With nearly 30 percent of Australian golf courses being of the nine-hole variety, you don’t have to venture too far to find one that offers plenty of fun without burning a hole in your pocket.
Scone GC
Scone, located three hours’ drive north of Sydney in the beautiful Upper Hunter, boasts the newest nine-hole course being showcased here.
Construction of a New England Highway by-pass of the town, dissecting the old course, forced a $4 million redevelopment of the site, funded by the Roads & Maritime Services (RMS).
Pacific Coast Design architect Phil Ryan and experienced course constructors, McMahons, were commissioned to build the new course, which opened for play in May this year.
The club is now home to a superb nine-holer, with alternate tees on each hole, which measures 6,044 metres from the tips and features manicured kikuyu fairways and bentgrass greens.
Ryan has created a terrific layout demanding good strategy to score well. The 343-metre (from the white pegs) par-4 3rd hole is a perfect example of a classic risk-and-reward hole. The sharp dogleg right tempts the longer hitter into cutting the corner to leave a short pitch into the green, which lies just beyond a lake. Players who cannot make the water carry, can also skirt the edge of the hazard to leave a shorter, more direct, line into the putting surface.
Green fee: $15 (nine holes).
Tathra Beach CC
Tathra Beach CC is a pretty nine-hole layout lying next to the Bega River on the NSW South Coast.
The challenge of this Kel Nagle and Mike Cooper design is judging the breeze and selecting the correct club, especially on the par-3 tees, which are often surrounded by trees.
Green fee: $20 (nine holes).
www.tathrabeachcountryclub.com
Teven Valley GC
Set on 10 hectares of stunning Northern Rivers land, Teven Valley is about 25 minutes’ drive south west of Byron Bay.
The course was sold in 2015 with former Monash Country Club course superintendent Paul Gumbleton part of the new ownership. Since then, this par-31 has become one of the most beautifully maintained in northern NSW.
Gumbleton has been gradually redeveloping the property for much of the past two years. He started by creating a superb practice area and then began on the course. The 7th and 8th – currently being played as the 3rd and 4th holes – were the first to be refurbed and put back into play. The new 4th, 5th and 6th holes will soon follow and the last of the trio, with its green perched above McGuires Creek, promises to be Teven’s most challenging short hole.
While there might be work being carried out on the course, there is always nine holes open for play.
Green fee: $25 (nine holes).
www.tevenvalleygolfcourse.com.au
Thredbo GC
Thredbo golf course is the highest nine-hole layout in Australia.
Winding along the Thredbo River, the pretty course is dotted with wildflowers and has fairways lined by big eucalyptus trees. The views of the surrounding Snowy Mountains is worth the cost of the green fee alone.
Green fee: $15 (nine holes).
Wingham GC
Wingham Golf Club has had a nomadic history, having moved five times in its 105-year history. That said, golf has been played across its current location since 1953.
It is a picturesque nine-hole layout, with relatively wide fairways and subtly undulating greens, some protected by bunkers.
The club is striving to take the course to even greater heights with a five-year strategic improvement plan in place.
Green fee: $15 (nine holes).
Woollahra GC
Woollahra Golf Club has been a popular course in Sydney’s eastern suburbs since it opened for play in 1931.
Resident Professionals during the 1940s, Al Howard and Carnegie Clark, both added to the design of the layout, which would later be expanded after Woollahra Council obtained an area of land from neighbour, Royal Sydney Golf Club.
When the club took over a management and maintenance of the course in 1960, Prosper Ellis was commissioned to create a new nine-hole course that is the foundation of what can be played today.
The highlights are the quality of its short par-4s, with the 272-metre 7th being one of the best. It is a narrow two-shotter demanding an accurate tee shot with out-of-bounds left and thick crops of trees to the right. The longer hitter who can move the ball left-to-right may have a crack at the long two-tiered green, which is protected front left by a bunker.
Green fee: $28 (nine holes).
Yarrawonga Mulwala GC Resort – Executive Course
Sitting alongside Yarrawonga Mulwala’s Lake and Murray layouts, the Executive Course offers a beautiful setting for beginners and those golfers looking for a fun hit.
The par-33 covers easy walking terrain and offers quality holes ready to challenge golfers of all abilities.
Green fee: $33 (nine holes).
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