Hope Island - Queensland - Australia

The golf course at Hope Island is part of a residential resort that also features water and racquet sports as recreational attractions. The 18-hole layout was designed by one of Australia’s golfing greats, Peter Thomson, and it has matured nicely since it was first constructed in 1993.

Hope Island is Thomson’s tribute to old-fashioned golf and, although located a good distance from the Gold Coast, it embodies all that is good in the links game, with fast running fairways, ridges, swales, pot bunkers and wonderful green contouring that would not look out of place on a course by the Scottish or Irish seaside.

It is certainly man made, but the mounding and shaping that was carried out when creating this “faux links” was done sympathetically, blending in with the natural landform of a relatively flat piece of estate.

All four of the par five holes are very strong. In particular, the 550-yard 2nd hole is a stiff test so early in the round, swinging left round a lake with a huge fig tree on the bend, at the water’s edge, threatening the tee shot. The 565-yard 18th hole is a great way to end the round with water again bounding the fairway to the left and a number of fairway bunkers presenting problems.

The signature hole is the 210-yard, par three, 17th where a 150-yard carry over water will intimidate the more faint-hearted on the tee, especially if playing into the wind. The green is further protected by three bunkers to the front and some will consider playing to the bail out area short right – shy of another three bunkers back right – where a chip and a putt may result in the desired par score.