UPDATED December 2016. Updates marked
in red.
Australia is a world class destination for golf – no one could disagree – but nearly all of that is centred on the Victorian capital and remote northern Tasmania.
Sydney has traditionally been a poor cousin for golf, but there’s one area where no other Australian city can match The Harbour City: off-course tourism. Coupled with an improving golf scene, Sydney is as much of a must-see for the golfing tourist as Melbourne and Bridport.
You don’t come to Sydney just for the golf, which is just as well because you have plenty of other things to see: Sydney Harbour and its iconic namesake bridge, Sydney Opera House, the beaches (notably Bondi and Manly), Taronga Zoo, the Blue Mountains and more.
But there’s a reason you packed your clubs, so first things first –
where to play golf:New South Wales GC: The most revered course in the state it’s named after, and truly unique in the world of golf. The seaside holes rightly get the headlines, but the likes of 7,8, 11, 12 and 15 add to the fun and the experience. It has rolling land, a billion-dollar setting, quirk and extensive (some might say too much) interplay with the native vegetation.
The Lakes: Revived about five years ago thanks to a Mike Clayton re-design, this now competes with NSWGC in some eyes as the best course in town, which is a hell of an achievement when you compare NSWGC’s seaside location with The Lakes’ property flanked by Sydney Airport and bisected by a motorway. The contrasts continue to the courses, too, The Lakes is wide and highly strategic with bold greens, heroic water carries and ample width. It also boasts, with Riviera in Los Angeles, some of the best kikuyu playing surfaces in the world. You won’t play anything else quite like this, so you should take the opportunity.
Bonnie Doon: Always a great club with a central location, but until Ogilvy Clayton Cocking and Mead (the new firm’s first job) blew up the front nine and rebuilt it in 2011 this was not somewhere for an interstate visitor, let alone an international one, to put on the itinerary. Even now, it’s a work-in-progress, but pencil in time for nine holes (maybe after a round at The Lakes, which is pretty much next door) to see the new stuff or make time for 18 if you want to one day play the all-new course and be able to say “man, you should have seen what this used to be!”.
UPDATE -- By May 2017 there will be 15 OCCM holes in play and only three remaining to be done. The new holes are superb across the board, particularly the three short par fours (8, 12, 16).
Royal Sydney: Highly rated, with tournament pedigree (whatever that means or counts for) and some of the best club facilities in the world. Too bad the course doesn’t measure up, with a promising start petering away to a claustrophobic, up-and-back second nine. For me, you travel to see courses of a style and environment that you can’t get at home, and this isn’t that. Your travel time is limited, and this isn’t worth half a day of it.
UPDATE -- Gil Hanse will completely rebuild this course in the coming years and you can expect it to become more worth playing then.
The Australian: See above, though where Royal Sydney’s front nine holds all the (relative) aces, the best holes at The Aussie are midway through each nine. But you could play a course like this anywhere, so why play it in Sydney? (picture is pre-recent reno)
Avondale: Other courses get more talk, but for a visitor I find it hard to go past the north shore’s under-the-radar gem. Carved through unmistakably Aussie bushland and laid out over great land, there’s a couple of head-shaker moments but plenty of quality shots. That said, you’re only making time for this if you’re in town for a good while and are looking for places to play after feeling you’ve seen enough of NSWGC and The Lakes, however many rounds that takes.
UPDATE -- Concord didn't used to be worth playing for the golfer visiting Sydney but with Tom Doak and his crew doing a thorough reworking over much of 2017/2018, the result may be one to include on your itinerary. Course is 20-30 minutes west of the city centre.
A cheap course by the seaside?Sydney is famous for its coastline, so it’s understandable to want to play golf where you can hear the waves crashing on the rocks.
The Coast and
Long Reef offer what you’re wanting without costing too much.
Heading out of Sydney for golf?Newcastle GC is two hours north and well-worth seeking out. I like it as much as NSWGC or The Lakes.
Ellerston is the private estate of Australia’s richest family (the Packers) and unless you know them or drop a LOT of coin at their casinos, you won’t be playing there – but if you get lucky, it’s easily paired with Newcastle (pictured below).
Heading south,
Narooma is a good stop if you’re driving to Melbourne and if Canberra – the nation’s capital – is on the agenda (2.5hrs south of Sydney), take a look at playing either
Royal Canberra or
Federal.
UPDATE -- Royal Canberra has had an OCCM facelift and is a much more attractive proposition now.
Accommodation - where to base yourselfYou want to be near the CBD (Central Business District – what Americans might call “Downtown”), but you don't need to be right in the CBD - you'll find you can pay less and stay somewhere with more character while still being right alongside it.
Have a look at Surry Hills, Darlinghurst and Paddington, especially if you love to enjoy the city by night. Even Woolloomooloo is worth a look. These are great neighbourhoods with fantastic restaurants and bars and a bit more atmosphere than the city, while still being super close to what you want to see - both for sightseeing and for golf. They are also chock-full of great pubs and breakfast spots.
UPDATE -- Mark Pearce recently stayed in an AirBnB at 93 Stanley St in Darlinghurst and raved about the location and set-up, so that's worth looking into.
If you want to be in the CBD, the area near Circular Quay is a good place to base yourself, while others seem to like Darling Harbour (I don’t see the attraction myself).
If the beach is a lure, look at Bondi and Coogee, or Manly if you don’t mind the city and its sights being a ferry ride away.
If you were open to staying in a hostel, Wake Up! and the Railway Square YHA are both popular and near Central Station.
Sightseeing in SydneyFor me, the Sydney sightseeing must-sees are:
1. Sydney Harbour, including Harbour Bridge, Opera House and then there's a great harbourside walk from the Opera House to Woolloomooloo via the Domain and Mrs Macquarie's Chair.
2. Catch a ferry from Circular Quay to either Manly or Watsons Bay for some fish and chips, with Manly preferable if you wanted to go to the beach for a swim.
3. Bondi is great for the beach and people-watching, and the Bondi to Bronte beachside walk is fantastic. If you're really keen you can walk all the way to Coogee with fantastic clifftop views over the water and beachside suburbs the whole way.
4. The Rocks (near Circular Quay) is the birthplace of Australia and fun for a walk around, but "history" is limited given the country is only 225 years old!
5. Bridgeclimb offers panoramic views of the city and harbour and a unique perspective of the iconic Sydney Harbour Bridge.
6. Taronga Zoo, which you can catch the ferry to from Circular Quay, is a world-class zoo with some great Australian animals as well as some great lion, tiger and African animal displays. It is also right on the harbour and overlooks the city. It’s a lovely place to spend an afternoon. It’s in the suburb of Mosman, which is one of the poshest in Sydney.
Where to eat and drink
Quay ($$$). Sydney’s ultimate combination of haute cuisine and remarkable setting. The menu is adventurous, the Snow Egg desert is legendary.
Tetsuyas ($$$). Japanese degustation. Not my thing, but relentlessly popular.
Doyles ($$). Iconic seafood with locations at Circular Quay and Watsons Bay. Both have remarkable views, with Watsons Bay also featuring a laid-back harbour-side atmosphere.
Café Sydney ($$). Modern Australian with an outlook over the harbour, Opera House and Harbour Bridge.
Apollo ($$). Greek food in Potts Point with a cool atmosphere in a great neighbourhood. Walking distance to Kings Cross if its delights appeal to you.
China Doll ($$). On Woolloomooloo Wharf, lovely city skyline view and a broadly Asian menu that combines dumplings with curries, Chinese classics and a great cocktail list.
Ventuno ($). Pizza on the harbour at Walsh Bay. Lovely food and handy to The Rocks.
Opera Bar ($). Just outside the Opera House and looks out over Circular Quay and the Harbour Bridge toward Luna Park. A lovely place to sit with a schooner (Google it, foreigners) of Coopers or a James Squire, look around and think "holy shit - I'm in Australia!"
El Loco ($). Mexican street food in a Surry Hills pub. Cheap and cheerful. Avoid the “special taco”, it’s pig testicle.
The Blue Mountains
Every visitor to Sydney should spend a day (or more) exploring the Mountains.
Up there you want to focus your efforts on Wentworth Falls, Leura, Katoomba and Blackheath. For my money, Leura and Blackheath are the two best villages, Govetts Leap Lookout at Blackheath is outstanding and my favourite bushwalk is the Valley of the Waters at Wentworth Falls.
The Three Sisters in Katoomba is rightly famous and has fun folklore attached. Also in Katoomba, visit ScenicWorld. It has a scenic railway that runs down into the valley floor where you can walk around and there's also a gondola that goes out over the national park with fantastic views. A great way to see a lot in a limited time, combined with a visit to Leura village and you can feel as though you have "seen" the Blue Mountains.
Why do they look blue from a distance? The eucalyptus oil gives off a haze that creates that appearance.
Other sport to enjoy
Cricket: September to February/March will see cricket games at Sydney Cricket Ground (historic stadium near the city) and ANZ Stadium (out in Homebush, built for the 2000 Olympics, feels like a modern stadium). The SCG hosts a test match between Australia and a visiting nation every year from January 3-7 and Big Bash League games at nighttime from late December to late January.
Rugby league and rugby union: Same-same, but different. Seasons run roughly March to September, most big games played at Allianz Stadium (aka Sydney Football Stadium) next to SCG near the city and at ANZ Stadium.
Aussie rules: The Sydney Swans are one of the best teams and play out of the Sydney Cricket Ground (usually) from March-September. ANZ Stadium hosts some of the Swans’ bigger games. The less said about the Greater Western Sydney Giants the better.
Running: Just as people travel to play golf, apparently they also travel to run. I don’t know why, either. But in any case, the City to Surf is held each August between Hyde Park and Bondi and there’s a marathon in September that takes in many of the best harbourside sights mentioned up higher.
There’s surely things I’ve forgotten to include, so ask questions and offer suggestions if you have any of either.