Ultimate Sandbelt Travel Guide

Melbourne is located in the southeast corner of Australia. A major urban hub, it is the golf capital of Australia. Sydney has New South Wales, Brisbane has Royal Queensland, and Adelaide has Royal Adelaide but Melbourne is replete with world-class golf in abundance. It also has a depth that other Australian cities cannot match.

Melbourne, The Sandbelt, and The Mornington Peninsula

The term Sandbelt has become synonymous with Melbourne as a whole but it is a little more nuanced than that. Melbourne sits on the north side of Port Philip - a large bay that has the Mornington Peninsula on the east and Gellong on the west. The Sandbelt is found south and east of the Central Business District of the city. Strictly speaking, the famous 'Sandbelt Courses' are Commonwealth, Kingston Heath, Metropolitan, Peninsula-Kingswood, Royal Melbourne, Victoria and Yarra Yarra.

In this synopsis, we will be looking at golf in the Sandbelt but also on the Mornington Peninsula as you would normally take in golf here in this area as a whole.

World Top 100 Tier

In the space of a few miles, Melbourne is host to perhaps the best collection of golf courses in a single neighbourhood. Royal Melbourne West leads the way. The Alister MacKenzie design is one of the all-time greats and would probably be even higher than 6th in the world if it wasn't located almost at the end of it...

Photo Courtesy Gary Lisbon - Royal Melbourne

Kingston Heath is up next. Kingston Heath is a proper heathland with a rare species of heather found only here. It is 1 of 1 and outshines the big London-based heathlands of Sunningdale Old, Sunningdale New, Swinley Forest and St George's Hill. It is the best heathland in the world despite not being in the home of heathland golf - it is that good. If you got an invite, you could play one or the other and no more and the trip down under would be worth it.

Photo Courtesy Gary Lisbon Kingston Heath

In Melbourne, the next two golf courses near the World Top 100 are Victoria and Royal Melbourne East. Victoria is an intricate routing and has recently completed fine work. Royal Melbourne East is sneaky good and adds six holes to the composite course, which may just be the best golf course in the world. Tom Doak is responsible for the East's current iteration based on Alex Russel's framework.

The Newcomers

The new kids on the block are Peninsula Kingswood North and South. After joining forces, two clubs became one, sold off some land and heavily invested in their two courses and clubhouse. The result is nothing less than spectacular. The North is making waves and some have it earmarked for World Top 100 consideration. The South is strategically sound but not as visually stunning. Every hole is good, but the North is more memorable with some cracking holes in incredible settings.

Photo Courtesy Gary Lisbon - Peninsula Kingswood

Old School Charm

The old-world classics offer charm and class the flashiest new builds seem to lack. The three big names in the immediate area of note are Commonwealth, Yarra Yarra, and Metropolitan. Here, Tom Doak and Renaissance Golf Design have made their impact felt with Yarra Yarra and Commonwealth recently upgraded and refined. Metropolitan has also seen local firm Crafter & Mogford refine the more recent additions to make a cohesive whole.

Photo Courtesy Gary Lisbon - Yarra Yarra

Sample Itinerary

Royal Melbourne West has to be on the top of anyone's wish list. Visitors are welcome on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Fridays. Kingston Heath allows visitors on those days and additionally on Thursday afternoons.

Victoria is happy to hear from visitors but you can play any day if you stay on-site in their Dormie accommodation. Peninsula Kingswood operates on a similar system with visitors requiring prior application and approval before arriving on site.

Metropolitan allows visitors most weekdays. Yarra Yarra and Commonwealth allow play seven days a week, especially if booked well in advance.

Hence, in a single week, it would be possible to play the lot. With some careful planning. If you can get the anchors booked in, the rest should fall into place given enough time and notice.

Be advised, that in Australia, you often need a letter of introduction and a handicap certificate for access at most clubs. As well, unaccompanied play as a visitor is not inexpensive. You can expect to play anywhere from $500 to north of $1000 AUD to play some of the courses listed above...

Test Melbourne's Depth

Within an hour or so, you have a plethora of great golf. The National Golf Club has three golf courses that anyone would enjoy. The Gunnamatta is Tom Doak's contribution, with Greg Norman's Moonah and Robert Trent Jones Jr's Old Course providing appealing additions or alternatives.

Perhaps the best value of all, is St Andrews Beach. A collaboration between Tom Doak and Mike Clayton is superbly routed and one of the most pure golf experiences I've ever enjoyed. At $115 AUD or about £60, I'd happily play 36 here in a day. As it is a public pay-and-play, rounds can be lengthy as many aren't private golf club regulars who play ready golf, quickly - get out early.

Photo Courtesy Gary Lisbon - St Andrews Beach

Other options nearby like Cathedral Lodge, The Dunes Golf Links, Moonah Links, and Portsea are worth seeing if the others have been filled or the diaries don't sync.

Getting to Melbourne

The West Coast of North America is well serviced with direct flights to Melbourne from Vancouver, LA, and San Francisco. From the UK, there are no direct flights with most layovers at hubs in the Middle East and Asia.

Getting Around

You drive on the left side of the road or drive right-hand drive vehicles. Put another way, you drive on the opposite side down under than you do in America or the same as the UK. Car hire is easy and all the usual suspects are here. The airport is undergoing major renovations as of 2025, but it works well.

Spend Time in Melbourne

On golf destination holidays, its easy to cram in the golf and forget about the experience. However, few cities hit like Melbourne - food, drink and vibe are all worth soaking up. If you visit in January, the Australian Open (tennis) runs just about all month. It is an international city that is worth a day or two to see.

Remember the Sunscreen

I've not been caught out in four trips to Australia but the sun here and in New Zealand is next level. Wear UV 50+ sunscreen and a hat. Even the locals wear broad-rimmed or bucket hats instead of ball caps. In fact, it was observed many were now wearing protective arm sleeves as well. If the locals take it seriously, you should too!