Sanctuary Cove Golf & Country Club (Pines)

Arnold Palmer has designed more than 300 courses around the world but so far he has only one Australian signature course to his name and it happens to be the Pines course here at Sanctuary Cove Golf and Country Club, debuting in 1989.

There are two 18-hole tracks at Sanctuary Cove – the public Palms and the private Pines – and for those who like their golf challenging then the Pines is the course of choice as it offers much more than a normal, run-of-the-mill resort layout.

With fairways hewn through a pine forest and fourteen of the holes routed around six lakes, there are plenty of trees and water hazards to contend with on the Pines course so concentration will be required all the way round.

The 386-yard 2nd is a tough par four that doglegs sharply left to a two-tiered putting surface therefore conservative play from the tee is recommended so early in a round. On the inward half, the 203-yard 13th plays across a lake to a green that sits above a walled bank – anything short is bound to end up wet.

Final word to Arnie, who spoke fondly of the place: “The Pines at Sanctuary Cove is very special to me because it is my first course design in Australia. The pine forest setting combined with elements of water and abundant natural wildlife, provided a wonderful canvas for us to create a very special golfing environment.”