If you’re seeking an exceptional experience during a golf vacation in Australia, New South Wales Golf Club should be on your list. As one of the best golf courses in Australia, NSW GC offers 18 challenging holes and stunning views over the coast.
New South Wales Golf Club was founded in 1926 with Dr. Alister Mackenzie immediately enlisted to design the course. At the time, he was also busy working on Cypress Point in California. Mackenzie laid out his design on a magnificent piece of land at La Perouse, as the NSWGC is often called.
New South Wales GC features breathtaking views overlooking the Tasman Sea and Bounty Bay, where Captain Cook on the Endeavor first sailed into Sydney. The area is part of the National Park Kamay Bounty Bay region, making it perfect for exploring after tee time.
Like Royal Melbourne, after laying out the routing and features, Mackenzie left the construction to an associate. Eric Apperly completed the vision, ensuring Mackenzie’s brilliant bunkering was perfectly constructed.
Blend world-class courses, stunning landscapes, and vibrant culture on this 9-day trip to the Down Under. Whether you’re playing on iconic courses or enjoying the country’s natural beauty, Australia provides an unforgettable experience for golfers.
9 nights accommodation and 4 rounds of golf
Prices starting from $4,975
The course is not a true links, as it traverses some rugged coastal features, but it is reminiscent of links golf in its style and character playing in constant wind with lightning-quick greens.
The best stretch of holes is 5 through 7, the 5th requiring a blind shot over a hill as in many links courses in the British Isles. The par 3’s all play in a different direction, so no matter the day’s wind direction you are faced with cross, downwind, and into-the-breeze challenges. Accuracy and shotmaking more than brute strength are required to score well here.
As with many historic designs, through usage and weather, they eventually lose some of their definition, NSW is no different and has enlisted the talents of Tom Mackenzie and Martin Ebert to direct the restoration effort.
Mackenzie commented on the mission, “…(to) make the course even more interesting, fairer and playable for the members and, at the same time, more varied, strategic and challenging for the best players.” With their work at Royal Portrush, Turnberry, and other classics again the membership chose wisely for their course.
The refreshing of this timeless design should ensure the course’s inclusion in the Top 100 Golf Courses in the World for years to come.
The story of New South Wales Golf Club begins in 1926, when a group of visionaries saw the potential of La Perouse, one of Sydney’s most dramatic coastal landscapes.
The founders turned to Dr. Alister MacKenzie, then also shaping Cypress Point in California, to design a layout worthy of the land. His routing embraced the rugged coastline, blending strategic challenge with sweeping ocean views. Eric Apperly, MacKenzie’s trusted associate, oversaw construction, ensuring every detail, from the routing to the intricate bunkering, was faithfully brought to life.
From its opening, New South Wales Golf Club drew comparisons with the world’s finest coastal links. Even wartime fortifications along its cliffs could not dim its reputation. Today, the course remains a masterpiece of golden-age design, celebrated for its breathtaking clifftop holes and timeless strategic character.
Set within Kamay Botany Bay National Park, New South Wales Golf Club is one of the world’s most dramatic coastal courses. Rugged sandstone cliffs and headlands rise above the Tasman Sea, offering sweeping views and a setting unlike any other in Australian golf.
The varied terrain creates constant elevation changes, with elevated tees, blind shots, and natural amphitheatres woven into Dr. Alister MacKenzie’s brilliant design. Native tea-tree, banksia, and coastal grasses frame the holes, supporting wildlife and shaping the authentic Australian links character.
Birdlife is abundant, and in migration season whales can be seen offshore, adding to the spectacle. Firm running conditions and shifting sea breezes ensure no two rounds play the same, while the club’s commitment to stewardship protects this fragile, world-class environment.
New South Wales Golf Club has long been a stage for championship golf, its clifftop setting and demanding layout consistently identifying worthy champions. The Australian Open has been contested here multiple times, with major winners praising both the strategic test and the spectacular scenery that makes the event unforgettable.
The course has also hosted the Australian PGA and Amateur Championships, producing dramatic finishes and serving as a proving ground for future stars. Its emphasis on precision over power ensures every tournament showcases strategy and shot-making at the highest level.
When playing New South Wales Golf Club, staying in downtown Sydney near the iconic harbour is ideal. Most golfers base themselves in “The Rocks” district, a vibrant area filled with restaurants, shops, and stunning harbour views.
We use a range of hotels to suit different budgets, but the Park Hyatt Sydney stands out as the top choice, offering unbeatable luxury and views of the Sydney Opera House right from your room.
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