
Victoria, Australia
There's fantastic variety on the Peninsula Kingswood North course - good elevation changes, interesting turns and irregular greens and recent renovations have elevated the course to a completely new level.








Peninsula Kingswood Country Golf Club (North)
There's fantastic variety on the Peninsula Kingswood North course - good elevation changes, interesting turns and irregular greens and recent renovations have elevated the course to a completely new level.








Sort by:
Jan. 10, 2026
5.5
Vince
The North is an utter showstopper.
Dec. 23, 2025
5
Anonymous
Peninsula Kingswood is one of the most unique and meticulously presented courses in the Sandbeltand thanks to a world-class redesign by Mike Cocking, it’s quickly become one of the standout modern golf destinations in Australia.
May. 3, 2025
5.5
Thomas Buckley
Every Hole is a banger.
Apr. 21, 2024
5
T P Dean
Peninsula Kingswood North was my first experience of Australian sandbelt golf and as first experiences go of this tight sandbelt turf, it over-delivered.



Sep. 9, 2023
5
Matt Wallbank
PK’s North course has quickly become the favourite child of the club despite its routing leaning more heavily into a championship test.
Nov. 22, 2022
5.5
Kyan Rafferty
This golf complex is truly one of the best I've seen in the whole World from the places I have played over nearly 40 years.



Jan. 17, 2022
5
Buckeye
A recently renovated course on some of the best golfing terrain on/around the Melbourne Sandbelt.
Jan. 12, 2022
5.5
Wayne Moriarty
The opportunity to play both courses over several days is a great way to assess the differences between the North and the South courses.
Apr. 18, 2021
5
grantphelps
Played the renovated north course twice last week as part of a group trip to Peninsula Kingswood for 4 days - well worth staying on site.
Jan. 26, 2020
5
paulofchester
Newly renovated, I can't wait to come back in 12 months when the work has settled in.
The latest ranking of the Top 100 Golf Courses in the World serves as the ultimate global golf bucket list. Most members of our World Top 100 Panel are seasoned golfers, each playing 20-30 of these courses annually while travelling extensively over decades to form their opinions on others. We recognise that opinions vary—even among our panel members. Rankings are subjective, and there are undoubtedly 50 or more courses in the UK and USA alone that could easily fit onto this list. Links Golf Pilgrimages The rankings
California, United States
New Jersey, United States
Northern Ireland, United Kingdom
New York, United States
New York, United States

Top 100 Golf Courses of Australia 2021 Welcome to the latest revision of a ranking list that was first published in 2007 with just fifty courses. Over the years, we’ve augmented our Australian coverage by adding dozens of courses to our Best in State listings which now feature many tracks that just miss out on national recognition. You’ll be able to read a lot more about those regional charts in the next few weeks. For now, we’re concentrating on the very best in Australia, where the leading eight courses in the Top 100 also occupy positions in our World Top 100. Every geographical territory in the country is represented in this elite ranking, except for Northern Territory, with 34 courses moving up, 51 sliding down, 10 staying in the same spot, and 5 dropping out to be replaced by 3 re-entries and 2 newcomers. So, without any further introduction, let’s plunge straight into the 7th revision of our Australian standings to highlight some of the biggest talking points. The top five slots remain exactly as they were when we carried out our reappraisal two years ago, which means the West course at Royal Melbourne Golf Club in Black Rock retains its #1 status – something that will come as no surprise to those who know just how highly regarded this layout is by the coterie of well-travelled golfers who’ve played all the top tracks around the world. Royal Melbourne West course Alister MacKenzie attracts most of the praise for his design work at Royal Melbourne during his famous trip to Australia in 1926 but we must never under estimate the combined efforts of his business partner (and talented architect) Alex Russell, along with curator Mick Morcom, who ensured the Good Doctor’s plans were translated into the ground long after he’d left Australia. A significant climb near the top of the standings is the two-place move up to #6 made by Bob Harrison’s design (while working with Greg Norman) at Ellerston in Hunter Valley. Built to order for Kerry Packer on his private estate as a tough, uncompromising track, Ellerston’s a course that few golfers ever get the chance to visit but, for those with the right connections, it offers an unforgettable playing experience. Ellerston Golf Club A reviewer last year wrote: “Bob Harrison did a fantastic job of routing a golf course through difficult terrain… the result is ten or so holes that are world-class.” And another person alluded to how challenging it was by posting: “Unashamedly hard, Ellerston doesn’t let up… not a high handicapper’s best place to go but definitely deserves its place as a Top 50 global.” The next prominent chart move is actually a double header, with both the North course (up fourteen to #10) and the South course (up twelve to #24) at Peninsula Kingswood Country Golf Club in Frankston making prodigious leaps into the upper echelons on the new listings. They only re-opened recently after major redesign work by Ogilvy Clayton Cocking Mead (MIke Clayton has since split from OCCM) and that bold (and costly) undertaking by the club is now paying off handsomely in the rankings. Peninsula Kingswood Country Golf Club North course Comments we’ve received lately give a ringing endorsement for the upgrade work that was carried out: “Oozes with class and course details that immediately separates the course from its former self… an amazing journey through superb topography… the green complexes are spectacular… as for the bunkering, right up there with Victoria and Kingston Heath.” The biggest upward move is reserved for the Gunnamatta course at The National Golf Club in Cape Schanck, (up an amazing twenty-nine to #12) which was formerly called the Ocean course. It too has benefitted from a radical overhaul by Tom Doak and his team at Renaissance Golf Design, to the extent that it’s now the highest ranked of the club’s three18-hole layouts at this location on the Mornington peninsula. The National Golf Club Gunnamatta course According to the architect, “the Ocean course was considered the least of the three courses at The National; difficult but uninspiring. The emphasis of the redesign has been to make it interesting and fun, even on windy days. Wide fairways dispel the need to search for balls in the rough, but which side of the fairway you’re on matters greatly on the approach to the green.” Further down the new chart, another progressive move is made by the Thomson and Perrett co-design at Hamilton Island Golf Club on Dent Island, soaring eleven places up to #42. Reviewers in 2020 were posting remarks like: “a challenging course with some memorable holes, and when you’re not playing a shot, just look at those views… I think Thomson/Perrett did a great job in difficult circumstances… if you are holidaying at Hamilton and you are a golfer then you’d be crazy not to play the golf course.” Hamilton Island Golf Club The final big move in the upper half of the listings is made by Kalgoorlie Golf Course in the outback town of Kalgoorlie next to Karlkurla National Park (up nineteen to #48), which Graham Marsh designed in 2010. As a mark of appreciation, the left doglegging 18th hole was named “Swampy” to acknowledge the Kalgoorlie-born architect’s efforts in helping to steer the town towards a new era of economic prosperity. Kalgoorlie Golf Course All the remaining double-digit advances occur in the bottom half of the chart, starting with the course at Sorrento Golf Club, which rises twenty-one rungs on the ladder to #61. Neil Crafter and Paul Mogford of Golf Strategies have consulted here for a while, drawing up a Concept Master Plan for the course with a focus on developing a unified approach to bunker styling. The company also introduced a new 19th hole in 2019. Sorrento Golf Club At #66, up fifteen spots from last time, the 18-hole layout at Cottesloe Golf Club in Perth has now regained most of the ground it lost in the rankings since 2010, when it was listed at No. 65. The club’s course is ninety years old this year, with former club champion Graham Marsh carrying out course improvements a decade ago now. Recent reviewers who thought it was too low in the standings will be pleased to see this latest move in the right direction. Cottesloe Golf Club The clifftop course at Narooma Golf Club on the far south coast of New South Wales is our next big climber, up eleven to #79. Regular contributor Peter Wood describes it as “a delightful course which travels through a variety of terrains”. His review from just a couple of months ago also termed the layout as “picturesque, challenging and just a fun course to play… a course that you will return to.” Narooma Golf Club The last major chart move (up ten to #82) is made by the course at Cranbourne Golf Club, which Sam Berriman, the curator at Huntingdale Golf Club, designed in the early 1950s. The club’s first curator, Gordon Black, planted thousands of trees on the property to add character to what was at the time barren, market garden land and these arboreal specimens have now had more than half a century to mature, adding visual interest when playing here in the modern era. Cranbourne Golf Club The highest of five new entries in the Top 100 is Mount Compass Golf Couse (at No. 71) on the Fleurieu peninsula, which was built on the site of a former sand mine in the early 1990s. Brian Crafter designed the initial nine holes, with his son Neil adding another nine shortly after. Neil Crafter was called back in again when the business changed hands in 2016 and a subsequent bunker renovation has revitalized the entire layout. Mount Compass Golf Course A couple of exciting new Tasmanian projects have been announced and they’re both going to have a big impact on future re-ranking exercises in times to come. The first of these new designs is Seven Mile Beach, where tour pro Mathew Goggin’s company, The Golf Preserve, is collaborating with Mike Clayton and Mike DeVries from the Clayton, DeVries & Pont design firm to create what Clayton calls “Pine Valley by the sea” among the sand dunes on the peninsula to the east of Hobart International airport. Non-native Monterey pine trees are to be removed during site clearance, with construction due to start in the second half of this year. Seven Mile Beach site Twenty kilometres southwest of Seven Mile Beach as the crow flies, but around a 45-minute drive by road, lies another spectacular location at Arm End, on the northern tip of South Arm Peninsula. Neil Crafter and Paul Mogford from Golf Strategies have produced a master plan for this development, integrating an 18-hole course into a network of tracks and trails, picnic areas and lookout points, fishing and bird-watching positions. Construction on this multi-use public recreation reserve will start as soon as the pipeline to supply irrigation water is built. Arm End We’ll obviously keep a close eye on these two projects, along with any other new build, restoration or renovation work that might take place elsewhere in Tasmania and on the mainland of Australia between now and the start of 2023, when the next edition of our Australian Top 100 is published. If we’ve missed anything this time around then please let us know via the Respond to this article links above and below this article. To view the complete detailed list of our latest Top 100 Golf Courses of Australia click the link. Jim McCann Editor Top 100 Golf Courses

Australia has earned its reputation as one of the world's great golf destinations, with courses that rival anything found in Scotland, Ireland, or the United States. From the legendary sandbelt layouts of Melbourne to the windswept links of Tasmania, the country offers an extraordinary diversity of world-class golf experiences. The latest Top 100 rankings showcase not just the elite courses that golfers travel halfway around the globe to play, but the remarkable depth of quality that extends well beyond the marquee names. This year's rankings reflect a comprehensive reassessment by a new panel featuring significantly expanded global voices with deep play experience across Australia's finest layouts. With 41 courses climbing and only six maintaining their positions, these rankings capture the dynamic state of Australian golf as it continues to evolve. Six Australian courses now occupy positions in the World Top 100, cementing the nation's status alongside the game's most celebrated golfing regions. 2025/26 Rankings: Consistency Meets Change 🏆 The top of Australian golf tells a story of enduring excellence. Royal Melbourne (West), Kingston Heath, Barnbougle (Dunes), and Cape Wickham have occupied the first four positions since 2012—a remarkable 13-year run that speaks to their timeless quality. These aren't courses that rely on gimmicks or resort amenities; they're pure golf experiences that have stood the test of time and the scrutiny of thousands of discerning players. ⭐ The biggest news arrives at number 10, where Seven Mile Beach makes an immediate impact as the highest new entry. The Clayton DeVries & Pont design, which opened at the end of 2025 near Hobart, joins three Barnbougle layouts in Tasmania's Top 10. This marks the first time since 2017 that a new course has broken into the Top 10, underlining the significance of this links masterpiece. 🌏 Beyond the Top 100 featured here, Australia boasts nearly 200 additional courses ranked across state and territory listings, demonstrating a depth of quality that few nations can match. 2025/26 Top 100 At A Glance The Unchanged Elite (All World-Ranked) 🌍 The top six positions remain exactly as they were in 2024, with all six courses also holding positions in the World Top 100: Royal Melbourne (West) - Victoria (World #6) Kingston Heath - Victoria (World #17) Barnbougle (Dunes) - Tasmania (World #25) Cape Wickham - Tasmania (World #47) New South Wales GC - New South Wales (World #68) St. Andrews Beach - Victoria (World #89) The Game-Changer 🎯 #10 Seven Mile Beach - Tasmania (NEW ENTRY) The Rising Stars ⬆️ Exceptional Climbers (15+ places): 🥇 RACV Healesville #43 (▲32 from #75) - Victoria 🥈 Narooma #70 (▲24 from #94) - New South Wales 🥉 Rosebud (North) #75 (▲22 from #97) - Victoria Royal Sydney #28 (▲18 from #46) - New South Wales Tasmania #68 (▲16 from #84) - Tasmania Major Climbers (10-14 places): Cypress Lakes #74 (▲12) - New South Wales Federal #87 (▲11) - Australian Capital Territory Curlewis #60 (▲10) - Victoria Amstel (Ranfurlie) #77 (▲10) - Victoria Strong Climbers (6-9 places): Commonwealth #19 (▲9) - Victoria Port Fairy #35 (▲8) - Victoria Portsea #36 (▲8) - Victoria Elanora #47 (▲8) - New South Wales St. Michael's #69 (▲8) - New South Wales 13th Beach (Beach) #23 (▲6) - Victoria New Entries 🆕 Murray Downs #84 - New South Wales The Heritage (St. John) #89 - Victoria Yarrawonga (Murray) #90 - New South Wales Noosa Springs #97 - Queensland View Complete Rankings 🔗 For the full Top 100 Australian golf courses with detailed information, visit the Australian rankings page. State and Territory Rankings: 🏛️ Australian Capital Territory 🌊 New South Wales 🌏 Northern Territory ☀️ Queensland 🍷 South Australia 🌲 Tasmania 🏙️ Victoria 🦘 Western Australia Best Golf Courses by State and Territory 🏙️ Victoria Dominates (40 courses, 40%) Victoria claims 40 of the 100 ranked courses, with the Melbourne sandbelt accounting for much of this concentration. The world's densest collection of championship courses sits within a 20-kilometre radius of central Melbourne. Five of Australia's top ten courses call Victoria home, including Royal Melbourne's twin masterpieces, Kingston Heath, Victoria, and St. Andrews Beach. 🌊 New South Wales (22 courses, 22%) Led by New South Wales Golf Club at Botany Bay at number five, the state's strength extends from Sydney's premium courses through exceptional coastal layouts along the south coast. Royal Sydney's remarkable 18-place climb to #28 demonstrates renewed appreciation for Gil Hanse’ new design. 🌲 Tasmania (7 courses, 7%) Tasmania punches well above its weight with seven courses, including four in the Top 10. This island state has evolved from regional player to world-class destination, with Barnbougle Resort's three layouts and Seven Mile Beach leading the charge. ☀️ Queensland (12 courses, 12%) Royal Queensland leads at #33, with the state offering strong resort golf experiences across tropical locations from the Gold Coast to the Whitsundays. 🦘 Western Australia (10 courses, 10%) Lake Karrinyup leads at #26, with Perth's courses offering quality golf in a region that sees fewer international visitors but rewards those who make the journey. 🍷 South Australia (7 courses, 7%) Royal Adelaide at #12 anchors the state's golf scene, with strong depth across Adelaide's parkland courses and coastal layouts on the Fleurieu Peninsula. 🏛️ Australian Capital Territory (2 courses, 2%) Royal Canberra at #27 and Federal at #87 (up 11 places) represent the nation's capital with distinction. What the Rankings Tell Us 🏆 Consistency at the Summit: Thirteen Years of Excellence The top four positions have remained unchanged: Royal Melbourne (West), Kingston Heath, Barnbougle (Dunes), and Cape Wickham. Royal Melbourne has held the number one position since the first Australian rankings were compiled in 2007, an 18-year reign that reflects its status as one of the world's truly great courses. 🌟 Melbourne Sandbelt: The World's Premier Golfing Precinct Five of the top 12 Australian courses reside in Melbourne's sandbelt, and 12 of the top 20 call Victoria home. This concentration of excellence within such a compact geographic area remains unique in world golf. Royal Melbourne's twin courses occupy positions one and nine, while Kingston Heath, Victoria, Peninsula Kingswood (x2), Metropolitan and Woodlands all rank in the top 20. Commonwealth's nine-place jump to #19 following the Doak /Slawnik renovation adds another strong voice to this remarkable chorus. 🌲 Tasmania's Emergence as World-Class Destination Tasmania now hosts four courses in the Top 10—a remarkable achievement for an island state with a population of just over 500,000. Barnbougle Resort's three layouts (Dunes #3, Lost Farm #7, Bougle Run #61) created the initial momentum. Seven Mile Beach's arrival at #10 confirms this isn't a one-off phenomenon but a sustained elevation to world-class status. The Clayton DeVries & Pont design at Seven Mile Beach fulfils the promise made in the 2021 rankings article, which predicted a major impact upon opening. Set among coastal dunes near Hobart, the course offers genuine links golf with views across Storm Bay. The routing makes brilliant use of dramatic duneland, with fairways that tumble through valleys and greens perched on plateaus. King Island, situated in Bass Strait between Tasmania and Victoria, hosts both Cape Wickham at #4 and Ocean Dunes at #32. Both courses remain firmly in the Top 50, confirming the island's status as a must-visit destination for serious golfers. Ocean Dunes fell steeply due to conditioning issues that detrimentally affected play. A Journey Through Australian Golf: 2012-2024 📅 2012: The First Top 100 Expansion The 2012 rankings marked the expansion from a Top 50 to Top 100, with Barnbougle Lost Farm hurtling in at an astonishing #5. This 20-hole links on Tasmania's northeast coast signalled the beginning of Tasmania's transformation. Twelve new courses entered, including Healesville at #35 and Hamilton Island at #41. St Andrews Beach climbed 13 places to #13. 📅 2014: Consolidation and Refinement Just six new entries made 2014 the most selective update. Stonecutters Ridge debuted at #64 as Sydney's first Greg Norman course, while Kalgoorlie Golf Course entered at #73. Bonnie Doon returned at #80 during its Clayton/Ogilvy redesign. 📅 2017: The King Island Revolution Cape Wickham's debut at #8 represented the second course to break into the Top 10 since rankings began. The Mike DeVries and Darius Oliver collaboration immediately established itself as one of Australia's premier designs. Ocean Dunes ranked at #35, giving King Island two nationally recognised courses. Royal Canberra rose 21 to #29, and Bonnie Doon climbed 31 to #49 following OCCM renovations. 📅 2019: Tom Doak's Impact Emerges Cape Wickham continued its ascent to #5, while Royal Adelaide returned to the Top 10 at #9 following Tom Doak's restoration. Cathedral Lodge debuted at #14, Peninsula Kingswood (South) entered at #36, and Ocean Dunes surged 13 spots to #22. The top three positions remained unchanged, establishing what would become a 13-year pattern of consistency. 📅 2021: Peninsula Kingswood's Breakthrough Peninsula Kingswood's North course soared 14 places to #10, and South climbed 12 to #24. The National's Gunnamatta course made the biggest jump, up 29 positions to #12 following Tom Doak's overhaul. Pipeline projects at Seven Mile Beach and Arm End in Tasmania were announced, with predictions that both would "have a big impact on future rankings." 📅 2024: Fresh Panel Assessment The top three maintained their familiar order. Barnbougle Lost Farm rose two to #5, Peninsula Kingswood (North) climbed two to #8, and Lonsdale Links debuted at #34. Yarra Yarra rose five to #26 as Doak's restoration gained recognition. The 2024 article noted Seven Mile Beach was "due to open at the end of this year"—a prediction now confirmed with the course arriving at #10. Looking Ahead 🔮 Seven Mile Beach's immediate Top 10 arrival demonstrates that Australian golf continues to produce courses capable of competing at the highest level. The Clayton DeVries & Pont design sets a new benchmark for modern Australian course development. As the course matures and more panellists experience it, further upward movement seems likely. The long-awaited Arm End project in Tasmania remains in development, with OCM promising to add another distinctive layout to Tasmania's growing reputation. The project's multi-use public recreation reserve concept offers a potentially new model for sustainable course development. Darius Oliver's clifftop project on Kangaroo Island in South Australia continues to progress. Oliver's track record with Cape Wickham and Ocean Dunes suggests this project could eventually rival those courses. The target completion date of late 2025 or early 2026 means the next ranking revision could see Kangaroo Island join King Island as a remote island hosting world-class golf. Beyond new construction, ongoing restoration and renovation work at established courses will continue to influence rankings. Tom Doak's multi-phase restoration at Yarra Yarra shows positive momentum, while numerous sandbelt courses pursue sympathetic enhancement projects. The collective impact of these efforts should elevate the overall standard of Australian golf. For the complete Top 100 Australian golf courses rankings with detailed course information and world rankings, visit the Australian rankings page.

This is the last of three articles related to the re-ranking of our regional listings for Australia. We’ve already published updates for Australian Capital Territory and New South Wales in edition 1, followed by South Australia, Tasmania and Western Australia in edition 2 so this last one deals with the states of Queensland and Victoria. We feature a QLD Top 40 and a VIC Top 100 so we now rank more than 300 courses in seven regions across the country. The only geographical area that we’ve not updated is Northern Territory because we only promote one course (Alice Springs) from the eleven that are located within that vast Outback desert landscape. Queensland Leapfrogging one place above Brookwater, the Royal Queensland Golf Club course at Eagle Farm (pictured above) is once again top of the Queensland chart (even though it slipped two places in the recent national chart update to #36). Originally set out by Carnegie Clark in the early 1920s, the layout was significantly remodelled by Mike Clayton early in the new millennium due to work being carried out on the construction of a new bridge across the Brisbane River. Capricorn The 18-hole layout at Capricorn Resort Golf in Yeppoon advances an impressive ten places to #9 in the state listings, a move that is also good enough to see it enter the national chart at #76. After quite a few years in the doldrums, the Karl Little-designed Championship course at this former 36-hole venue is obviously now benefitting from an increased level of investment by its new Chinese owners. Kooralbyn Valley Another big leap up the QLD chart (from #24 to #11) by the Kooralbyn Valley Golf Course sees this 18-layout also debut in the Australian Top 100 at #90. Like Capricorn, the golf facility has had severe financial difficulties to overcome in recent years but this Desmond Muirhead-designed track is now flourishing following substantial renovation work. Mirage Also climbing thirteen places in the regional chart [to #27], the course at Mirage Country Club in Port Douglas is a late 1980s Peter Thomson and Mike Wolveridge production that has been upgraded in recent years by Wolveridge, who retired to the area. It’s a game of two halves at Mirage, with the front nine set on the beach side of the main highway and the back nine on the clubhouse side of the road routed around the mangroves. Virginia The highest of three new entries arrives at #28 and it’s the Championship course at Virginia Golf Club in Banyo Brisbane which was founded in 1928 with a 9-hole course before another nine holes were added five years later. Another nine has since been added so the modern day set up at the club comprises the 18-hole Championship course and the 9-hole Heritage course. The other two new entries in the Queensland table are Coral Cove [at #29] and Hervey Bay [at #30] whilst the three courses that drop out and revert to GEM status are Arundel Hills (now closed) which was #14, Noosa [formerly #32] and Redcliffe [previously #36]. Victoria The West course at Royal Melbourne Golf Club (pictured above) holds off a strong challenge by Kingston Heath to retain its #1 status in the Victoria listings. The eighteen holes in play nowadays originate from a 27-hole design produced by Alister MacKenzie in 1926 which eventually became the 18-hole West and East layouts after subsequent work from both Mick Morcom and Alex Russell. St Andrews Beach The course at St Andrews Beach rises two places to #9 in the Victoria chart and this modest upward movement is reflected in the national listings, where it progresses four places to #16. This Tom Doak design has been as high as #12 in a previous edition of the Australian chart so it’s heading back in the right direction. A reviewer wrote about it a couple of months ago: “great fun holiday golf… it is also great value as well and well worth the drive down… it makes a great alternative to the Melbourne sandbelt courses… a new clubhouse is in the process of being built so the facilities are a bit rustic… if in the area I would highly recommend making the journey down to play here.” Lonsdale Links Further down the chart, Lonsdale Links at Point Lonsdale soars eighteen places up to #18, having also made a big impact in the recent Australian Top 100 when it was the highest new entry at #34. The club has had an 18-hole layout in play since 1954 but it’s the extensive re-design by OCM in 2020 that’s really put the course on the golfing map, with the design company introducing a host of classic template holes such as Redan, Biarritz and Double Plateau. Sandy Golf Links Another course rocketing up the Victoria chart is Sandy Golf Links in Cheltenham, up thirty-four to #30 – and new in the national chart at #74. It’s another recent OCM project that has seen the total revamp of the old Vern Morcom-designed Sandringham Golf Course, as it was originally called. The new facility also includes the Australian Golf Centre which is home to Golf Australia and the PGA of Australia. RACV Cape Schanck Another big mover is the course at RACV Cape Schanck on the southernmost tip of the Mornington Peninsula, rising fourteen rungs on the Victoria ladder to #34 (and new at #83 in the national chart). Designed by Robert Trent Jones Jnr. and opened for play almost forty years ago, this tree-lined track is characterised by huge putting surfaces and enormous, open bunker complexes on holes which are routed around discreet residential clusters. Rosebud Another big move in the upper half on the Victoria table comes from the North course at the 36-hole Rosebud Country Club (up seventeen to #39 and new at #97 nationally). The North was the first 18-hole layout to appear at the club in 1965, with the South unveiled a decade later. The Australian PGA Championship was staged here in 1976, when Bill Dunk won his fifth and final PGA title in a playoff. Box Hill In the bottom half of the Victoria Top 100, the mightiest move of all is made by the course at Box Hill Golf Club, located half an hour’s drive east of Melbourne city centre, hurtling an astonishing forty places up to #54. The club dates back to 1913 but the course is of more recent vintage, with the land for the layout first leased from the Melbourne Metropolitan Board of Works in 1967. Four more courses make significant gains in their position by either 17 or 18 places. Anglesea The original 9-hole course at Anglesea Golf Club (up eighteen to #61) was laid out by Vern Morcom in 1951 then extended to eighteen holes a decade later. Gus Jackson and Jock Whilland then redesigned the layout when more land became available in 1968. Unusually, the club organizes “Kangaroo Tours” during peak season for people who would rather watch mobs of Eastern Grey marsupials in their natural habitat than play golf! Mildura The origins of the course at the Mildura Golf Resort (up seventeen to #70) can be traced as far back as 1912, when the Midura Golf Club moved from its former location. Vern Morcom made recommendations in the 1950s, Sloan Morpeth was involved in the 1960s and Kevin Hartley carried out some work in the 1970s. The David Shearer Design Group then carried out a major redesign which involved a residential element in 2011. Lang Lang Also improving its position by seventeen places to #81, the course at Lang Lang Golf Club has been in operation since the club relocated to its current position in 1960, though the club is thirty-five years older. Apparently, professionals George Naismith and Bill Walker designed the layout, charging the club nothing for their efforts! Mount Derrimut One place below Lang Lang at #82, Mount Derrimut Golf & Community Club (formerly known as the Sunshine Golf Club) climbs eighteen places from its previous position at #100. The club relocated to its current site in 2007, bringing in Craig Parry and Pacific Coast Design to set out the new course, and they retained many historic old walls and buildings on the property during construction. Centenary Park There’s only one new entry to the Victoria Top 100 and it’s the 18-hole layout at Centenary Park Golf Course at #86. Situated outside Frankton, the municipal golf facility was once positioned within this Melbourne suburb but the local authority decided to relocate it 1975, renaming it to its current appellation eleven years later. The course that drops out from the rankings (to become a GEM) is Kyneton [which was at #96]. View the Queensland ranking here View the Victoria ranking here If you have any comment to make on the above article then please use the “WRITE A RESPONSE” link at the bottom of this page. Jim McCann Editor Top 100 Golf Courses