Queensland’s Gold Coast boasts more attractions and venues than any other destination in the southern hemisphere and it’s also easy to adopt the laid-back local lifestyle with more than 70 kilometres of beaches and 100,000 hectares of world heritage-listed rainforest never far away.
SURFERS PARADISE GC
Despite its name, the Surfers Paradise Golf Club is actually located about five kilometres south of the bars and restaurants of Surfers’ famed Cavill Avenue.
The Broadbeach to Nerang Rd borders the course to the north and there is residential on its western and southern boundaries. But when you walk off the 1st tee here, it doesn’t take long to feel you are miles away from the hustle and bustle.
The fairways are a little more tree-lined than they were when the club hosted the Australian PGA Championship back in the early 1970s, but generally there is enough width from tee-to-green to ask questions of club selection from the tee. However, there are no shortage of fairway bunkers and water hazards to be avoided. In fact, water comes into play on 11 holes.
The design does make good use of its small area. The par-71 requires decisive shot-making and, while short at 5,841 metres from the back pegs, your use of the driver needs to be astute as frequently long irons and fairway woods will be more sensible from the tee.
One such hole where caution is certainly advised is the short par-4 17th. At 310 metres from the tips, it’s not a hole to be attacked with a driver unless you can bank on a left-to-right shot shape to follow the dogleg shape of the fairway as it veers around a lake to the left. The key here is to get your drive in play and take aim with a short iron into a receptive green that lies just beyond the lake.
Surfers is one of the most underrated layouts on the Gold Coast. It is an easy walk and the quality of the playing surfaces are superb.
Green fees: $58 (18 holes). $29 (unlimited play all day Monday, walking).
Website: www.surfersparadisegolfclub.com.au
EMERALD LAKES GC
In the Gold Coast golf course building boom of the late-80s and early-90s, a small layout sprung up alongside the Nerang-Broadbeach Rd.
The then-named Carrara Golf Club was built on a miniscule budget and it didn’t have the appeal of its new neighbours including Royal Pines and Palm Meadows. But when the course was sold in 1990, a significant investment was made by its new owners to create a much better layout.
Emerald Lakes Golf Club was born and Graham Marsh Golf Design was commissioned to redesign the course, which was turned into a par-72 layout with wide fairways and more dynamic, generously-sized greens laid between strands of gums and pristine lakes.
The transformation into a ‘serious’ golf course was complete when Emerald Lakes became an Australasian PGA Tour stop in 2004 as the venue of the Queensland PGA Championship. The following year the Tour’s first 59 was carded by Brad McIntosh, putting Emerald Lakes in the headlines.
Emerald Lakes does offer plenty of birdie opportunities for the better player, but there are several holes requiring caution. The par-5 4th could fall into either category.
On the scorecard, the 447-metre 4th would appear to be a probable birdie. A wide fairway leads away from the tee but the final approach to the putting surface is a narrow one with a lake off to the right and a fairway trap to the left of an ideal lay-up spot short of the green. The picturesque setting of the green belies the sand and water hazards lying just metres from its fringe. This is a tough green to hit in two shots but conservative play could be rewarded.
Green fees: $65 (18 holes with cart, weekdays); $70 (with cart, weekends).
Website: www.emeraldlakesgolf.com.au
RACV ROYAL PINES RESORT
RACV Royal Pines’ 27 holes now bear little resemblance to the original routing laid out by Tomojiro Maruyama, with all three nine-hole courses – Green, Gold and Blue – redesigned by Graham Marsh.
The Green-Gold layout has undergone the most significant changes since becoming host of the Australian PGA Championship in 2013. Marsh’s trademark bunkering combines with numerous waterways working their way through the nearly 7,000 metre course to provide a stern challenge.
Ranked at No.44 in Golf Australia magazine’s 2019 Top-100 Public Access rankings, the championship course’s conditioning is consistent year round, with the undulating greens offering a smooth rolling surface.
Cameron Smith no doubt has a fondness for the final hole of the Gold course, where he has clinched the Joe Kirkwood Cup twice. However, the risk and reward qualities of the 307-metre 8th and 495-metre par-5 9th of the Green nine, make them standout holes for many visitors, while the Blue nine offers a less exacting test.
Green Fees: Green/Gold Course $110 (Monday – Thursday) and $125 (Friday – Sunday and Public Holidays); Blue/Green or Gold Course $90 (Monday – Thursday) and $100 (Friday – Sunday & Public Holidays).
Website: www.racv.com.au/Royal-Pines/Resort
ARUNDEL HILLS CC
Designed by Fred Bolton, Arundel Hills Country Club changed hands in 2016 and replaced its ageing green surfaces with TifEagle Bermuda, which should help the club regain its reputation as one of the Coast’s best-conditioned layouts.
Played through dense native trees placing a premium on accuracy, the par-72 is not overly long at 6,300 metres, with constant changes in elevation providing much of the challenge.
The par-5 18th with water guarding the green can make or break a good round, but it is the 15th and 16th holes that truly standout.
Protected by water in front and a bunker behind, the 166-metre 15th requires precise ball striking, before a drive through a narrow opening and an approach over water with anything from a mid-iron to a 3-wood is needed at the 426-metre next.
Green Fee: $99 (including cart); $79 (walking).
Website: www.ahcc.net.au
PARKWOOD VILLAGE
Formerly known as Parkwood International, The Club @ Parkwood Village has something for everyone, including a playable course for all levels of golfers.
Most of the original Fred Bolton layout remains, but in-house redesign was required on holes nearest the clubhouse to make way for a mini entertainment precinct.
The par-71 is played over flat terrain with water on the majority of holes and has improved its conditioning since new owners took over in 2011. And at just over 6,000 metres, Parkwood offers a fun alternative to some of the Coast’s more difficult layouts.
Green Fees: $39 (18 holes).
Website: www.theclubparkwood.com.au
GAINSBOROUGH GREENS GC
Gainsborough Greens Golf Club has changed significantly in recent years as surrounding residential and retail developments grow.
Despite the increasing suburbia, however, the former Queensland PGA host has maintained its natural surrounds.
Offering enough forgiveness for high handicap players, low markers will be faced with strategic decisions if they are to record a good score at Gainsborough, including on the Ross Watson-redesigned 13th and 14th holes. Although markedly different from the original holes, the par-4 and par-3 certainly aren’t out of place, while the driveable 10th hole is one of the course’s best.
Long hitters with eagle aspirations need to follow the dogleg right shape with their drive, but more conservative players can still make birdie if they find the right portion of the putting surface protected by bunkers short and long.
Green Fees: $45 (18 holes, weekdays walking), $55 (weekends); $59 (weekdays including cart), $69 (weekends).
Website: www.gainsboroughgolf.com.au
THE GLADES GC
As is the case with most courses built on the Gold Coast in the past 30 years, the rolling fairways and huge putting surfaces at The Glades have been created from land that, generations ago, would have been deemed unsuitable for golf and left as a swamp.
Huge lakes and vast tracts of wetlands were excavated and the fill from them was used to shape the golf course.
RIGHT: The Glades GC. PHOTO: Brendan James.
Today, The Glades has matured into a wonderful layout and become one of the Gold Coast’s most popular courses on the back of the challenging design and high presentation.
One aspect of The Glades’ presentation that sets it apart from most Gold Coast courses is the use of creeping bentgrass on the greens. This fine-leafed grass has adapted to the hot and humid climate of the Gold Coast and, as a result, The Glades boasts some of the best putting surfaces in Queensland. These greens, and their surrounds, are usually firm under foot providing a wide range of shot options from close range, which adds to the enjoyment and gets a big tick from the authors of this article.
Green fees: $110 (18 holes including cart).
Website: www.glades.com.au
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