Australian Open brings back flood of Sandbelt memories

There are, of course, many attractive golf regions around the world, be they defined by country, county or coastline. But there are a few that stand out as the must-plays for any diehard golf traveler. Scotland, Ireland, New Zealand, the Oregon coast perhaps, Long Island if you have the connections, or maybe Pinehurst. Count the Sandbelt region just south of Melbourne among such elite company. 

If you love golf architecture, you simply have to climb into that jumbo jet and jump across all those time zones to see the Sandbelt. This week’s Australian Open shines a spotlight on the highest-ranked course in the region, Royal Melbourne's West Course, but there are plenty of other layouts within a short drive of the famed Alister MacKenzie layout. And I mean very short drive: Victoria Golf Club, the back nine of which is the closest thing to Augusta National outside the gates to Magnolia Lane, is just across the street from Royal Melbourne, which also is home to the incredible East Course. Another highly ranked standout, Kingston Heath, is just minutes away. Several other Sandbelt standouts are close. 

The great golf in the state of Victoria stretches all the way down to the beaches of the Mornington Peninsula. There you’ll find The National Golf Club and its four solid layouts, led in the rankings by its Gunnamatta course. Just a kangaroo’s hop-skip-and-a-jump down the road is St. Andrews Beach, a largely unheralded Tom Doak and Mike Clayton layout that has suffered bouts of hard times – the clubhouse is a temporary metal building for a course that was built at the wrong time, economically. But it might be the most surprising and fun layout on any Aussie itinerary. If you consider yourself an adventurous golf traveler with an open mind, St. Andrews Beach needs to be on your dream list. 

I had the chance to visit Victoria just a few years ago to take it all in, and I was fortunate for the chance to detail that trip at length in the pages of Golfweek. The Sandbelt is a mix of expected greatness and surprising bounces where big-city sophistication and natural beauty coexist to create can’t-miss golf opportunities. Watching the Australian Open on television this week has brought back a flood of memories that have aged incredibly well.