Heading to Western Australia any time soon? We urge you to reshape your holiday plans to include an attempt at one of these giant green gems.
Heading to Western Australia any time soon? We urge you to reshape your holiday plans to include an attempt at one of these giant green gems.
Big things are happening in Western Australia. Big mines, boom times, massive developments – this is a state feeling good about itself; a state, with its fabulous natural attractions, which knows how to enjoy itself, too. Visitors invariably arrive with special ambitions in mind – to pat a dolphin, swim with a whale shark, explore the Kimberley or the fabulous wine regions in the south-west ... Now, any half-decent golfer must add to that list of must-dos the ambition to sample WA’s astonishing array of world-class golf courses. Mad if they don’t; the weather here is made for the game and the courses are breathtaking.
Here’s a guide to six of the best – and not just the best in WA. These are among the best courses in the country, according to this magazine’s great mate, Brendan James, editor of Golf Australia. “BJ” was so moved, he wrote a book about Australia’s great courses, called, unsurprisingly, 120 Great Golf Courses In Australia And New Zealand (published by Explore Australia, $29.95). We excerpt from it here to let you know what you can look forward to ... Go west, young men – and women!
Secret Harbour Golf Links
Towering sand dunes greeted designer Graham Marsh when he made his first viewing of the proposed Secret Harbour Golf Links in the early 1990s. The landscape would prove to be the ideal canvas for Marsh to produce a memorable layout that today is the centrepiece of a massive residential golf community development. A mere long iron from the Indian Ocean, Secret Harbour offers a traditional links course experience with predominantly small pot bunkers and rolling fairways laid out amid the sand dunes. And, of course, there is the essential links course ingredient ... wind.
Some of the best holes at Secret Harbour can be found on the front nine, which Marsh claims to be the best nine holes he has ever designed. Two of his best are the back-to- back long par-fours – the 413m fourth and the 397m fifth – that flow uphill and then downhill, respectively, in the opposite direction on either side of a sand dune ridge. The fourth demands a long drive over a swamp to find a fairway flanked by six deep bunkers. The elevated green is wedged between the rough-covered dune right and out-of-bounds long and left.If the fourth is played into the wind, you’ll get some respite heading downhill and downwind on the fifth hole. But it’s flanked by out-of-bounds left and the scrub-covered ridge right. Add some strategically positioned fairway bunkers to the mix and you have a tough hole. The fifth green and its surrounds are indicative of most at Secret Harbour, strongly reminiscent of Dr Alister MacKenzie’s famous Royal Melbourne West or some of the fine links courses of Great Britain. The detail is magnificent and the shaping is fully complemented by tightly trimmed playing surfaces that, in turn, offer plenty of shot options when trying to save par. Contact: (08) 9524 7133 www.secretharbourgolflinks.com.au

Images: Vanessa Murray
- Kalgoorlie, at 6768m, is the longest course in Australia.
Images: Vanessa Murray
The Links Kennedy Bay
This course has had a chequered history – originally opened for play in 1998, then closed some years later, before new owners gave it an overhaul. In November 2008 the course was reopened to the public and returned to former glories; many believe it’s better than ever. Kennedy Bay was, simply, too good a course to let go and, thankfully, the new owners realised that when they purchased the property. The par-72 layout lies on a special tract of sandy links land less than 50 minutes’ drive south of Perth’s Swan River and marks the northern gateway to WA’s Golf Coast. Kennedy Bay’s lofty position in Australian golf is of little surprise when you consider the quality of its holes and the immaculate condition of the course. The seventh, for example, is one of the best short par-fours in this country – alongside Kingston Heath’s third and the tenth on Royal Melbourne’s West course. Called “Temptation”, the hole measures just 285m from the back tips, making it easy fodder for the long hitter ... or so it would seem. Two deep bunkers lay just to the right of the ideal landing zone, about 40m short of the green’s fringe, and can easily catch even the slightest mis-hit. Adding to the temptation is the wide and inviting opening to the green, which is receptive to the perfectly struck drive that creeps onto its well-manicured surface. But there’s a whole lot more to Kennedy Bay than one great hole. Playing the trio of holes including the par-five fourth, known as “Hell”, the long par-four fifth, with its eight bunkers between tee and green, and the exceptionally demanding 195m par-three sixth is worth the cost of the green fee alone.
Contact: (08) 9524 5991
Kalgoorlie Golf Course
Kalgoorlie is the quintessential Australian country town, lying at the heart of WA’s goldfields region, just over six hours’ drive east of Perth. Gold mining remains the major industry of Kalgoorlie, but the district boasts a wide range of historic, scenic and natural attractions. Golf is now definitely one of them. This is a true desert-style course where manicured green fairways and greens are bordered by one cut of semi-rough, and then the next step wide is on the ochre-coloured loam beneath the desert scrub and clumps of wattle and gum trees. On several holes, designer Graham Marsh has even used these rough edges to isolate tees or cut through a fairway to make longer hitters think hard about hitting a driver from the tee.Bunkering tends to be a major feature of Marsh designs and Kalgoorlie’s no different. He’s combined deep greenside traps with strategically placed expansive bunker schemes, while also incorporating areas of sandy wasteland that seem to extend into the playing lines from the surrounding rough.
His bunkering visually intimidates players and forces them into second-guessing their club and/or shot selection. A fine example of this can be found at the long par-three eighth where the expansive bunkering short right and to the left of the putting surface has the effect of making the tee shot look even longer than it is. From the championship pegs, it’s a punishing 218m to find the centre of the massive putting surface. One club short or long can easily lead to a dropped shot here.Marsh has designed Kalgoorlie to be played by golfers of all standards. The course stretches to a lengthy 6768m from the championship markers, making it the longest course in Australia. There are, however, four sets of tees on each hole and the public layout is still a testing 5933m. But Marsh’s design is very much about strategy and approaching the big greens from the right place in the fairway to leave the most makeable putts on the often-dramatic putting surfaces.
Contacts: (08) 9026 2626
- The Vines has hosted the biggest names in golf of the past 20 years.
Images: Vanessa Murray
The Vines Resort and Country Club
The Vines has hosted the biggest names in professional golf of the past 20 years as hosts of events like the Heineken Classic, Johnnie Walker Classic and Lexus Cup.While the resort – located in the picturesque Swan Valley, about 35 minutes’ drive north-east of Perth’s CBD – offers two 18-hole courses, it’s the Lakes layout that so often earns the praise of visiting pros and average golfers alike. Golf Australia magazine has rated it the No.1 resort course in the nation.Designed by Graham Marsh and Ross Watson, the par-72 layout covers stunning rolling land with fairways bordered by tall timbers and native scrub. The condition of the course is immaculate. The huge undulating greens are excellent. They may roll faster during a tournament but for average players they’re kept at a speed that can still be a little scary when you’re faced with a long putt that will roll down a steep tier en route to the cup.
The back nine tends to receive most of the accolades when anyone speaks about the Lakes course but the underrated front half has some stunning holes. The 473m par-five third has a fairway that narrows and widens in strategic places so you can’t just blaze away with the longest clubs in your bag. Four fairway bunkers stand sentry for the last 80m to the elevated green that features grassy hollows left and right.The real key to scoring well on the inward half is to keep your tee shots in play. There are some wonderful driving holes – if the driver’s working well for you. The quartet of par-fours – the 11th, 14th, 15th and 17th – place a premium on strong, accurate driving. Where many pros might choose to use a three-metal from the tee on these tight, twisting two-shotters, there’s plenty of temptation for the average player to use their driver so they are afforded a much shorter approach into the trademark massive greens.
Contact: (08) 9297 0777
The Cut Golf Club
Not too long ago it seemed there was little chance of any new links courses being built around the Australian coastline. Then the post-2000 golf course building boom kicked in and world-class links layouts opened for play in Tasmania (Barnbougle Dunes) and Victoria (The National and Moonah Links). Western Australia’s offering came soon after in 2005 with the launch of The Cut Golf Club.Laid out on and around sand dunes at Port Bouvard, just south of Mandurah and about 80 minutes’ drive from Perth’s CBD, The Cut is the centrepiece of a massive residential and resort development wedged between the Indian Ocean and the picturesque Peel Inlet estuary.The par-72 was the first full 18-hole design of Sydney-based designer James Wilcher, who worked on the Greg Norman design team for a decade. Wilcher had two contrasting landscapes to work with. The opening hole leads straight from the clubhouse to the ocean and the following three holes run parallel to the beach across gently undulating land. The second and third holes are terrific short par-fours where a narrow strip of dense native scrub to the left is all that separates the fairway from the beach. The views can easily distract you from the task of making par or better.
Heading to the tenth, past the multi-million-dollar clubhouse, first-timers should feel the excitement building with the knowledge they’re about to tackle one of the best nine-hole stretches in Australia. The back nine’s more undulating than the front nine, with each hole bordered by thick walls of native shrubs while high dunes play a major role on some holes. A combination of rough, natural bunkering and manicured traps punctuate strategic points en route between tee and green on every hole.Undoubtedly the highlight of the back nine is the 400m par-four 12th. The tee is perched high above the beach, offering panoramic ocean views and a sighter of the green, parked on another high dune off in the distance. This hole offers bucket loads of the “wow” factor and is worth the price of the green fee alone.
Contacts: (08) 9582 4444
Meadow Springs Golf and Country Club
Meadow Springs, designed by renowned American Robert Trent Jones Jnr and about 40 minutes’ drive south of Perth, opened in 1993. Over the years it has matured into one of the best-presented and most enjoyable courses in Western Australia.It’s a fabulous design, but the lasting impression is its conditioning; it sets a standard many private clubs would look upon with envy. And the quality playing surfaces fully complement Jones Jnr’s design. The American has a reputation for working with the natural beauty of a site. His finished product weaves between towering tuart trees, four blue lakes and more than 70 bunkers. He’s certainly not afraid to intimidate the golfer with a sea of sand or make a player second-guess their shot with a strategically placed pot or wasteland-style bunker.
One of the biggest bunkers lies beside the fifth fairway and stretches nearly 70m to the green, complicating what would normally be a straight-forward hole. At 329m, this tight, dogleg right par-four offers little confrontation from the tee except for a lone bunker lying through the end of the fairway. The majority of golfers will hit to the far side of the dogleg, which immediately brings the mega-bunker into play. The green sits diagonally to your approach, but that’s not of concern, with so much sand lying between you and the flag.The 484m par-five 15th is one of Meadow Springs’ choice holes. A back tee was added a few years ago to lengthen it by more than 20m and present a stiffer challenge to better players. From this elevated tee you can’t miss seeing the tuart tree troubles either side of a relatively narrow fairway. Long hitters, in the right conditions, can blast their drive past a long fairway trap right and be assisted by a slight down slope to bring the green well within range for their second shot.
Contacts: (08) 9581 6360
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