Celebrations Big and Small Are Getting Longer and More Extravagant for the Rich
4 min
Milestone birthdays and anniversaries, weddings, and graduations are momentous life occasions that some like to mark with large and elaborate celebrations.
And the deep-pocketed set are still in catch-up mode after a party-throwing standstill during the pandemic that went on for many months during the height of the lockdowns and social distancing. Bashes since then have become ever more extravagant and experiential—mere get-togethers, they’re not.
Hosts are also seeking any excuse to throw an event and having parties with the same “wow” factor for far less significant reasons, or for micro-occasions as they’re called, and even “just because,” according to luxury event planners who work with this elite set.
Colin Cowie, a planner based in New York and Miami who regularly orchestrates multimillion-dollar gatherings and was behind Jennifer Lopez’s and Ben Affleck’s wedding, calls it the “event revolution.”
“Large-scale events have become the norm,” Cowie says. “The wealthy, who are used to celebrating their life moments in a big way couldn’t do anything during the pandemic and are now going all out for anything they host.”
His company, Colin Cowie Lifestyle, plans 30% more events today than pre-Covid and has a lineup booked for the next two years. An example includes an upcoming million-dollar dinner party in the Hamptons simply to socialise with friends. It’s an affair with free-flowing Dom Perignon, centre-cut filet mignons, and unlimited caviar.
Calen Rose
Other high-end planners also attribute the rise of over-the-top celebrations to a “live life to the fullest” attitude that’s become prevalent in the last few years. But they say that these parties aren’t necessarily about spending more than before—rather, they’re increasingly creative, thoughtful, and, with respect to weddings, longer.
Lynn Easton, a Charleston-based planner, says that her typical wedding used to span two days and entailed a rehearsal dinner plus the wedding itself. “Now, it’s a five-day bonanza with events like a groomsman lunch,” Easton says.
Easton also plans glitzy milestone birthdays such as one for a 60th where the host flew 60 friends and family to a private island. Dinners were multi-hour affairs in various locations around the isle with the showpiece being a five-course meal where the food was presented on dishes that were hand-carved in ice.
Another planner, Victoria Dubin, based in New York and Miami, says that, in a new precedent, the weddings she’s tapped to design kick off with striking welcome meals. She recently planned an al fresco rehearsal dinner at the Brooklyn pizzeria Roberta’s that recreated a Tuscan garden. Elements included potted herbs, lemon trees, vintage olive oil cans, ceramic plates, and table cards presented with palm leaves in limoncello cans.
Aletiza Photo
Pashmina shawls hung from chairs to keep guests warm, and freshly baked pizzas and Aperol spritzes were in ready supply throughout the evening.
Stacy Teckin, the groom’s mother, hosted the party with her husband, Ian, and says she sought to pull off a dinner that made an impression on their guests. “The wedding was delayed because of Covid, and now that we had the chance to celebrate, we wanted to go all out,” Teckin says. “I’m not sure we would have done that before.”
In another example, acclaimed planner Norma Cohen threw a wild safari-themed bar mitzvah for a client.
Norma Cohen Productions
The memorable occasion transpired at Spring Studios in downtown Manhattan and saw 400 guests be transported to the African plains: Details included mammoth replicas of wildlife such as giraffes and elephants, servers in safari themed attire, and entertainment dressed like giraffes. The event was one of several over-the-top parties Cohen’s arranged recently.
A four-day wedding in Paris where the ceremony was in a historic chateau and the host paid for guests to stay at Hotel Crillon, one of the city’s most luxurious properties, also ranks high in Cohen’s memory.
Then there’s a destination party in London that Cohen planned for a client who was turning 40. It as a six-day affair with dinners at swanky spots such as Cipriani, the Arts Club, and Cecconi’s at Soho House. The finale was Lancaster House, a mansion in St. James, where guests were entertained by cabaret dancers from the famed Ibiza club Lio Ibiza and feasted on prime rib and lamb chops and imbibed on Krug champagne.
“People today don’t want to host events,” Cohen says. “They want experiences that take you away to a different place and make you forget that the real world exists.”
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This stylish family home combines a classic palette and finishes with a flexible floorplan
Just 55 minutes from Sydney, make this your creative getaway located in the majestic Hawkesbury region.
From slick greens to unforgiving bunkers, these picturesque and fine-tailored Sydney golf courses might be the very best the country has to offer, but players need to be on top of their game to reap success.
5 min
If you’ve ever marvelled at Sydney’s natural landscape and built environment, from its iconic landmarks to its vibrant culture, you’re not alone. But for diehard golfers, there’s something to be said about the luscious greens of the exquisite golf courses that are scattered throughout Sydney and its surrounding suburbs. While Tasmania lays claim to the oldest golf course in Australia at Ratho Farm, established in 1822, Sydney has gained a reputation for world-class courses that are as demanding as they are picturesque .
From cliff-side holes offering sweeping ocean views, to lush inland greens surrounded by native wildlife and bushland, Sydney’s golfing landscape presents as both beautiful yet incredibly challenging for all those who dare to play the great Scottish game.
Among the myriad of options, we’ve narrowed down some of the best golf courses in and around Sydney. Now’s the time to work on your backswing, adjust your alignment and prepare to yell ‘fore’.
But first…
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Where is the most expensive golf course to play?
One of the most expensive golf clubs to play in Sydney is arguably The Australian Golf Club. While this remains a private golf course reserved for members and their guests only, it costs upward of $8000 per year to play at The Australian, with a joining fee in excess of $50,000 (depending on age).
How many golf courses are there in Sydney Australia?
Across metropolitan Sydney, there is an abundance of courses ready for you to tee off. According to Golf NSW, there are 83 golf clubs that make up the Sydney Metropolitan area including clubs from Palm Beach to Cronulla. State-wide, there’s a total of 238 golf courses in NSW. The eastern suburbs provides the greatest density of golf courses, with 13 golf courses occupying about 7.5 per cent of the eastern suburbs in total.
What are the best golf courses in Sydney?
Here is a list of some of the very best golf courses to play in and around Sydney…
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New South Wales Golf Club
This is perhaps one of the most spectacular links-style golf courses in Australia (and an inevitable challenge for those prepared to tackle its greens, particularly on a windy day). With mesmerising views that overlook Botany Bay, the course provides an unforgettable playing experience, whether you score an eagle or a double bogey. Designed by Dr Alister MacKenzie in 1926, the New South Wales Golf Club has remained one of this country’s finest golf courses.
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Ellerston
A little further out from the Sydney metro area, the story goes that Ellerston in the Hunter Valley was exclusively built by Greg Norman for his Australian media mogul mate Kerry Packer, who at the time was the country’s wealthiest individual. The course, which Norman executed to Packer’s specifications—”build a golf course that penalises poor shots, and makes the golfer think and play hard,” was Packer’s directive—is undoubtedly one of his finest designs (and stands as one of the best courses in Australia). Keen golf enthusiasts may be disappointed to learn Ellerston and its undulating greens remain largely a private preserve of the Packer family.
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The Lakes Golf Club
The Lakes Golf Club at Eastlakes has long been one of Sydney’s premier golf clubs; it has played host to a number of historic championships, like the Australian Open, and it sits as one of the country’s oldest venues for golf, first designed in 1928. While lakes are one part of the hazards to expect at this golf course, upon arriving at the back nine holes, you will also be presented with some of Australia’s toughest bunkers, as well as an abundance of trees that have claimed many a golf ball. Players, you’ve been warned.
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The Australian Golf Club
Founded in 1882, The Australian Golf Club at nearby Rosebery is one of the oldest golf clubs in Australia and is another of Dr Alister MacKenzie’s designs (until Kerry Packer commissioned golfing great Jack Nicklaus to completely redesign the course in 1976). Today, The Australian GC is a championship course, with many great golfing battles played out at this spectacular course. For those lucky to get a chance to get into the swing here, while an absolute pleasure, it will also prove a strong test of your game.
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Bonnie Doon
With what is the third oldest club in Sydney, Bonnie Doon at Pagewood is designed to “mimic the work of nature with a mix of irregular undulations, wispy roughs and rugged bunker lips that appear to have been formed from years of wind and rain,” Bonnie Doon’s design architects, Ogilvy Clayton Cocking and Mead, said upon the course’s redevelopment in 2011.
Playing at Bonnie Doon is a fun, but trying, experience for many golfers. There is an abundance of undulating sandy ground and some deceptively difficult vegetation which makes precision a key prerequisite of playing this course.
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Royal Sydney Golf Club
Not only one of the country’s finest golf courses, but Royal Sydney at Rose Bay is one of the leading social clubs in all of New South Wales, boasting a strong membership of more than 5,000 golfers of all abilities. While sign up fees aren’t easy on the pocket, in return members and their guests are able to bask in a championship golf course with one of the nicest harbour-side clubhouse facilities you’re likely to find. Celebrating its 120th anniversary last year, this iconic golf course is a must-play for anyone serious about their golf.
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Bonville Golf Resort
Ok, technically, this golf course is a bit of a drive from the Emerald City but we couldn’t resist. South of Coffs Harbour in New South Wales lies Bonville Golf Resort, one of the most picturesque golf courses in the country—so much so that it is often considered Australia’s “Augusta National” by golfing enthusiasts. Made up of an 18-hole championship course that meanders through rainforests and is renowned for its isolation, Bonville is a dream course for golfer looking to challenge themselves.
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Monash Country Club
A course lauded for its slick greens and incomparable bushland setting, the Monash Country Club at Ingleside is renowned for more than just its star-studded member base of ex-footballers and politicians. Monash Country Club is, in fact, one of Sydney’s most difficult courses, where the formula is simple: you must hit fairways to score. Be sure to be on your game when playing here, for Monash takes many prisoners. It’s said that Monash has the fewest plus-handicappers in Australia among its membership base.
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This stylish family home combines a classic palette and finishes with a flexible floorplan
Just 55 minutes from Sydney, make this your creative getaway located in the majestic Hawkesbury region.
