Written by Madeleine Keck
Australia‘s finest golf resorts pair championship courses with great stays — from links-style layouts rolling through Tasmanian coastal dunes to tropical fairways framed by the Great Barrier Reef hinterland. The courses themselves span everything from Arnold Palmer-designed private greens on the Gold Coast to a limestone quarry routing near Perth, with challenging hazards and surroundings that make every round different.
Barnbougle Dunes in Tasmania’s northeast consistently ranks among the top golf resorts in Australia and the world, with its links-style layout rolling through coastal dunes above Bass Strait. For those after resort amenities alongside a great course, Joondalup Resort near Perth and InterContinental Sanctuary Cove on the Gold Coast are the strongest all-round packages. Ready to tee up? Read on for our pick of the best.
The best golf resorts & courses in New South Wales
The Vintage Golf Course
Tuscan-inspired Château Élan at The Vintage is set in the heart of Australia’s premium wine country, situated on an idyllic 100 acres of manicured fairways and sprawling vineyards. The property’s 18-hole The Vintage Golf Course was designed by former professional golfer Greg Norman, whose expertise has resulted in an arrangement of superb bunkers, greens sandwiched between thick forest and challenging doglegged (crooked) holes. Stays can include daily breakfast and resort credits, with the option to spend at the onsite bars, at the spa or on the award-winning course and driving range.
Hunter Valley Golf Club
Stretching nearly 6,000 metres and featuring expansive lakes and views of the Broken Back Ranges, Hunter Valley Golf Club is the undeniable jewel of Rydges Resort Hunter Valley – though the resort’s two pools, spa, electric train, multiple dining options and water parks are not to be missed. Whether residing in a room, suite or three-bedroom villa, stay-and-play packages provide discounts on rounds of golf and buggy hire, meaning golfers of all levels can make the most of the 71-par, 18-hole championship course.
Bonville Golf Resort
Voted Australia’s favourite golf course seven years running by Golf Australia Magazine, Bonville sits at the foot of the Great Dividing Range near Coffs Harbour — a 50-minute flight from both Sydney and Brisbane, which makes it an easy candidate for a long-weekend trip that genuinely delivers. The par-72 championship course winds through 600 acres of subtropical rainforest, each hole cut through towering flooded gums and isolated from the next, so play feels private in a way that most resort courses don’t. Koalas and echidnas are a reliable presence near the accommodation area; the course itself runs close enough to the ranges to feel remote while the facilities — pool, tennis, the award-winning Flooded Gums Restaurant, whose wine list has earned recognition from both Gourmet Traveller and Wine Spectator — keep it firmly in resort territory. It’s a self-contained golf escape that asks very little of you beyond showing up and playing well.
The best golf resorts & courses in Victoria
The Sands Torquay
Uniquely moulded into the dunes, the championship golf course at The Sands Torquay was designed by former Australian golfer Stuart Appleby, with well-groomed greens and fairways matched by panoramic views of Victoria’s southwest coast. The links course offers up to five tee positions on every hole and over 100 bunkers. Accompanying rooms and one- and two-bedroom suites are recently refurbished and bathed in coastal hues, with those staying at the resort privy to packages including buckets of driving range balls and free rounds of 18-holes. The best part? It’s all just an hour’s drive from Melbourne.
RACV Torquay & Cape Schanck Resorts
On the southernmost tip of the Mornington Peninsula lies RACV Cape Schanck Resort, home to an 18-hole, par-70 championship course and luxurious rooms, spa suites and multiple-bedroom villas. Rooms feature floor-to-ceiling windows with views of the Bass Strait, while the main building offers a modern spa and fine dining restaurant Cape.
Across Port Phillip Bay is the RACV Torquay Resort, where spacious rooms nestle an 18-hole, par-71 course developed in conjunction with an award-winning Melbourne design agency and former United States Open champion Geoff Ogilvy. Both RACV properties make the most of their coastal setting.
Lady Bay Resort
The Lady Bay Resort stay-and-play package exceeds expectations with a range of premium perks: enjoy a continental breakfast delivered directly to your opulent King Spa Suite and a round of 18 holes (with electric cart hire) at The Links Lady Bay. The resort’s firm, sand-based course was designed by golfing icons Jack Newton, Graeme Grant and John Spencer, with holes strong enough for the best-of-the-best as well as average players. You’ll want to spend more time on the par-four fourth hole: it’s here you’ll get the best views of the course and Saint Vincent Gulf.
The best golf resorts & courses in Queensland
InterContinental Sanctuary Cove
Guests staying at InterContinental Sanctuary Cove are fortunate for two reasons. Not only do they get to enjoy the property’s stunning lagoon pool, lush landscaping and deluxe rooms, but they are also the only non-members to have access to Sanctuary Cove’s signature golf courses: The Pines and The Palms. Abundant wildlife and established pine forests are found at The Pines – the only course in Australia designed by golfer Arnold Palmer – which is as challenging as it is scenic. The Palms offers its unique challenges with multiple water hazards and century-old palm trees. Both courses are within walking distance of InterContinental Sanctuary Cove.
Mirage Country Club
Mirage Country Club’s 18-hole course is composed of six par threes, six par fours and six par fives. Each offers a different scenic view, from holes running along Four Mile Beach to those framed by the majestic mountains of the hinterland. The sprawling 6,200-metre course has an incredible pedigree, with design by five-time British Open champion, the late Peter Thomson in conjunction with renowned architect Michael Wolveridge. Just steps away is Sheraton Grand Mirage Resort Port Douglas, where expansive palm-fringed lagoon-style pools, tropical gardens and five-star rooms abound.
The best golf resorts & courses in Tasmania
Cape Wickham Links
Sitting at the northern tip of King Island, Cape Wickham regularly tops national course rankings – and once you’ve stood on the clifftop par-three 6th with Bass Strait churning below, it’s not hard to understand why. Designed by Darius Oliver and Mike Clayton and opened in 2015, the layout makes dramatic use of King Island’s raw coastal topography: granite outcrops, native tussock grass and near-constant wind conspire to make every round different, and every score hard-earned.
Getting there is part of the experience – King Island is a 50-minute flight from Melbourne – but the island more than rewards the effort. Between sessions, the island’s dairy and seafood are reason enough to linger: King Island Dairy cheeses and fresh crayfish pulled straight from local waters are the kind of post-round ritual serious golfers plan return trips around.
Barnbougle Dunes Golf Links
Designed by renowned golf architect Tom Doak and Australian professional golfer Mike Clayton, The Dunes in Bridport is consistently ranked among the world’s top-ranked golf courses by publications like U.S. Golf Digest, with the fourth of 18 holes boasting the largest bunker in the Southern Hemisphere. Rolling in and out of Tasmania’s northeast dunes, the course sits adjacent to the Lost Farm and Bougle Run, two similarly impressive courses within the Barnbougle estate.
Head to the Dune Clubhouse for panoramic views over Barnbougle Beach, then take your pick of accommodation, from the picturesque Cottages at The Dunes to the four-bedroom Bunker Villas, which come complete with a spacious outside deck overlooking the course. For an extra touch of luxury, book the two-bedroom Ocean Villa – featuring views over Bass Strait – or the Lost Farm Lodge, located directly on the course of the same name.
The best golf resorts & courses in Western Australia
Joondalup Resort
Less than 30 minutes’ drive north of Perth lies Joondalup Resort, a boutique stay of just 70 rooms, with multiple dining venues, a day spa and a large swimming pool. The golf course is the resort’s masterpiece: the 27-hole championship green winds through lush bushlands, an old limestone quarry and picturesque lakes to provide one of the country’s most compelling plays.
Divided into three nine-hole sections — Quarry, Dune and Lake — each course reflects its namesake’s unique natural features. Renowned American golf course architect Robert Trent Jones Jr. is behind the design, with some of his most dramatic and challenging work featured on holes three to five of Quarry (players face the risk of losing their balls forever with a shot over the large pit.)
The best golf resorts & courses in the Northern Territory
Alice Springs Golf Club
Few golf courses anywhere in the world offer a backdrop quite like this. The Alice Springs Golf Club sits hard against the Todd River with the ancient red ridgelines of the MacDonnell Ranges rising behind – a setting that makes the game feel genuinely different, even before you factor in the wildlife. Peter Thomson designed the modern par-72 course with narrow fairways, threading through parkland where kangaroos, dingoes and lizards are regular spectators. The DoubleTree by Hilton Alice Springs is two minutes’ walk from the first tee, making this one of the more straightforward resort pairings on the list — and one of the most memorable.
Feature image: The Sands Torquay. Source: supplied.
Discover Australia
Feature image: The Sands Torquay.
