The name stuck for the next 50-plus years, and became synonymous with one of the pre-eminent golf courses of the area, an essential stop for anyone golfing the Central Coast, abetted in no small part by the scenic seaside location. Development in the region led to the emergence of new, residential-driven golfing options in the area, and Tuggerah Lakes was motivated to begin upgrades of its own. Course architect Ross Watson made a set of changes to the course early last decade, while the club has carried onward with  new course works as part of a larger overhaul.

A significant part of those changes was the name, to Shelly Beach Golf Club, in mid-2010. The new title has the twin virtues of being geographically correct while also playing up its location, and signals the fresh look that the club is sporting, from its extensively renovated clubhouse to new and redone holes across the layout.

An easy-walking, 6,008-metre par-71 from the tips, Shelly Beach is a prime example of the coastal course conundrum – the holes closer to the water are so good that it makes one tend to overlook the positive qualities of the holes away from it. The layout is divided by Shelly Beach Road, both in a physical and a character sense. The 1st to the 6th and the 15th to 18th are grouped on one side, and share an open, windswept feel that takes in the clear views of the sea. The rest of the holes, six of them on the other side of the road, are characterised by the tighter feel of its tall tree line.

Leading out with a long par-5 and a pair of stout par-4s, the target areas in the fairway appear straightforward off the tee, but the approach into the greens requires thoughtful play. The fairway at the 1st rises to a crest about 120 metres out, enough to obscure a full view of a nicely situated green that rolls off at every edge. The 2nd, a strong, 380-metre, index no.2 test for early in the round, similarly has a sharply featured green with a pronounced right-side shelf to punish any iron shot pushed away from the bunkers on the other side.