Sandbelt Splendour

There's no doubt that Melbourne's sandbelt region is home to at least a dozen world-class courses. HK Golfer's Australian correspondent Paul Myers checks out a select few

VICTORIA *****

Five-time Open champion Peter Thomson played much of his early golf at Victoria Golf Club and like all of Melbourne's first-rate sandbelt courses is renowned for its bunkering (the good doctor MacKenzie has his input here too), immaculate fairways and greens and magnificent stands of eucalyptus trees. First-time visitors are often fooled by the easy opening hole, a par-four of just 260 yards from the back tees. But what follows – three long par-fours interspersed by a tight par-three – soon stamp the measure of this wonderful layout. In reality there are any number of memorable holes – although the eighteenth, a mighty par-five of 600 yards, will perhaps linger longest in the memory. One of Victoria's biggest advantages for the overseas visitor is its on-site accommodation. Not only does the club make an excellent base in which to enjoy the sandbelt (the other courses reviewed here are within a fifteen-minute drive) but houseguests are allowed to play golf on any day of the week – unlike regular visitors who are not permitted to book tee times on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.

ARCHITECT: William Meader, Oscar Damman and Dr Alister MacKenzie (1927)
YARDAGE/PAR: 6,866/72
CONTACT: victoriagolfclub.com.au; (61) 3 9583 1170

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Written by Paul Myers

Photography by Courtesy of Commonwealth Golf Club (Commonwealth)

Click here to see the published article.

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