#SandySweetSpot
A Taste of Melbourne’s Historic Sandbelt
LOCATION
Melbourne Sandbelt, Australia
NIGHTS
6-8+
TRAVELLERS
4+
TIME OF YEAR
September – May
PRICE
Contact For Pricing
Australia’s tightest-packed collection of championship courses can be found in the Sandbelt region just southeast of the Melbourne city-center. This is where the great Alistair MacKenzie did his best work Down Under and several of the courses have hosted the world’s top players on numerous occasions including at the 2019 President’s Cup, which was played at Royal Melbourne. There is perhaps no better place in the world to experience and appreciate the nuances of great golf course architecture.
GOLF COURSES
Royal Melbourne - West
Kingston Heath
Victoria
Metropolitan
Royal Melbourne - East
St. Andrews Beach
Royal Melbourne - West
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
Kingston Heath doesn't play across dramatically undulating 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-master Alistair MacKenzie, Kingston Heath has the best you will find anywhere in the world.Victoria
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.Metropolitan
Metropolitan
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.Royal Melbourne East
Royal Melbourne - East
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.St. Andrews Beach
St. Andrews Beach
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.
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Kingston Heath
Royal Melbourne – West
Metropolitan
St. Andrews Beach
Victoria
Royal Melbourne – East
7 Nights, 6 Rounds
What You Can Expect:
This itinerary keeps you in the Melbourne area throughout, as there is enough good golf in South Victoria to last you a month or more. The focus here is on the historic courses in the Melbourne Sandbelt, with five rounds all within a few square miles about a half an hour southeast of the Melbourne city-center. We have also included St. Andrews Beach, a bit further south but our favorite links on the Mornington Peninsula.
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