Victoria, Australia

Asia & Australasia

12 Mar

Written By Simon Campbell

Experience the culture capital of Australia and then head to the famous Sandbelt to play one of Alister MacKenzie’s greatest at Royal Melbourne Golf Club.

South east of Melbourne, atop a thousand or so hectares of sandy subsoil, lies a rich seam of golf courses that are not only among Australia’s best, but also the very best in the world. Melbourne’s Sandbelt has long been known for its density and quality of courses, none more so than Royal Melbourne Golf Club.

Founded in 1891, the finest 18 is a composite of both the East and West courses, the work of legendary golf architect Alister MacKenzie, and it’s comparable to the very best of his work. “To win an Australian Open at Royal Melbourne, would be the same as winning a British Open at St Andrews,” Tom Watson once said of the Victoria course, he also said that he rated ‘Royal Melbourne ahead of Augusta for being able to combine challenging and fun golf...’.

Its sand traps and billiard-table-quick greens, links and its much-vaunted ‘Augusta style beauty’, make it one of the ultimate beauty and the beast courses. Phil Mickelson, a President’s Cup winner here, described it as ‘a special place’.

It’s also just an hour from Melbourne city centre, Australia’s sports-mad, gastronomic hub, where the European heritage lives on not only in the architecture but also the food and even the coffee culture. Spend time exploring Melbourne – time it right to capture one of the many great sporting events, its hosted everything from F1 and the British & Irish Lions to cricket World Cups and the Australian Open in tennis – and then head further south, beyond Royal Melbourne and along the Sandbelt to the Mornington Peninsula. A curl of land that’s home to golden beaches, vineyards, abundant wildlife (on land and sea), it’s also home to even more world-class golf, including Rob Trent Jones Jr’s Old course at The National. Spoilt for choice, this is where quality is matched with quantity.