Updated on November 10, 2026
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What is the best golf course in Australia? Royal Melbourne (West), designed by Alister MacKenzie, ranks No. 1 in both 2026 rankings. Next are Kingston Heath, another course in Melbourne's “sandbelt,” and Cape Wickham, on King Island. The Sandbelt has seven courses in our top 15, and Tasmania has four.
Top photo: The fairways at Barnbougle Dunes in Tasmania. Johnorchard, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
The 15 Best Golf Courses in Australia: The Rankings
15 courses shown.
| Rank | Course | Location | Golf Australia 2026 | Australian Golf Digest 2026 | Top100 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Royal Melbourne Golf Club (West) | Black Rock, Victoria | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 2 | Kingston Heath Golf Club | Heatherton (Cheltenham), Victoria | 3 | 2 | 2 |
| 3 | Cape Wickham Links | King Island, Tasmania | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| 4 | New South Wales Golf Club | La Perouse (Sydney), New South Wales | 6 | 4 | 5 |
| 5 | Barnbougle Dunes | Bridport, Tasmania | 4 | 6 | 3 |
| 6 | Barnbougle Lost Farm | Bridport, Tasmania | 5 | 8 | 7 |
| 7 | Peninsula Kingswood (North) | Frankston, Victoria | 10 | 5 | 11 |
| 8 | Victoria Golf Club | Cheltenham, Victoria | 8 | 7 | 8 |
| 9 | Royal Melbourne Golf Club (East) | Black Rock, Victoria | 7 | 9 | 9 |
| 10 | 7 Mile Beach (South Course) | Seven Mile Beach (Hobart), Tasmania | 9 | 11 | 10 |
| 11 | Royal Adelaide Golf Club | Seaton (Adelaide), South Australia | 12 | 10 | 12 |
| 12 | The National Golf Club (Moonah) | Cape Schanck, Victoria | 13 | 12 | 15 |
| 13 | The National Golf Club (Gunnamatta) | Cape Schanck, Victoria | 11 | 16 | 14 |
| 14 | The Metropolitan Golf Club | Oakleigh South, Victoria | 15 | 13 | 16 |
| 15 | Peninsula Kingswood (South) | Frankston, Victoria | 19 | 15 | 17 |
Consensus ranking = average of the rankings from Golf Australia (January 2026) and Australian Golf Digest (April 2026); Top100GolfCourses for reference. Click on a column header to sort.
Où se trouvent les golfs d’Australie?
Click on a number to view the golf course, then click on its name to read its profile. Base map © OpenStreetMap.
How We Ranked Australia's Golf Courses
We compared the two Australian rankings from 2026: Golf Australia (January 2026) and Australian Golf Digest (April 2026), both covering 100 courses. The consensus rank is the average of the two; a course missing from one list is given rank 110. Ties are broken by the better of the two ranks, then by Australian Golf Digest. Ellerston, a private club neither panel visited, and Royal Sydney, not assessed by Golf Australia during its renovation, could not be ranked. The Top100GolfCourses is displayed for informational purposes. This ranking is reviewed annually.
The Rankings in Detail
Architects and years of opening: official websites of the courses and the ranking lists cited, accessed on November 10, 2026; no information is provided when the source does not specify it. Photos under a free license via Wikimedia Commons.
1. Royal Melbourne Golf Club (West) 🇦🇺
Rankings: Golf Australia 2026 1 · Australian Golf Digest 2026 1 · Top100 1
The club was founded in 1891 and was granted the title “Royal” in 1895 by Queen Victoria. It hosted the 2019 Presidents Cup and is ranked among the world’s top 100 for 2025–26.
2. Kingston Heath Golf Club 🇦🇺
Rankings: Golf Australia 2026 3 · Australian Golf Digest 2026 2 · Top100 2
Alister MacKenzie turned the 15th, a short par 4, into a par 3 ringed by deep bunkers. Its best-scoring criterion is conditioning; 2nd in the ranking for the fourth time in six editions.
3. Cape Wickham Links 🇦🇺
Rankings: Golf Australia 2026 2 · Australian Golf Digest 2026 3 · Top100 4
On King Island, in Bass Strait, holes 14 through 18 stretch toward the Cape Wickham Lighthouse. Ranked No. 1 in the 2024 Australian Golf Digest rankings, it was edged out by 0.03 points for second place in 2026. Published green fee: 18 holes in 2026: 235 AUD (Australian visitors), 315 AUD (international visitors).
4. New South Wales Golf Club 🇦🇺
Rankings: Golf Australia 2026 6 · Australian Golf Digest 2026 4 · Top100 5
The greens were redesigned in 2024 by Mackenzie & Ebert. The four par-3 holes face in different directions and are exposed to winds from the Tasman Sea.
5. Barnbougle Dunes 🇦🇺
Rankings: Golf Australia 2026 4 · Australian Golf Digest 2026 6 · Top100 3
Links course set among the dunes on Tasmania’s north coast, 80 km north of Launceston. Ranked among the world’s Top 100 for 2025–26. Published green fees: 18 holes (Australian rate): 174 AUD in the 2026 off-season, 199 AUD in the 2026–27 peak season; international rate 260/285 AUD.
6. Barnbougle Lost Farm 🇦🇺
Rankings: Golf Australia 2026 5 · Australian Golf Digest 2026 8 · Top100 7
A 20-hole Links course opened in December 2010, located near Barnbougle Dunes. Described by a panel member as “the most playable course for all skill levels.” Published green fees: 18 holes (Australian rates): 174 AUD in the 2026 off-season, 199 AUD in the 2026–27 peak season; international rate: 260/285 AUD.
7. Peninsula Kingswood (North) 🇦🇺
Rankings: Golf Australia 2026 10 · Australian Golf Digest 2026 5 · Top100 11
Redesigned in 2019 by Geoff Ogilvy, Mike Clayton, Mike Cocking, and Ashley Mead (OCCM). Ranked 5th by Australian Golf Digest.
8. Victoria Golf Club 🇦🇺
Rankings: Golf Australia 2026 8 · Australian Golf Digest 2026 7 · Top100 8
The home club of Peter Thomson, five-time British Open champion; it has hosted the Australian Open three times. Ranked in GOLF.com’s World Top 100 for 2025-26.
9. Royal Melbourne Golf Club (East) 🇦🇺
Rankings: Golf Australia 2026 7 · Australian Golf Digest 2026 9 · Top100 9
Ranked 7th or 8th in every edition of Australian Golf Digest since 2008, and 9th in 2026. Named to the 2025–26 World Top 100.
10. 7 Mile Beach (South Course) 🇦🇺
Rankings: Golf Australia 2026 9 · Australian Golf Digest 2026 11 · Top100 10
Opening to the public in December 2025, 5 km from Hobart Airport. The only new course in the rankings: although it was open only during the last three months of the cycle, it was still rated by 51 panelists.
11. Royal Adelaide Golf Club 🇦🇺
Rankings: Golf Australia 2026 12 · Australian Golf Digest 2026 10 · Top100 12
The club was founded in 1892 and has been located in Seaton since 1905. A railroad track runs through the course.
12. The National Golf Club (Moonah) 🇦🇺
Rankings: Golf Australia 2026 13 · Australian Golf Digest 2026 12 · Top100 15
The National is Australia's largest private golf club. It has consistently ranked 11th or 12th in the last six editions of *Australian Golf Digest*.
13. The National Golf Club (Gunnamatta) 🇦🇺
Rankings: Golf Australia 2026 11 · Australian Golf Digest 2026 16 · Top100 14
Completely redesigned in 2019 by Tom Doak, this course was originally designed by Peter Thomson and Mike Wolveridge. Views of Bass Strait are visible right from the tee.
14. The Metropolitan Golf Club 🇦🇺
Rankings: Golf Australia 2026 15 · Australian Golf Digest 2026 13 · Top100 16
A two-phase modernization project completed in March 2025 (new holes 12, 13, and 16). Renowned for its bunkers cut flush with the greens.
15. Peninsula Kingswood (South) 🇦🇺
Rankings: Golf Australia 2026 19 · Australian Golf Digest 2026 15 · Top100 17
Only three courses in the country received a higher “Conditioning” rating. Redesigned in 2019 by OCCM (Ogilvy, Clayton, Cocking, Mead).
Where can you play golf in Australia?
Melbourne's Sandbelt, a belt of sandy soils southeast of the city, is home to seven courses from our top 15: the two Royal Melbourne courses, Kingston Heath, Victoria, Metropolitan, and the two Peninsula Kingswood courses. The two courses at The National are nearby, on the Mornington Peninsula. Tasmania has four (Cape Wickham, Barnbougle Dunes, Lost Farm, 7 Mile Beach), Sydney one (New South Wales) and Adelaide one (Royal Adelaide). Barnbougle has released its rates: 174 to 199 AUD for Australians, and 260 to 285 AUD for international visitors.
See also
The Countries with the Most Golf Courses
The 15 Best Golf Courses in England
The 15 Best Golf Courses in New Zealand
The 15 Best Golf Courses in Canada
The 15 Best Golf Courses in Japan
Top 100 Golf Courses in the WorldFrequently Asked Questions About Golf Courses in Australia
What is the best golf course in Australia?
Royal Melbourne (West), designed by Alister MacKenzie: ranked No. 1 by Golf Australia and Australian Golf Digest in 2026.
What is the Melbourne Sandbelt?
A belt of sandy soils southeast of Melbourne, ideal for golf, home to Royal Melbourne, Kingston Heath, Victoria, Metropolitan, and Peninsula Kingswood.
How much does a green fee cost at Barnbougle?
From 174 to 199 AUD depending on the season for Australians, and from 260 to 285 AUD for international visitors, according to the resort's website.
How many golf courses are there in Australia?
1,584, according to the R&A's "Golf Around the World" report: see The countries with the most golf courses.