It’s that time of the year: the Australian Open.
As you read this, golfers from around the world are preparing to return to Australia’s legendary golf courses and resorts in anticipation of the Stonehaven Cup. The Australian Open continues to draw in impressive numbers to its robust golfing community, warm weather, and stunning attractions.
Whether you’re ready to follow the holes or play a few of your own, you’ll always have options in Australia. Some of the region’s treasured resorts have once been home to the prestigious tournament and boast a rich history and well-groomed landscaped. But, if you’d simply like to enjoy 18 rounds on the green under the warm sun, any of Australia’s 18,000 golf courses will do.
Can’t make it down in time for the Australian Open? No problem. Try any of these courses on your next Australian vacation:
Carbrook Golf Club – Logan City, Queensland, Australia
You might remember Carbrook: in 2011, the golf club came into the spotlight for an unusual lake feature – live bull sharks. A curious result of the Logan River’s banks flooding the course nearly twenty years ago, the bull sharks have remained a popular fixture of the club ever since. Curious visitors may glimpse a fin or two when looking for their ball around the 15th hole, but the club encourages safety at all times for the enjoyment of all enthusiasts.
As the first and only Australian golf course with sharks, Carbrook clearly stands out. But its well-manicured landscape, sloping valleys, and clear skies easily make it one of the must-see courses in the region. The club offers memberships to adults and juniors, hosts many local events centered on the Logan golfing community, and offers beginner and intermediate golf programs to help newcomers perfect their swing.
Barnbougle Dunes Golf Links, Tasmania, Australia
Barnbougle Dunes Golf Links stretches out against the pristine coastline of northeast Tasmania. Completed in December 2004, the 18-hole golf course is a testament to Australia’s naturally unique scenery. Though relatively new, Barnbougle continues to earn its reputation as a dynamic course with an immersive golfing experience.
Visitors can practice their swing across the 200 acres of winding coastal dunes that make up the park. Designed to succeed in a coastal environment, the course is a deliberate blend of bent grasses and fescue for easier mobility. Beginners and experts alike will find a fair but challenging course that entertains for hours on end.
The course is complete with its own clubhouse and onsite housing accommodation for the perfect Australian Open getaway.
Kingston Heath Golf Club – Melbourne, Australia
As a treasured Melbourne course, Kingston Heath‘s reputation for well-manicured grounds is known throughout the region. It is also known for being the longest course in Australia, measuring in just under four miles. Though once a par 82 course, it has since been developed into a less intimidating par 72 course that players of all expertise can enjoy.
Kingston Heath has regularly hosted national and international tournaments since first opening its doors to the Australian Open in 1948. In the decades since, it has overseen seven Australian Opens, one Women’s Open, and the Australian Masters. Its gentle slopes and deep, rich green make Kingston Heath the perfect backdrop for a battle of the pros, or the perfect setting for a simple day in the sun.
The National Golf Club – Melbourne, Australia
As one of Melbourne’s first golf clubs, The National Golf Club enjoys a tenured history and influence on Australian open golf courses. Fitted with two additional 18-hole courses, the Club hosts hundreds of visitors daily across its maintained landscape and subtle sand dunes.
The “Old Course” depends on strategic hole placement and tiered greens to present its unique challenges. The “Moonah” course sports rugged bunkers across its natural landscaping to inspire even the newest golfer to strengthen their hand against the elements. Its fairways and greens are maintained daily, and it is the only course in the National Golf Club without an ocean view.
Lastly, the “Ocean” course takes advantage of the shape of the natural land with very little manmade development. Your round will take you on a journey through the high dunes, lowlands, and the course’s exquisite landforms for a truly unique golfing experience.
Victoria Golf Club – Melbourne, Australia
Founded in 1903, the Victoria Golf Club was originally sat on Fishermans Bend in Port Melbourne before moving to its permanent home in Cheltenham, Victoria in 1927. As the host of some of the most legendary moments in world golf, it offers a robust golfing experience on par with similar courses known for challenging golf’s greats. As one of the region’s toughest courses, Victoria Golf Club’s course is sure to excite amateur and professional golfers.
The manicured course features fast greens and natural bunkers that easily earn the Club’s title as one of the best in Australia. Visitors can spend all day enjoying the course before retiring to any of the Victoria’s fifteen housing accommodation rooms or any of its onsite dining facilities.
As a traditional sandbelt course, Victoria Golf Club offers a generous mix of green complexes and sand dunes that work nicely with the elements. It’s not at all uncommon for visitors to approach their rounds differently with the weather in mind.
Metropolitan Golf Club – Melbourne, Australia
The Melbourne Golf Club was founded in tandem with Royal Melbourne in 1891 on a strip of land in Malvern. It has since developed a reputation after its own departure to Oakleigh in 1908. Its landscape is like no other, bolstered noticeably by wide swathes of native Australian trees, including the historic red flowering gum (Corymbia ficifolia).
The course has been moved substantially in the following decades – most notably to host the Australian Open in 1930 at the suggestion of course architect Dr. Alister MacKenzie. Thankfully, Metropolitan’s extensive and rich history has not been impacted, and instead boasts a commendable ability to provide top-tier service, environments, and experiences regardless of location. Its accomplishments include hosting seven Australian Opens, five Australian Amateur Championships, and over ten other professional tournaments in its service to the Australian golfing community.
The course is considered one of the nicest and best-groomed facilities in the region, with meticulously designed fairways, greenside bunkers, and native trees. It is also known as a difficult sandbelt course that pushes every player to their strategic limits, despite its rather flat landscape.
The Yarra Yarra Golf Club – Melbourne, Australia
Originally a nine-hole course, The Yarra Yarra Golf Club has transformed into a vibrant Australian golf resort. After relocating to the banks of the Yarra River in 1911, the Yarra Yarra Club was keen to rename, but it wouldn’t be until 1927 that the club would find its permanent home in the Bentleigh East.
The Yarra Yarra course has since hosted many golf greats – including Peter Thompson, Greg Norman, and Anika Sorensten – but it is also known for its innovative approach to golfing. (At the time of its inception, women were equal members with men.) Yarra Yarra has since undergone routine planned refurbishment projects to maintain its friendly and top-tier facilities for the thousands of patrons it receives each year. Its greens features offer some of the most extreme slopes in Melbourne and expertly-designed bunkers for a deliberate challenge to experienced and average players alike.
Huntingdale Golf Club – Victoria, Australia
As the home of the Australian Masters for over 30 consecutive years, Huntingdale Golf Club has since been dubbed the “Home of the Australian Masters.” Huntingdale first rose to the national spotlight in the 1979 with the inaugural hosting of the Australian Masters, but has since drawn sport favorites like Tiger Woods, Greg Norman, and Arnold Palmer to its neat fairways in the last few decades.
The course design boasts large, open greens and strategic bunkering for a thrilling excursion through 18 rounds. One look at its deliberate architecture is proof enough of its ability to challenge some of the greatest names in golf year after year. To its credit, Huntingdale continues to expand its innovation in golf architecture by adopting the latest technology and features that only serve to improve its already impeccable design. The course is kept in “Masters” condition year-round for an authentic Australian Masters experience, including some of these toughest finishing holes known throughout the world.
Ship Sticks Makes Golf Travel Easy
Your next trip to your favorite Australian golf course should be an easy one. Ship Sticks transforms your golf traveling experience by eliminating one major obstacle of golf vacations: transporting your golf clubs. Developed for and by golfers, Ship Sticks makes it easy to meet your sticks anywhere in the world.
Simply ship your golf clubs and luggage ahead of time to your golf course or resort of choice. We make sure they arrive before you’re ready to tee off. When it’s time to head home, your golf clubs are already prepared with their own round-trip ticket. We’ll ship them directly to your door.
You don’t have to lug your golf bag to and from airports or spend hundreds in extra fees just to ship them out. Ship Stick makes it easy to plan the perfect golf vacation with little hassle or stress.