With Australia's sheer abundance of rugged land, it stands to reason that there'd be great potential for designing some pretty unique golf courses. Add the tropical to temperate climate and verdant greenery of the country's eastern coastline, and a luxury golf getaway Down Under starts to make a lot of sense.
The only issue is figuring out exactly where to go. Do you head straight for the tropics of Queensland or do you go to Melbourne for inner city courses that neighbour some upscale urban stays?
To streamline your luxury golf getaway planning, we've collated some of the best luxury golf destinations across the island continent, spotlighting some of the most unique and challenging links all over Australia, including some that come highly approved by PGA pros.
Just a stone’s throw from Melbourne, the Mornington Peninsula is a popular wellness weekend destination for hard-working citysiders looking to recuperate with a sea breeze and some walks among the trees. Alongside wellness attractions like the local day spas and hot springs, there are also a handful of Mornington Peninsula golf courses that are well worth your time, promising a day of great swings followed by a recovery soak and sauna in the evening.
Some must-plays in the area include:
A 5-star luxury resort with an award-winning golf course on-site – what could be a better fit for today’s list? Designed by American golf course architect Robert Trent Jones Junior, this par-70 championship course boasts striking tree-lined fairways with challenging bunkering and an ocean backdrop, thanks to the course’s impressive elevated tee positions.
Well-presented and offering great year-round conditions, the Cape Schanck Resort golf course was also listed at #38 on ausgolf’s list of Australia’s top golf courses, making this course an absolute must for all luxury travellers looking for a great game.
Located in Rye across 300 acres of rolling sand dunes, the Dunes Golf Links is a stunning par-72 course which they say ‘captures the essence of true links golf’. Designed by seasoned Australian golf architect Tony Cashmore, the Dunes has consistently ranked among the Top 25 courses in Australia for over a decade now. The Dunes is also widely recognised as Victoria’s #1 public access course, alongside being consistently named as one of Australia’s top five public access courses.
A quick drive from the coastal suburb of Rye and in close proximity to the local hot springs, the Dunes is easily accessible even from central accommodation, giving travelling golfers a wealth of options on where to stay.
Home to eight of the best golf courses in Australia, the Melbourne Sandbelt region delivers world class golf across the sandy loam subsoil of the city’s southeast region. The courses in question are:
The Royal Melbourne Golf Club is actually Australia’s oldest club, having been formed in 1891. The West course at the Royal Melbourne (designed by Dr. Alister MacKenzie in 1926, open for play from 1931) is also consistently among the top 10 best golf courses in the world, as well as being #1 in Australia.
Alongside the West course at the Royal Melbourne, Kingston Health also offers one of the top-rated golf courses, often ranking within the top 20, thanks in part to the fact that this course also utilises Dr. Alister MacKenzie’s bunkering design that takes full advantage of the natural sandy loam soil and almost acts as a micro-topography of the full Sandbelt region. In all cases, the Sandbelt region offers plays that really put your game into a mesmerising perspective.
Moving further north now to the tropical Gold Coast, travelling golfers looking for warmer weather definitely won’t be disappointed. The Gold Coast is actually home to many golf tournaments annually, including Australia’s own SGA (Social Golf Australia) Championships Tour. The Tour itself is actually a great opportunity for golf enthusiasts to sample some of the region’s best courses, with a wide variety of local clubs playing host and participating in tournament days.
Some of the best golf courses across the Gold Coast include:
There are some seriously unique parklands and links courses in close proximity to the Gold Coast and Broadbeach, including The Glades which has consistently been named the best golf course on the Gold Coast. However, this region does offer dazzling variety, so you can definitely find a course that aligns best with your preferences or training requirements.
Imagine being able to play some golf with stunning backdrops of the Coral Sea. While there's no shortage of greens along the Gold Coast that deliver on waterfront views, you need to travel further up the coast to Airlie Beach and the Whitsundays to really get to the heart of the Great Barrier Reef. And let us tell you – it’s worth it!
The Hamilton Island Golf Club alone is one of the most iconic holiday golfing destinations, attracting hundreds of PGA pros over the summer months. And even if you visit during the off season (i.e. from June to August), there's still a chance you could spot a humpback or two during their annual migration along the eastern humpback highway!
The course isn't just beautiful, however, it's also decently challenging, offering a par-71 course with plenty of hills and bunker and obstacle placements that demand strategic play. The course itself was also ranked Australia's 30th best golf course in Golf Digest Australia’s 2024/25 rankings.
In terms of accommodation, you can either stay on Hamilton Island to be close to all the action (and still be fairly close to the mainland as well, to be fair), or you can book a stay at any of the other luxury resorts strewn across the Whitsundays, including the Intercontinental Hayman Island, located in the northernmost region of the Whitsundays, and fairly removed from all other stays in the area.
They call Adelaide the ‘20-minute city’ because you can supposedly get almost anywhere across the city within just a 20 minute drive, tops. This is great news for travelling golfers, of course, because you have an abundance of coastal, suburban, and even up-country golf courses that are just a quick drive from your accommodation when staying within the Adelaide CBD.
Some notable courses here include:
The last two on the above list are located in the Barossa Valley region of South Australia, offering travelling golfers the opportunity to book a country stay within this stunning part of Australia, which also happens to be an iconic wine country, famous worldwide for producing its bold, full-bodied Shiraz.
Home to some iconic Australian attractions like The Big Banana, Coffs Harbour and the wider Coffs Coast has garnered a reputation for being one of the east coast’s most beloved family-friendly travel destinations. But don’t let its brilliant blue waters and sunny skies distract from the region’s hidden golf gems!
In fact, Coffs Coast have been so kind as to provide their own golf holiday itinerary which lets travellers experience the region’s four top-rated golf courses, which are:
Bonville Golf Resort has been a mainstay for hosting golf tours in Australia, having hosted the Australian Women’s Classic from 2018-2024 as well as their own annual Bonville Masters and other interclub events in partnership with local clubs. The 18-hole, par-72 course lined with Blackbutt, Tallowwood, Ironbark, and Flooded Gum trees delivers a transporting playing experience that keeps you present, grounded, and focused with every swing. A relaxing stay at the course’s attached resort and access to their on-site billabong-style pool will naturally also help you recuperate between courses.
Tasmania is a bit of a unique inclusion to this list, as Australia’s only island state is often overlooked as a travel destination by international visitors. But truth be told, Tasmania’s natural verdant countryside reminiscent of English or Scottish country (but with wallabies and pademelons!) provides the perfect landscape for some cool weather golfing. Whilst there are courses strewn all across central Tasmania as well as around Hobart and the Huon Valley in the south, there are some that many locals agree to be most worthy of your time.
On the top of the list is the Barnbougle Dunes Golf Course, which we’ve spotlit before in one of our earlier round-ups of great places to play golf worldwide. Located on the northeast coastline of Tasmania and comprising three different courses (The Dunes, the Lost Farm and Bougle Run), the Barnbougle Dunes have been designed to emulate the true links courses of Scotland and Ireland, providing a uniquely European experience on the other side of the world.
Designed by golf architects Tom Doak and Mike Clayton and opened for play in 2005, Barnbougle Dunes is a relatively young course – but that hasn’t stopped it from accruing accolades, including being recognised as one of Australia’s top-rated public access courses. Its challenging play paired with its stunning views of the Bass Strait makes Barnbougle Dunes a must for any travelling golfer looking to experience one of Australia’s most uniquely compelling courses.
Other honourable mentions for golfing in Tasmania include:
Australia is a land of plenty, and that applies to its greens as well. With so many world-renowned golf courses on offer, it can definitely be daunting figuring out where to set your sights. But we’re hopeful that this little list can at least help point you in the right direction when planning your first golf getaway Down Under.
Check out our full directory of luxury golf resorts and lodges located worldwide for more information on any of the courses and resorts we’ve named in today’s guide.
