It fell not due to declining quality , but instead through the increasingly competitive nature of the Top 100 ranking. A links-style design in a thoroughly non-British locale or climate, the resort course endures because it offers a point of difference and because it is neither a brutal beast nor a puny pushover. This 4-night special offer includes rounds at 5 of these renowned Sandbelt Courses, as well as 4 nights accommodation at the brand new PARKROYAL Monash Melbourne hotel, centrally located to all your golf. The 2020 Australian Golf Course Rankings have recently been released by Australian Golf Digest, which I was lucky enough to be on the judging panel. There hasn’t been a great deal of movement within the top 20, the most notable additions to the rankings being both of the Peninsula Kingswood courses, North landing at 6th, and South coming in at 20th. Both rankings are not surprising given the recent renovations conducted by Ogilvy Clayton Cocking Mead .
The gradual greens renovations undertaken by Neil Crafter and Paul Mogford have the Bellarine Peninsula favourite within sight of its highest ranking ever. Since returning to the 30s three rankings ago, ever-popular Bonville hasn’t left as it makes it 14 rankings in a row in the second quarter of the list. Like in 2018, Bonville’s grades public golf courses for Conditioning are higher than in the past but steadily good scores in all categories also augment its overall score. The strategic layout north of Perth is still only partially redesigned by the OCCM/OCM firm, but the already-completed work once again earns it an elevated place on the strength of its coupling with the untouched holes.

Five front nine holes have been redesigned as part of a plan mapped out by Graham Marsh, while a multi-million dollar irrigation project is due for completion. One can only imagine a higher ranking is just around the corner.” – Lachlan Farmer. “Under new owners, and since becoming home to the NSW Open, Twin Creeks has recaptured the polish it had when it first opened for play in the mid-2000s. Graham Marsh’s design extracts the best from a predominantly plain landscape.” – Lachlan Farmer.
The course traverses the Outback’s desert flats, boasting an otherworldly palette; golf greens are black and the fairways are white with red sun-baked earth in between. Afterwards, explore this quirky outback town with our guide to the best things to do in Coober Pedy. The Barossa wine region’s Tanunda Pines is a beautiful golf club set among 100-year-old gums and rows of leafy grape vines. Combining three of life’s great pleasures – golf, wildlife and wine – it was judged as one of the world's top courses by US Golf Magazine and is adjacent to the award-winning Novotel Barossa Valley Resort. Tanunda Pines offers a package called Down the Fairway and into the Cellar in conjunction with Novotel Barossa.
A similar explanation may account for The Guide ranking JOONDALUP - QUARRY/DUNES more favourably. ROYAL MELBOURNE - WEST remains at the top of Golf Australia’s latest list, followed by CAPE WICKHAM and BARNBOUGLE DUNES as in 2018, whilst KINGSTON HEATH has fallen two spots to #6. Many consider KH either Australia’s best or second best course, including the authoritative Ran Morrissett, Architecture Editor of golf.com. Perth offers a host of shopping options to choose from - stock up on the latest fashions, buy unique art or head to a local market. You'll find a diverse range of accommodation to suit all budgets and styles all across Perth from five-star resorts to caravan parks.

It’s a double-digit ranking for the first time for the exclusive domain of the Packer family in the remote reaches of the Upper Hunter Valley. Once again Ellerston’s standing suffered slightly due to a shortage of judges visiting the course during this two-year ranking window, but those who did tour it continued to rave about the design. A three-place rise that is fitting reward for an established club taking steps to improve its layout. Addressing vegetation and a recently upgraded green complex at the picturesque 17th hole are the latest touches. Ten years ago, a place in the second 10 looked out of reach for Kooyonga, but now it is back in touch. A drop for a perennial favourite but a fall softened by the returning courses above it.
Now there are two courses, The Dunes and Lost Farm, on the site and both rate in the world’s top 50. When the wind blows hard off Bass Strait consider using your putter off the tee. But you’ll be in heaven; the links-style courses play out beside the water amongst sand dunes in a setting you won’t beat in Scotland. This winter, embrace the Scottish heritage of links golf and escape to Barnbougle for a true links golf experience. Our winter package includes 2 nights' accommodation, three rounds of golf and breakfast daily.

Another course with no obvious shortcomings when viewed through the prism of our ranking criteria. The Pines course as Sanctuary Cove has now registered three consecutive rankings in the 40s after three straight in the 50s and three more in a row in the 30s before that. It’s another course our panel calls ‘tough but fair’ but the lift on this occasion can be traced to higher scores for Conditioning than last time.
Sun City’s robust Shot Values scores indicate the course’s enormous rankings potential if ever completed. A debut for the Greg Norman design in Victoria’s Yarra Valley after sitting on the ‘ones to watch’ list in 2018. The South course, which takes in holes 1-18 of the club’s 27 full-length holes, features mild undulations in places, challenging green complexes and familiar and striking Norman bunkering. Not since 2002 and 2004 has the Sunshine Coast layout held a position in the Top 100 for back-to-back rankings.
Two 18-hole layouts as well as a nine-hole course ensure there’s plenty of opportunity to indulge. It’s not just quantity; these quality courses offer great views of Lake Mulwala. It’s well worth a stop when travelling along the Follow the Murray touring route.