Hope Island - Queensland - Australia

Hope Island was designed by Peter Thomson & Mike Wolveridge, and opened for play in 1993.

In their prime Thomson & Wolveridge (who were later joined by Ross Perrett), were one of the most successful golf architecture firms in the world.

They designed over 250 courses world wide including:

- Hamilton Island (Australia)

- Royal Canberra (Australia)

- Wairakei International (New Zealand)

- Clearwater Bay (Hong Kong)

- Ayodhya Links (Thailand)

Peter Thomson & Mike Wolveridge drew heavily on their experiences playing on the professional tour in the U.K. when designing courses.

They created links like courses in the most unlikely terrain throughout Australia, Asia, and around the world.

The low lying wetlands at Hope Island was no exception, and required metres of top soil to be brought in to raise the level of the course.

I think they did a remarkable job.

The routing is strong.

It gives the golfer a variety of holes and outlooks throughout the round and maintains the interest throughout.

I am not a big fan of T & W courses in general, but Hope Island is growing on me..

It's a good course!

Notable holes include:

- hole 5 (Pulpit), a short par 3 to a raised green, with water in play right

- hole 9 (Gallery), a short par 3 over water to a raised green amply protected by bunkers. The tee shot needs to carry the water all the way to the green

- hole 13 (Wetlands), a strong right to left dogleg par 4 with bunkers and water galore. It is a challenging hole!

- hole 14 (Reach), a long par 3 to a very narrow green. Nearly good tee shots will be deflected by the aprons of the raised green

- hole 16 (Temptation), a short par 3 with a small and demanding green complex

- hole 17 (Hope Island), one of the longest par 3's anywhere at 224 metres from the black tees. The raised green is well bunkered and demands a long and accurate tee shot over water to get home.

- hole 18 (Home), a memorable closing par 5 which arcs around the canal left. With bunkers and mounds everywhere it is a strong and photogenic finish

Hope Island is one of the premier courses on The Gold Coast.

Peter Wood is the founder of The Travelling Golfer – click the link to read his full review.

https://www.thetravellinggolfer.com.au/course-repo...

While living on the Gold Coast some time ago I was able to play Hope Island on few times and really enjoyed it. Great set up and bunkers galore, make you think what you hit off the tees, and the best hole for me is the 17th 200 mt par 3. Yes its long for normal players and there is water all the way to the green if you go for it, with a bail out area on the right , it was a great hole.

Condition of the course when i play was good, greens fast and true, well worth playing

Penultimate round on Christmas / NYRS holidays; Links Hope Island. Delicious. Links style course, reminiscent of traditional links combined with the luxury of resort facilitates. immaculately groomed Bermuda grass greens, wintergreen couch fairways and some 120+ pot bunkers, plenty of grassy mounds and water about the place.

Tys

the course guide says its a links course that could make you think you were in scotland or ireland.. except for the weather. they have tried to give an iinland course a links feel but no matter how many small bunkers you put in, it is not true links golf. none the less it is a fine course with a very good design. holes 2,3 are memorable and the closing stretch of the 200 yeard all over water 17, with a monster and beautiful 18th, remiscent of loch lomond or the belfry is a treat to finish.very wet when i was there but the whole resort is very impressive. peter thomson has obviously styled it on the links of GB and I with open style bunkering (though not penal bunkers) and nice greenside undulations. overall a good track but not a true links course.