The Australian Sandbelt features some of the very best golf on earth.
GOLF
It is roughly the third question asked of any self-respecting golf writer, right after “Which pros do you love?” (I have my favorites!) and the always-popular follow-up, “Which pros do you hate?” (I have my favorites!)
The question in question? What’s the coolest place you’ve ever been for work?
I dislike this ask partially because it makes me feel like a blowhard, and partially because it forces me to face head-on the stupid good fortune of my work life. The truth is that I’ve been really lucky. I’ve seen an inordinate amount of “cool” places in the golf world, from the ancestral homelands of Scotland to the Irish countryside, and about a half-dozen other golf-loving countries in between. Still, there is leader in the clubhouse for “cool-est place” I’ve ever been — a place that might never be topped, no matter how long I write about golf. This place changed my view of the golf world … and also the world world — a location so remarkable and far-out, the first thing I did after leaving was vow to myself that I would return again before I perished.
The place was Oz. Australia. Specifically the state of Victoria, where I sampled the finest espresso, met the most sports-obsessed locals, and saw my life’s greatest and friendliest golf.
If you’ve been paying close attention to the golf world, you know that Australia is in the precipice of a moment many decades in the making. In December, Rory McIlroy will make a long-awaited visit to Australia for the latest playing of the Australian Open. The timing of McIlroy’s visit is no accident. It overlaps with the Aussie Open’s return to Royal Melbourne — which might be the finest course on the continent, if not the world — and with pro golf’s renewed emphasis in Australia, which LIV exposed as being astonishingly underexposed for pro golf.
McIlroy’s visit sets off what will be three years of golfing goodness in Oz, beginning with the Aussie Open in December and ending with the Presidents Cup’s return to Melbourne in 2028 at Kingston Heath. In that time, it is my estimation that American golf fans will witness what I already know to be true about the country: The people are remarkable, the experience is unthinkable, and the golf has no equal.
When American golf fans realize this, I presume they will do what you, dear reader, already are: Researching the best way to make the journey for yourself. And that’s a question (or a series of questions) I can answer without hesitation.
9 questions and answers about planning an Australian Golf Trip
1. How do I get there?
I suppose that question depends upon your location right now, but for the sake of brevity, I’ll assume you’re an American traveler. If that’s the case, the first thing you do is fly west. There are fewer direct flights from the states to Australia than there are to other international destinations, but there are still plenty. Los Angeles is the most popular launching-off point for the journey — it’s where major Australian carriers like Qantas have their U.S. headquarters — though flights can also be found from New York, Dallas, San Francisco, Vancouver and Honolulu.
If you aren’t from one of those locales, then I advise flying through LAX, where the journey from the States to Oz is shortest, and where you can sneak into one of several business class lounges. (I have never experienced such a plethora of all-you-can-eat food and self-service wine — and I have never stolen so many gummy bears — than I did in the Quantas lounge.)
I’ve heard the argument against airport lounge culture on TikTok in recent months (namely, that lounges are not “free” but baked in to the cost of business class tickets and flashy credit cards). Those arguments may have merit in many circumstances — just not this one. Freshening up in comfort before a very long flight is one important weapon in your traveling arsenal.
2. How long will it take me to get there?
The journey from LA to Oz will take you the better part of a day (16 hours, to be exact), which, thanks to the international dateline, will remove the better part of two days from your calendar (don’t worry, you’ll earn that “lost” day back on the way home!). Thankfully, claustrophobes (like yours truly) have less to worry about: Any plane making the journey is enormous and spacious. On Qantas, there was also considerable care for customer wellness on the flight, including regular reminders to stretch and a prolific selection of movies and TV shows (I caught up on some recent Oscar noms). Plus, flight schedules are set such that passengers are encouraged to get a full night’s rest on the flight over, easing the jetlag and also lessening the burden of the flight time.
It is still a long time to be on a plane, but I found my fears about the flight time were far greater than the reality of the experience. In many ways, the crew on my flight was my first exposure to the Aussie experience — which is to say it was filled with people friendly enough to melt even the deepest anxieties of my cold New York heart. I recommend you load up on snacks … and, for weight and balancing, encourage you to limit your book selection to three.
3. Should I splurge on business class?
If you can afford to do it, I say yes. It’s likely the longest flight you’ll take in your life, which is ample reason for added comfort. A lie-flat bed, a handful of five-star, Aussie-sourced meals, and a fresh set of PJs are decent ways to burn away the boredom of 16 hours in the air.
But if you can’t or don’t wish to pay, that’s okay, too. Try to get a row to yourself, book a seat next to a trusted travel partner, experiment with a more affordable “premium economy” class, or drink in that Aussie outlook and enter your flight ready to make friends. In any case, you’ll arrive in a good mood.
4. Where should I play golf?
There’s golf everywhere in Australia — including the furthest reaches of the Outback — but most of the “famous” golf in Australia belongs to the southern states of Victoria and Tasmania.
For tourists, Tasmania will be the most familiar experience, with welcoming resorts and “stay-and-play” packages. Tazzy is one of the most exotic golf destinations in the world, with resort courses like Barnbougle and Cape Wickham set over rolling terrain and stunning cliffs.
Victoria, though, is the location most worthy of golfing envy. It is home to several of GOLF’s Top 100 courses in the World, including an elite handful within a driver of one another in the Melbourne suburbs. These courses, part of the mythical Melbourne “Sandbelt,” are the ones you hear first when you talk about Aussie golf: Royal Melbourne, Kingston Heath, Victoria, Peninsula Kingswood, Metropolitan, Commonwealth, and Yarra Yarra. They are known predominantly for their psychedelic visuals: razor-sharp edges; large, sloping swales; and bouncy sand turf.
Also worthy of a visit in Victoria? The Mornington Peninsula, a Napa-like wine country enclave south of the city that features scenic seaside courses like The National, The Dunes, St. Andrews Beach and Portsea. And also the Great Ocean Road, an aptly named, jaw-dropping one-lane highway attached to funky linksy classics like Port Fairy, Apollo Bay, and Peterborough.
5. How should I go about securing a tee time?
Many of the courses listed above are public access courses with their own tee time portals, but thankfully, even Australia’s most exclusive private clubs have adopted a more egalitarian approach to visitor play. Courses like Royal Melbourne and Kingston Heath set aside a certain number of tee times each month for international visitors, who can apply for a time by submitting a letter from their local club. Be warned — the cost is extreme: Royal and Kingston Heath get away charging around $750 Australian (or around $500 USD) per person per round, but if you’re already halfway across the world on a golf trip, that might be worth the cost — especially with the help of a favorable exchange rate. What’s the price of a lifelong memory, anyway?
I’d say two weeks is a safe amount of time to be sure you can see the country without feeling rushed. Anything less than 10 days is doable, but it’d feel like an awful lot of time in transit for such a short stay.
You could also happily stay a month. Or a few months. Or forever.
7. If I’m playing golf in Melbourne, where should I stay?
If you’re playing the Sandbelt, the South Yarra neighborhood is the perfect locale for journeying between the epic restaurants and cafes of the city and the even more epic golf of the suburbs.
8. What else should I do?
A drive down the Great Ocean Road to the Twelve Apostles (a UNESCO World Heritage site) is a great way to ensure you’ll spend at least a few minutes pondering the cost of real estate in Melbourne. An Aussie Rules Football game is an all-around incredible time. A visit to Sydney can help contextualize the New York-San Francisco comparisons you hear so often between Melbourne and Australia’s breathtaking capital. Oh, and if you set aside some time for surfing, do it at Bells Beach near Torquay, otherwise known as the founding location of Rip Curl, or on the legendary Gold Coast.
Or play more golf!! Check out Royal Sydney in New South Wales, or Brisbane, or, hop on a quick flight to New Zealand, where mythical-looking new courses seem to be opening every few weeks.
The only thing I recommend against is failing to connect with the locals. You will never find a friendlier or more enthusiastic culture for pushing your comfort zones. Lean into it!
9. What should I know about the journey home?
The jetlag will linger for a little while — for me it was the better part of five days until I felt fully myself again — but the real sting will be the return to reality. Even today, 18 months removed from my maiden voyage, I still feel a pang of melancholy as I write about my journey to Oz. It was not long after my return flight that I set email notifications for Qantas, hoping the allure of a great deal might encourage me to make an unreasonable financial decision.
I left a little bit of my soul behind in Australia, but that’s okay. I’ll be back some day soon to collect it.
James Colgan is a news and features editor at GOLF, writing stories for the website and magazine. He manages the Hot Mic, GOLF’s media vertical, and utilizes his on-camera experience across the brand’s platforms. Prior to joining GOLF, James graduated from Syracuse University, during which time he was a caddie scholarship recipient (and astute looper) on Long Island, where he is from. He can be reached at james.colgan@golf.com.
