Alister MacKenzie, the Scottish architect who later designed Augusta National, spent only a few weeks in Melbourne in 1926, but the course he laid out for Royal Melbourne and the advice he left behind created the Sandbelt, a cluster of heathland courses in the city’s southeastern suburbs that many golfers rank alongside the best in Britain.
Australia now has well over 1,000 courses, most of them public or open to visitors, and the best golf trips combine two very different styles. The Sandbelt and the clifftop New South Wales Golf Club in Sydney are classic private clubs with limited visitor times. In Tasmania and on King Island, newer links courses such as Barnbougle Dunes and Cape Wickham sit in wild coastal dunes and are built for visiting golfers.
Green fees run from about A$40 (US$26) at a council course to around A$850 for an international visitor at Royal Melbourne. There are no compulsory caddies at most courses, and you can play somewhere in the country all year.
At a Glance#
- Melbourne Sandbelt: Royal Melbourne, Kingston Heath, Victoria and Metropolitan, a cluster of heathland courses 30 to 40 minutes from central Melbourne.
- Mornington Peninsula: The National, St Andrews Beach and Moonah Links in the dunes near Cape Schanck, an hour from Melbourne.
- Tasmania: Barnbougle Dunes and Lost Farm near Bridport, about an hour from Launceston, and Cape Wickham and Ocean Dunes on King Island.
- Sydney: New South Wales Golf Club on the cliffs at La Perouse, plus The Australian and Royal Sydney.
- Queensland: resort golf on the Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast, in warm winter weather.
- Novelty: the Nullarbor Links, an 18-hole course spread along 1,365 km of highway between Kalgoorlie and Ceduna.
Melbourne and the Sandbelt#
Royal Melbourne’s West Course, routed by MacKenzie and opened in 1931, is usually rated the best course in Australia and one of the top ten in the world, and it has hosted the Presidents Cup three times. The East Course is nearly as good, and for tournaments holes from both are combined into a Composite Course. It is a private members’ club: visitor times are limited to a few weekdays, and overseas players need a letter of introduction from their home club and a handicap. The international green fee is around A$850 (US$560), with a compulsory caddie for about A$170.
Kingston Heath, a short drive away, has MacKenzie’s bunkering on a tight, flat site, and Victoria, Metropolitan, Huntingdale and Commonwealth complete the Sandbelt. All are private, with similar rules for visitors, and fees well below Royal Melbourne’s. The ground is sandy and fast-running, and the bunkers cut right into the edges of the greens.
An hour south, the Mornington Peninsula has public and resort courses in coastal dunes. The National Golf Club at Cape Schanck has three courses, St Andrews Beach is a Tom Doak design open to the public, and Moonah Links has hosted the Australian Open. On a short trip, stay on the peninsula and play the Sandbelt on a weekday.
Tasmania and King Island#
Barnbougle, on the northeast coast near Bridport, is the reason many golfers fly to Tasmania. Barnbougle Dunes, by Tom Doak and Mike Clayton, opened in 2004 on a potato farm behind giant sand dunes facing Bass Strait, and Lost Farm, by Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw, followed in 2010. Both are true links and both are public, with lodges and restaurants on site, and a shorter course called Bougle Run was added later. The official 18-hole rate for Australian residents in the 2026 low season (May to September) is A$164 (about US$108); check the club for visitor and high-season rates.
King Island, in Bass Strait between Tasmania and the mainland, has two newer links courses on its coast: Cape Wickham, which runs out to a lighthouse on the island’s northern tip, and Ocean Dunes. Cape Wickham regularly appears in world top-100 lists, and Ocean Dunes ranks among Australia’s top 20. The island is reached by small plane from Melbourne or northern Tasmania; most golfers stay two nights and play each course twice.
Sydney and New South Wales#
New South Wales Golf Club sits on a headland at La Perouse at the entrance to Botany Bay, with several holes along the cliffs and constant wind off the Tasman Sea. MacKenzie made the original routing, and it is usually ranked second in Australia behind Royal Melbourne. It is private, with limited visitor times on weekdays.
The Australian Golf Club and Royal Sydney, both in the eastern suburbs of Sydney, have hosted the Australian Open many times. For public golf, Moore Park, near the city centre, is easy to book, and the Hunter Valley wine region north of Sydney has resort courses among the vineyards.
Queensland, South Australia and Western Australia#
The Gold Coast has the most resort golf in the country, with Royal Pines and Sanctuary Cove’s two courses in canal-side estates, and the Sunshine Coast adds coastal courses around Coolum. Queensland’s winter, May to September, is dry and warm, which makes it the place to play when the southern states are cold.
In Adelaide, Royal Adelaide at Seaton is a links-style course with a railway line running through it, and Kooyonga and The Grange are close by. Perth has Lake Karrinyup and links courses along the coast south of the city.
The Nullarbor Links is the oddest golf in Australia: 18 holes, one or two in each roadhouse or town along the Eyre Highway between Kalgoorlie in Western Australia and Ceduna in South Australia, billed as the longest golf course in the world. You buy a scorecard at either end, play the holes as you drive, and get a certificate if you finish. Fairways are mostly red dirt and saltbush.
Green fees and booking#
| What | Typical cost |
|---|---|
| Public or council course, 18 holes | about A$40 to A$70 |
| Barnbougle, 18 holes, Australian low-season rate | A$164 |
| Royal Melbourne, international visitor | about A$850, plus caddie about A$170 |
| Motorised cart | often extra, shared between two |
Book private clubs weeks ahead by email, with your handicap certificate and a letter from your home club. Public and resort courses take online bookings. Carts are optional on most courses, and many Australians walk with a pull trolley. Dress codes at private clubs are strict: collared shirts, tailored shorts or trousers, no denim.
Play the Sandbelt early in the week. Visitor times at Royal Melbourne and its neighbours are concentrated on Mondays and Tuesdays, plus a few other weekday slots, so plan the rest of your trip around them.
When to play#
In Melbourne, Sydney, Adelaide and Tasmania, the best months are spring (September to November) and autumn (March to May), when the courses are firm and the weather mild. Summer can be very hot inland, and Tasmania’s links are windy all year. In Queensland, play from May to September. Our best time to visit Australia page has the regional weather, and the Australia getting around guide covers flights to Launceston and King Island.
Best places for golf in Australia#
More Things to Do#
Australia golf FAQs#
What is the best golf course in Australia?
Royal Melbourne’s West Course is usually ranked first, followed by Kingston Heath, New South Wales Golf Club, Barnbougle Dunes and Cape Wickham.
Can visitors play Royal Melbourne?
Yes, on a limited number of weekdays, with a letter of introduction from your home club and a handicap. The international green fee is about A$850, plus a compulsory caddie for about A$170.
How much does golf cost in Australia?
About A$40 to A$70 at a public course, around A$160 to A$250 at public links such as Barnbougle, and several hundred dollars at the top private clubs.
Where is the best golf in Tasmania?
Barnbougle Dunes and Lost Farm near Bridport in the northeast, and Cape Wickham and Ocean Dunes on King Island. All four are links courses open to visitors.
What is the Nullarbor Links?
An 18-hole course spread along 1,365 km of the Eyre Highway between Kalgoorlie and Ceduna, played one hole at a time at roadhouses and towns along the way.