Terrey Hills

To the north of Sydney, Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park is where the Hawkesbury River reaches the sea and it’s a mix of winding creeks, sheltered coves, dense woodland and mangroves.

Terrey Hills Golf & Country Club lies on the southern fringes of this fascinating landscape and in 1994, Graham Marsh designed a challenging championship golf course – the first to be constructed in the Sydney area for over twenty years – when he fashioned 18 holes from the bush.

Natural forests frame the contoured fairways and the greens feature broadbent grass to guarantee smooth putting surfaces. Greens are large with an average area of 650 square yards, allowing a multitude of hole positions.

The 7,070 yards of the course are laid out in two loops of nine, with each starting and closing close by the clubhouse. The front nine begins and ends with two long par fives – beware the creek in front of the green at the 1st hole and the deep bunkers that protect the putting surface on the 9th hole.

Many think the 193-yard, par three, 15th hole to be the best on the back nine. It has a man-made pond on the right with an enormous, 100-yard-long bunker running between the water and the green to further threaten the tee shot. Three on the card here is an excellent score.