[Matthew Delahunty]

I suppose this thread comes about to add a bit more Australian content to the forum (apart from the usual Commonwealth GC stuff), but mostly because I've had too much time on my hands. It's sort of inspired by Mark Rowlinson's excellent UK guide of a few month's back. With over 2000 golf courses in Australia I don't know if I'd have the patience to create such a list but I might have to look at doing a few other regions (eg Mornington Peninsula).

Anyway, here's our most famous region, the Sandbelt in Melbourne. The great thing about the Sandbelt is that most of the courses are within about 10 minutes drive of each other (with only Peninsula and Long Island being further out). While Royal Melbourne and Kingston Heath are world renowned, many of the others are also world class. Possessing both the Sandbelt and the fine array of courses on the Mornington Peninsula, Melbourne can lay claim to being one of the world's great golfing cities.

Most of the websites have a course tour. The pictures vary in quality but if you'd like to see a few more I'd suggest David Scaletti's golfscapes gallery at www.sportscapes.com.

(PS. The list only includes courses of real significance. There are a few handy public/municipal tracks around which will go into a more general Melbourne list if I ever get around to it).

[Matthew Delahunty]

Royal Melbourne Golf Club - www.rmgc.com.au


Probably needs no introduction. 36 hole complex which features Australia's best two courses, the West designed by Alistair MacKenzie and the East designed by Alex Russell. The website also shows the composite course layout (both the pre'98 routing and the current Heineken routing).


Kingston Heath - www.kingstonheath.com.au

Outstanding golf course which is always in immaculate condition. Designed/routed by Dan Soutar but MacKenzie and Morcom worked their magic in the bunkering which helps make this course what it is. Hosted numerous Australian Opens and now is the host of regional qualifying for the British Open.


Victoria Golf Club - www.victoriagolf.com.au

Across the road from Royal Melbourne and suffers little in comparison. Also benefits from MacKenzie's input. More recently Mike Clayton has used old aerial photographs to restore some holes to their former glory.


Yarra Yarra Golf Club - www.yarrayarra.com.au

Designed by Alex Russell, Yarra Yarra is well known for its collection of fine par threes, the 11th being as good as anything in Australia.


Commonwealth Golf Club - www.commonwealthgolf.com.au

Commonwealth was listed by Tom Doak in the Confidential Guide as one of his gourmet choices. Probably the most talked about Sandbelt course on GCA (do a forum search and find out why) but a fantastic layout and a must-play for design enthusiasts.


Metropolitan Golf Club - www.metropolitangolf.com.au

The second oldest club on the Sandbelt, Metropolitan has hosted many Australian Opens and in 2001 was host to the Accenture World Matchplay. The course was designed by JB MacKenzie with improvements made by a more famous MacKenzie on his trip to Melbourne. Much of the back nine was redesigned by Dick Wilson in 1958 when some of the land made way for a new school. While the new holes have not quite recaptured the brilliance of the old, the course is still one of the finest in Melbourne.


Huntingdale Golf Club - www.huntingdalegolf.com.au

Home of the Australian Masters. The course was designed by Charles Alison at his home in England. It has recently undergone changes by the now defunct Newton Grant Spencer.


Woodlands Golf Club - www.woodlandsgolf.com.au

The most underrated course in Australia. This is probably due to its low key approach and slightly more "remote" location on the Sandbelt. Recently hosted the 2004 Victorian Open. A high quality design which is somewhat tighter than most on the Sandbelt and with smallish greens.


Spring Valley Golf Club - www.springvalleygolf.com.au

Another underrated course, Spring Valley was once described as "Melbourne's least known best course". The best design of Vern Morcom, son of Royal Melbourne's legendary bunker builder, Mick Morcom. Recent improvements have been carried out by Mike Clayton, who makes comments on the website's course tour. The club now boasts one of the newest and best clubhouses on the Sandbelt.


Kingswood Golf Club- www.kingswoodgc.com.au

Kingswood was originally designed by M.A. Morcom and Son. There have been numerous course alterations over the years and very little of the original layout now exists. The club has a rich history and has produced some of the State's most accomplished amateur golfers.


Southern Golf Club - www.southerngolfclub.com.au

Southern is one of the lesser known Sandbelt layouts. Parts of the original course across the road were acquired by the water board around 30 years ago and the new holes were built to the south of the remaining originals. Another club with a brand new clubhouse.


Keysborough Golf Club - www.keysboroughgolf.com.au

Keysborough has an interesting history which began over 100 years ago but has seen it almost disappear from existence at several points. The current course was designed by Sam Berriman (whose best designs are probably here and at Horsham).


Capital Golf Course

Golf course privately owned by millionaire businessman, Lloyd Williams. No website and only open to friends and business associates of Mr Williams. Designed by Thomson Wolveridge & Perrett and Lloyd Williams.


Peninsula Country Golf Club - www.peninsulagolf.com.au

Peninsula has a 36-hole complex and both its courses are highly regarded. Originally the South course was considered to be the better of the two but Mike Clayton's work on the North course has elevated it to new heights. Clayton is now making alterations to the South.



Long Island Country Club - www.longislandgolf.com.au

Designed in the mid 1930s by Gordon Oliver after a failed bid to get Alex Russell who could not spare the time. Another lesser known layout which boasts some fine holes.


Sandhurst Club - www.sandhurst.com

The Sandbelt's newest addition. This is a residential development with a 36 hole golf complex. The North course is due to open soon. Designed by Thomson Wolveridge & Perrett, the design is meant to draw on traditional links elements in an Australian setting (I don't know how this will work as it's 5km from the sea). It will be interesting to see how this course integrates with more established layouts.

[johnk]

Possessing both the Sandbelt and the fine array of courses on the Mornington Peninsula, Melbourne can lay claim to being one of the world's great golfing cities.

I respectfully disagree - Melbourne is not one of the world's great golfiing cities - it is THE greatest golfing city.  Nothing else comes close... seriously...

I think most people who haven't been there would be stunned.  I  myself plan to live there some day.

Thanks for posting this - I can't wait to come back.

[Pete Buczkowski]

Matthew:

Many thanks for your post.  Can't wait to make the trip myself and these sites sure whet the appetite.

Pete

[Mark_F]

What about London?

The Heathlands are a pretty damn fine group of courses, and whilst there isn't one the quality of RM, the others more than stack up against the Sandbelt on a blow-by-blow basis.

They're also a helluva lot easier to access.

And have better food.

[johnk]

London has a major problem compared to Melbourne - the quality courses are scattered far and wide.  If you count Berkshire and Surrey as London, you might have a similar number of courses.  Even getting to the Addington from central London is quite a haul, unless you have a helicopter.

Still, I would take the Sandbelt courses against the London courses.  Say RM, KH, Metropolitan, Commonwealth, Woodlands vs.  Addington, Sunningdale, Wentworth, Walton Heath and St. George's Hill.  Consider that only Addington is within London itself.  Basically, I think the Sandbelt courses are better, and are consistently under-rated since they don't get much exposure.

If you add the Mornington Peninsula to Melbourne, it's a rout in my mind...

Nothing against London - I love it and think there is great golf, but the weather, the costs, the traffic, and the people give Melbourne a huge advantage.

[Mark_Rowlinson]

Matthew,

Thanks for these most useful and, in many cases, inspiring links.

We had a GCA thread going a few weeks ago on the top courses within 30 miles of London.  My main complaint about the London courses is not so much the travel problems getting to them (NEVER start from Central London!) but the high cost of green fees compared to the 70s when I lived in London and took the opportunity to play many of these courses.  I'm glad I did for I certainly could not afford it now.

[Matthew Delahunty]

Hi Mark,

Good point re cost. Although many Australians may think the costs of a round of golf on one of these courses is high, it is low by world standards. Most member guest fees on the top courses are in the range of $AUD40-$75 and quite a few clubs have discount rates on weekdays where a guest can play for as little as $25 (which is about $US18 or 10 pounds). International guest rates are currently around the $AUD80-$150 mark depending on the course.

The proximity of the courses is truly amazing. RM is across the road from Victoria. From Vic to Kingston Heath is a 5-7 minute drive. It's 3 minutes from there to Spring Valley or Yarra Yarra or Commonwealth (which is across the road from Metropolitan which in turn shares a boundary with Huntingdale). 3 more courses are within 10 minutes drive. Probably only St Andrews can match this for proximity of so many quality courses.

[Chris Kane]

Matthew,

I don't think its fair to use members guest rates when describing the cost of golf on the sandbelt - I'm sure the courses around London are fairly affordable if you're playing with members too.  The reality is that most international visitors are going to be playing as managers guests, in which case the courses are less affordable, ranging from $A150-300 (around) $US110-230.  Clearly, its a good idea to be with a member.

I can still remember Matt Cohn's delight when he played at Commonwealth in the Spring of 2002 for $A11 (the u/25 twilight rate), which was possibly the cheapest green fee he'd ever paid - at a Doak 8 course!

[Matthew Delahunty]

Chris,

I suppose if we're talking about the Sandbelt's as a holiday destination then it's not fair to use member guest rates. But I wasn't looking at it from the point of view solely as an attraction to internationals (by the way I did include a range for manager intro green fees - it was an estimation because I 've never been an international guest. My understanding was that for most courses the manager intro rate was about $120-$150 with variations at the top and bottom ends of the market, but I'll stand to be corrected).

Isn't the mark of a golfing region the benefits it provides to those that live in the region, rather than just to international guests? I've played most of the courses listed above and never had to fork out more than $100. Melburnians are able to access these courses through members, or on corporate or charity days at very reasonable rates (usually around $120-$180 per head for golf and meal).

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