Australia’s Best Golf Courses and Events Worth Travelling For

Australia has earned its place among the world’s great golfing destinations. Its leading courses combine bold architecture, challenging conditions and landscapes that give every round a distinct sense of place.

Across Melbourne’s celebrated Sandbelt, Sydney’s rugged coastline, the shores of King Island and the rolling dunes of northern Tasmania, golfers can experience remarkably different styles of play within a single journey.

Several of these courses are recognised among the finest in international golf. Australia also hosts major tournaments featuring leading Australian and international players, creating opportunities to combine days beside the fairways with private experiences across the country.

For dedicated players, the journey can centre entirely on golf, connecting significant courses through private transfers and aircraft. For those attending a tournament as part of a wider Australian holiday, The Tailor can place the event within an itinerary shaped around food, wine, wildlife, culture and time together.

Here are five of Australia’s most celebrated golf courses, an exciting new course on Kangaroo Island and the events worth planning a journey around.

Royal Melbourne Golf Club is one of the most internationally recognised names in Australian golf. Its West Course is regularly ranked among the world’s finest and remains a benchmark for strategic course design.

Designed by Dr Alister MacKenzie and Alex Russell, the course rewards thoughtful positioning and careful decision making. Broad fairways offer several options from the tee, while its bunkering, fast greens and changing conditions ensure that every shot requires consideration.

Royal Melbourne has hosted the Presidents Cup, the Australian Open and many of Australia’s most important championships. For committed golfers, the opportunity to experience the club is a significant addition to any Australian itinerary.

Access is limited and remains subject to club approval, member requirements and availability. Planning well in advance provides the best opportunity to explore what may be possible.

Kingston Heath is another defining course of the Melbourne Sandbelt. Its compact routing, firm playing surfaces and carefully positioned bunkers have earned admiration from players and architects around the world.

Wind conditions can change the character of the course throughout the day. Each hole encourages strategic play, rewarding golfers who think carefully about angles, placement and the position of the pin.

Kingston Heath also carries considerable tournament significance. It is a regular host of the Australian Open and has been chosen to host the Presidents Cup, placing it at the centre of Australia’s international golf calendar.

A visit to Kingston Heath can form part of a broader Melbourne Sandbelt program, with several leading courses located within easy reach of the city.

New South Wales Golf Club occupies a commanding coastal position at La Perouse, overlooking Botany Bay and the Pacific Ocean.

The course follows the natural contours of the headland, moving between exposed coastal ground and quieter inland sections. Ocean winds influence club selection and strategy, while the setting creates one of Australia’s most memorable golfing environments.

Its location close to Sydney allows a round to sit naturally within a wider stay in the city. Days on the course can be balanced with private harbour experiences, acclaimed dining, cultural touring and access to the landscapes surrounding Sydney.

As a private club, playing access is carefully managed and remains subject to approval and availability.

Cape Wickham Golf Links sits at the northern end of King Island, surrounded by Bass Strait and overlooked by the island’s historic lighthouse.

The course follows the coastline closely, with holes moving beside beaches, rocky shores and rolling dunes. Wind, terrain and exposure shape the experience, making each round responsive to the conditions of the day.

Its remote location is central to its appeal. A short flight from Melbourne reveals an island known for open landscapes, local produce and a slower pace of travel.

Cape Wickham offers public access, giving visiting golfers greater certainty when planning. It can also be paired with nearby Ocean Dunes, creating a rewarding King Island golf stay across two contrasting courses.

Barnbougle Dunes helped establish Tasmania as one of the world’s most compelling golf destinations.

Located near Bridport on the island’s north east coast, the original Dunes course moves through coastal terrain overlooking Bass Strait. Its natural contours, wide fairways and shifting conditions create a style of play that feels closely connected to the surrounding landscape.

Barnbougle is also home to Lost Farm and Bougle Run, allowing golfers to experience several layouts during one stay. Accommodation, dining and the courses are located together, creating an immersive destination for multiple rounds.

A Tasmanian golf journey can begin with a stay at Saffire Freycinet on the state’s east coast, followed by several days of golf at Barnbougle. From there, a private aircraft can carry the journey on to King Island for Cape Wickham, or across to Kangaroo Island for The Cliffs.

The Cliffs Kangaroo Island introduces a new chapter for golf in South Australia.

Designed by Darius Oliver, who was also involved in the creation of Cape Wickham, the 18 hole course occupies an extraordinary coastal site at Pelican Lagoon. Several holes run directly beside the cliffs, while others move through rolling dunes and native vegetation overlooking the Southern Ocean.

It is South Australia’s newest destination golf course, with clubhouse and accommodation facilities developing alongside it.

The Cliffs creates an exciting opportunity to connect golf with a deeper exploration of Kangaroo Island. Imagine a stay at Saffire Freycinet and a few days of golf at Barnbougle, then a private flight to Kangaroo Island to play The Cliffs, timed so the round leads straight into a stay at Southern Ocean Lodge. The days that follow can be shaped around wildlife, coastal landscapes, food and private island experiences.

A visit could also be timed around LIV Golf Adelaide, allowing guests to attend one of Australia’s most energetic golf events before travelling to Kangaroo Island.

Kangaroo Island is home ground for us. The Tailor is based in South Australia and has been creating journeys across the island for close to 30 years. We know the guides, the producers and the quiet corners that make the days between rounds as memorable as the golf itself.

Australia’s major golf tournaments provide a timely reason to visit, whether guests wish to follow the leading players for several days or incorporate one tournament day into a longer journey.

The Australian Open

The Australian Open is usually played in late November or early December. The venue rotates between leading courses, with Melbourne’s Sandbelt a frequent host.

The championship is one of Australia’s most significant golf events and brings together leading Australian and international players. Tournament attendance can be paired with rounds on nearby courses, private dining and further travel through the host region.

Golf access during major event periods will be limited, making advance planning particularly important.

The BMW Australian PGA Championship

The BMW Australian PGA Championship, usually played in late November, provides another opportunity to see leading players compete in Australia.

For golf fans travelling from overseas, the championship can be incorporated into a wider journey through Queensland, Sydney, Melbourne or several Australian regions.

Tournament dates and venues can change from year to year, allowing The Tailor to shape each journey around the confirmed calendar and the wider interests of those travelling.

LIV Golf Adelaide

LIV Golf Adelaide has become a major fixture on South Australia’s sporting calendar, combining elite competition with a lively event atmosphere.

For international guests, the tournament can become the starting point for a wider South Australian journey. Time in Adelaide could be followed by private aviation to Kangaroo Island, where guests can play The Cliffs and stay at Southern Ocean Lodge.

The journey could then continue to another Australian golf destination, creating an itinerary that connects a major sporting event with several contrasting regions.

The Presidents Cup

The Presidents Cup is played every two years, alternating between the United States and venues around the world, and Australia hosts it periodically. Kingston Heath has been chosen as an Australian host.

The competition brings together a United States team and an International team in a match play format, creating an energetic atmosphere and a different spectator experience from a traditional stroke play tournament.

When it comes to Australia, it is one of the most significant international golf events on the country’s calendar. Accommodation, event hospitality and surrounding experiences will be highly sought after, making early planning essential.

Australia’s leading courses and major golf events can form part of a broader journey through the country or become the focus of a dedicated itinerary created for serious golf enthusiasts.

The Tailor has Travel Designers who specialise in Golf Touring, and they know their tees from their bunkers. They understand the courses, the logistics and the small details that matter to committed players, from tee times and transfers to equipment requirements, preferred playing formats and the right amount of time between rounds.

A championship event might become the centrepiece of a longer Australian holiday, paired with private wildlife encounters, cultural experiences, acclaimed dining, wine regions and stays in several destinations.

For guests travelling primarily to play, we can create a golf itinerary connecting recognised courses across Sydney, Melbourne, King Island, Tasmania, Kangaroo Island and other Australian regions.

A tailored Australian golf journey may include:

• Premium hospitality at major Australian tournaments
• Requests for tee times at leading public and private courses
• Private aircraft connecting remote golf destinations
• Dedicated transfers planned around tournament sessions and rounds
• Carefully selected accommodation and dining
• Hosted rounds and friendly group competitions
• Private wildlife, cultural, food and wine experiences
• Separate experiences shaped around the interests of travelling companions

Our relationships may also allow us to open doors to highly exclusive private clubs that sit beyond the usual touring circuit.

This can include courses such as Ellerston Golf Club in the Upper Hunter Valley, one of Australia’s most private and closely guarded golf experiences. Access can never be guaranteed and remains subject to approval, but opening these doors is part of the value The Tailor can bring to a dedicated golf journey.

A private aircraft can then connect them all, from the Upper Hunter to the Sandbelt, King Island, Barnbougle and Kangaroo Island, so more of each day is spent on the course and less in transit.

Some guests may attend one major event during a wider exploration of Australia. Others may choose a journey in which every day revolves around golf. The Tailor can create either experience, managing each detail from arrival through to the final round.

Golf access, tee times, tournament tickets and hospitality remain subject to availability, membership requirements and individual club approval. Early planning is recommended for private clubs, peak travel periods and major international events.

Speak with The Tailor about incorporating a major golf event into your Australian travels or creating a dedicated itinerary around the country’s leading courses. Explore golf journeys with The Tailor.