway and green presentation that impressed on my most recent visit.” – Lucas Andrews.
67. COOLANGATTA & TWEED HEADS GC – West Course
Tweed Heads South, New South Wales
UP 7
Judge’s comments: “The West Course is now seeing the benefits nearly four years on from the conversion of all its greens to TifEagle Bermuda grass. The ‘new’ greens are a joy to putt on remarkably smooth when you consider the amount of foot traffic they get.” – Gavin Hill.
“The West Course is ageing like a good bottle of red … just keeps getting better year-on-year.” – Brendan James.
66. YARRAWONGA MULWALA RESORT GC – Lake Course
Mulwala, New South Wales
UP 3
Judge’s comments: “The Lakes course jumped into our ranking in 2015 and has improved in each of the four biennial listings since that debut appearance. While there have been minor changes to the course in that time, it is the improved conditioning in that time which has impressed.” – Brendan James.
“I get the sense Yarrawonga’s Lake Course was underrated for some time and the golfer’s grapevine has been slow to react. But there is no doubt it is a better presented layout than it was half a dozen years ago and this definitely brings out the best in the Peter Thomson and Mike Wolveridge design.” – Joseph Baker.
65. BALLARAT GC
Ballarat, Victoria
UP 2
Judge’s comments: “Ballarat is probably unlucky not to have climbed higher in this ranking but there have been some big moves from other courses in this section of the list. In early 2022, I visited the course for the seventh time since it was extensively redesigned by Peter Thomson and Ross Perrett and was struck by the turf quality right across the property. Firm, tight-knit fairways leading into well-manicured greens left no room for blaming a dodgy lie or bad bounce. I expect Ballarat will continue to rise in the ranking after its current program of bunker renovations is complete.” – Brendan James.
64. CYPRESS LAKES RESORT
Pokolbin, New South Wales
UP 2
Judge’s comments: “Here is a course that was seemingly destined not to feature in this ranking again when it dropped out of the Top-100 back in 2011 when it received no votes from our judges. It crept back into the ranking at No.97 five years ago and has improved with every ranking since. Why?
“There are several reasons but perhaps the most important has been a huge investment in the maintenance of the course, which has returned to its former glory. Secondly, after years of chopping and changing the routing, the owners have settled on the right hole sequencing, which builds a round to a wonderful climax across the closing holes.” – Brendan James.
63. PORTARLINGTON GC
Portarlington, Victoria
NOT RANKED
Judge’s comments: “Portarlington is a little slice of the Melbourne Sandbelt on the peninsula, with visually attractive and intimidating bunkering as well as five-star quality couch fairways being the standout features of the layout. I’ll be back to play here again.” – Paul Wilson.
“Overlooked and underrated for several years, this Bellarine Peninsula gem makes its debut appearance in the Top-100 Public Access Courses ranking. Once you have picked your jaw off the floor over the quality of the fairways and greens, take a closer look at the design as there are some seriously good holes here. In fact, the closing six holes are worth the cost of the green fee alone.” – Brendan James.
62. KOOINDAH WATERS GC
Wyong, New South Wales
DOWN 2
Judge’s comments: “This is a strategic layout where trouble in the form of wetlands and bunkers can be found scattered across the layout. I do like the fact this Ross Watson’s design gets you to think about all your shot and club options as to avoid getting into trouble with a slight mis-hit.” – Daniel O’Keefe.
“Kooindah Waters is not a particularly long course and I’m not a particularly long hitter. So the forced water carries on holes like the par-3 2nd, par-5 8th, par-4 9th and semi-island par-3 17th holes make this layout especially difficult.” – Susan Johnson.
61. COOLANGATTA & TWEED HEADS GC – River Course
Tweed Heads South, New South Wales
UP 2
Judge’s comments: “I got change from $50 for a weekday round on the River Course, which makes it hands down the best value round of golf on the Gold Coast. The layout is tight in parts so there is a real premium on accuracy.” – Tristan Holmes.
“In 2017, the River Course was No.76 in this public access list but the redesign tweaks of recent years have seen this beautiful par-72 continue to rise through the ranks. The River layout is a thinking golfer’s course with good strategy, rather than power-hitting, required to navigate the many doglegging holes encountered during the round.” – Brendan James.
60. LEONGATHA GC
Leongatha South, Victoria
UP 5
Judge’s comments: “I had seen so much good banter about Leongatha on social media I had to go and see it for myself and it lived up to all the hype. Vern Morcom’s creation, with his trademark doglegging holes, is a course offering a lot of fun shots in a serene, Aussie countryside setting. The best holes, in my opinion, are those – like the short par-4 2nd followed by the even shorter par-4 3rd – where he has taken full advantage of the change in elevation and added a dogleg to boot.” – Lucas Andrews.
“Leongatha made its national ranking debut in this magazine back in 2013. Most of our readers living outside of Victoria’s Gippsland region had never heard of it. Now, 10 years on, devoted golfers are making the trek from far and wide to see what all the fuss is about.” – Brendan James.
“Plans to rebuild greens and remodel parts of the course to better fit Morcom’s original design proposals will only see Leongatha climb higher towards a spot in the top half of this ranking.” – James Walsh.
59. PALM MEADOWS
Carrara, Queensland
UP 3
Judge’s comments: “Palm Meadows is in a much better place than it was a decade ago, for example, it has added some presentation polish to its bunkering and fairways making it really grow in my estimation.” – Joe Thomas.
“Every time I go to the Gold Coast I have to play Palm Meadows and try to emulate the likes of Greg Norman, Curtis Strange and Rodger Davis from the Palm Meadows Cup days by driving a direct line across the lake on the par-5 18th hole. Sadly, I’m not getting any younger and my drives are getting shorter but it’s fun to try nonetheless.” – Graham Brady.
58. NOOSA SPRINGS RESORT
Noosa Heads, Queensland
NO CHANGE
Judge’s comments: “This idyllic resort course offers beautiful surrounds, while Graham Papworth’s design walks that fine line of challenging better players and not alienating high handicappers or casual golfers by being too brutal.” – Gavin Hill.
“I’ve never encountered a round at Noosa Springs where the condition can be questioned. In terms of the design, the stretch of holes from the par-3 4th to the long par-4 7th get the heart racing as you are faced with a range of demanding shots with trouble lurking close to the best playing line.” – Matthew Greig.
57. FLINDERS GC
Flinders, Victoria
UP 15
Judge’s comments: “Flinders’ huge jump in the rankings this year is long overdue considering the late great Peter Thomson was speaking of Flinders in glowing terms back in the 1950s and 60s.” – Brendan James.
“In a golf saturated area like Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula, Flinders has escaped some of the hype that surrounds most of the courses on the western side of the peninsula. But it deserves more acclaim simply because it’s a bloody great course.” – James Walsh.
56. ROSEBUD CC – South Course
Rosebud, Victoria
NOT RANKED
Judge’s comments: “Rosebud’s South Course has long played second fiddle to the adjoining North Course but design upgrades have narrowed the great divide that once existed. The South might cover flatter, less interesting terrain but it boasts plenty of fun holes with interesting green complexes.” – John Blackwell.
“The South Course is much improved, and I would recommend playing this fine layout in the morning, grabbing a bite of lunch and heading out on the North Course in the afternoon.” – Phil Nicholls.
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