#GolfAustralia
Australia has traditionally been know for its world-renowned golf courses that dot the landscape in Melbourne’s Sandbelt. However, in the last few decades things have changed to elevate the destination to even higher levels. With both Cape Wickham and the links of Barnbougle opening since the turn of the century and several new developments opening in South Victoria, its the dramatic new coastal courses that are making headlines.
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AUSTRALIA’S TOP COURSES
Despite a setting made for golf, the remote King Island had just one unassuming golf course and was nowhere on the world of golf's radar less than a decade ago. That all changed in 2015, when the Mike DeVries-designed layout at Cape Wickham opened. The course is routed around the Cape Wickham Lightouse with dramatic views across the Bass Straight from every hole. It has already taken its place among the world's best courses and we'd guess it'll keep working its way towards the top. The island of Tasmania is breathtakingly beautiful and, in 2004, the Dunes Course at Barnbougle finally brought championship golf befitting of the setting. Instinctively, the pure links course is compared to those in Scotland but that probably sells it a bit short. With a masterful Tom Doak design carving through dunes that can reach 100 feet high, there is nothing else quite like it on earth. To justify the trek to the off-the-beaten-path northeast corner of Tasmania, a second course at Barnbougle was crucial. Lost Farm is that and more, figuratively and literally, as the course has 20 fantastic holes! The layout and feel is quite different to the neighboring Dunes, with vast fairways opening up a variety of angles to play into the Crenshaw-designed contoured greens. Per course architect Alisair MacKenzie: "This is a sand duned peninsula which overlooks Botany Bay and presents, I think, more spectacular views than any other place I know with the possible exception of the new Cypress Point." It is spectacular, but you have to bring your A-game because it is one of the toughest courses you will ever play. If you judge a club by the company it keeps, then Victoria must be held in high esteem. Victoria is separated from the adjacent Royal Melbourne by only a single road, and the club has counted both Geoff Ogilvy and 5-time Open champion Peter Thompson among its membership. Decades of restorative work has produced impeccable putting services and restored the course's bunkers to its former glory. It's perhaps the most authentic Sandbelt golfing experience you can find. Royal Melbourne Golf Club was technically founded in 1891. However, it was the arrival of Dr. Alistair MacKenzie in 1926 that marked the beginning of something special. MacKenzie's vision was to shape the fairways and greens with the undulating land and then use native grasses and the sharp edges of bunkers to create contrast. The result is both rugged and refined and, although he never saw the finished construction, Dr. MacKenzie would be proud. Kingston Heath doesn't play across dramatic terrain or have beautiful coastal scenery in abundance like you will find at most other top courses. Even neighboring Royal Melboure has far more interesting and varying topography. So then, what makes it special? Bunkers. Bunkering is the defining characteristic of golf in the Sandbelt and, thanks to the guidance of bunker-guru Alistair MacKenzie, Kingston Heath has the best you will find anywhere in the world. Located on the Mornington Peninsula south of Melbourne, St. Andrews Beach is natural, playable, and pure. Designer Tom Doak was more artist than architect, as he mostly left the land as he found it and used different sight-lines around the indigenous features along with a range of yardages to create great variety. The club is actually a step-sibling to Royal Melbourne after their memberships split in the early 20th century upon a course relocation. Among the Sandbelt's best courses, the Metropolitan may be the most refined and polished around the greens and bunkers. The knife-like bunker edges that cut directly into the perfectly-conditioned green complexes are mesmerizing. Ocean Dunes opened within a year of its King Island neighbor, Cape Wickham, to create a must-play 1-2 punch. The course's defining quality is location, location, location! Spectacular ocean views abound and the signature par threes at 4 and 10 are surreal. The rich history of Barwon Heads dates back to 1907 and the club has always catered to holiday goers and golf enthusiasts who wanted to trade the Sandbelt in for "traditional links country" on the Bellarine Peninsula. The course can be broken into two distinct sections, with the opening holes circling towards the Bass Strait beach before the course turns back past the clubhouse and into tighter confines cut through ominous tea tree. The East battles uphill to keep pace with its world-renowned older sibling and puts up a darn good fight. The opening and closing holes share the undulating "home paddock" with the West and are so good that holes 1-3 and 16-18 are actually part of the composite course that host's the Presidents' Cup. The East is more heavily treed than the West and the landscape is a a bit gentler in the middle of the round, but the artistic integration of rugged bunkers and rolling greens into the sloping sandy terrain is world-class. Opened in 1995 in the heart of Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula, the Dunes helped to kick start links golf development in the area. Huge sandy ridges give character and shape to most holes at the Dunes, but it took the work of architect Tony Cashmore to reshape the primitive Limestone Valley course, the site's former occupant, into more than just a pretty face. Host of the Victoria Open since 2013, the Beach Course at 13th Beach has links character but Bellarine Peninsula flair. The course may have Australia's best collection of part threes, highlighted by the short but scary "Postage Stam" 16th. Course strategy and wind will largely determine your fate so tread carefully.