The Best Golf Courses in Sydney
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The Best Golf Courses in Sydney

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.

By Josh Bozin
Thu, Jun 27, 2024 3:11pmGrey Clock 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…

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…

New South Wales Golf Club

Jacob Sjöman

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.

Ellerston

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.

The Lakes Golf Club

The Lakes

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.

The Australian Golf Club

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.

Bonnie Doon

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.

Royal Sydney Golf Club

Royal Sydney

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.

Bonville Golf Resort

Bonville

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.

Monash Country Club

Monash

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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11 ACRES ROAD, KELLYVILLE, NSW

This stylish family home combines a classic palette and finishes with a flexible floorplan

35 North Street Windsor

Just 55 minutes from Sydney, make this your creative getaway located in the majestic Hawkesbury region.

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Property of the Week: 8 Robertson Street, Toorak

This exemplary property in the heart of Toorak boasts a Paul Bangay-designed garden.

By Josh Bozin
Wed, Jul 10, 2024 2 min

Toorak and its surrounding suburbs have always been one of the most sought-after regions of Melbourne. One of the city’s best examples of a prestigious locale, Toorak encompasses a level of style, beauty and desirability that many aspire to. From its exclusive cul-de-sacs, idyllic surroundings, and proximity to the city, Toorak has it all.

This property at 8 Robertson Street offers a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to purchase a true statement of elegance in the heart of postcode 3142.

The first thing to be noted about this elegant four-bedroom, three-bathroom, circa 1920s solid brick Arts and Crafts residence is its meticulous renovation, which embodies luxurious modern living. The perfect home to create both an idyllic setting for relaxed living as well as lavish entertaining, the single-storey property set over a generous 1,811sqm block also presents its future owners with the opportunity to further extend, or even rebuild to factor in potential city views from a second storey (STCA).

Elegantly designed living spaces include features such as French oak floors, a sky-lit reception hall (leading to a spacious sitting room), a formal dining room, a peaceful library or study space, an expansive gourmet kitchen with Calacatta marble benches and solid oak joinery. The main light-filled bedroom suite with original fireplace overlooks the garden, while beautiful floor-to-ceiling joinery in the dressing room behind it provides extensive storage for clothes, shoes and accessories. At the rear of the house, an equally spacious bedroom has its own ensuite, with a third bathroom in the other wing of the house next to the home gym.

In the north-facing garden, you might notice a familiar aesthetic; the “country-style” garden has been designed by sought-after, award-winning Australian landscape designer Paul Bangay. Perfect for entertaining, the mature, seasonal garden includes a mosaic-tiled pool and outdoor living room with reclaimed stone paving from Ireland, as well as a domed fountain, aqueduct-style water feature and rose covered arbour.

For those that have, perhaps, been searching for the right home opportunity, 8 Robertson Street, Toorak could signal the end of your search. Located in one of Toorak’s most picturesque and sought after streets, it’s a country estate in the heart of the city.

Address: 8 Robertson Street, Toorak, VIC

Price guide: $19,950,000

Auction: Private Sale

Agent: The listing is with Marshall White Stonnington; Marcus Chiminello (0411 411 271), Mandy Zhu (0411 893 168), and Alan Crawford (0423 747 155).

 

MOST POPULAR
11 ACRES ROAD, KELLYVILLE, NSW

This stylish family home combines a classic palette and finishes with a flexible floorplan

35 North Street Windsor

Just 55 minutes from Sydney, make this your creative getaway located in the majestic Hawkesbury region.

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