2022 VIC RANK | COURSE | 2022 AUST RANK |
1 | BARWON HEADS | 5 |
2 | THE DUNES | 6 |
3 | ST ANDREWS BEACH | 8 |
4 | THIRTEENTH BEACH - BEACH | 9 |
5 | MOONAH LINKS - LEGENDS | 11 |
6 | LONSDALE LINKS | 14 |
7 | MOONAH LINKS - OPEN | 19 |
8 | PORTSEA | 20 |
9 | PORT FAIRY | 21 |
10 | THIRTEENTH BEACH - CREEK | 26 |
11 | SANDY LINKS | 29 |
12 | CURLEWIS | 31 |
13 | BLACK BULL | 36 |
14 | SETTLERS RUN | 37 |
15 | CRANBOURNE | 39 |
16 | CAPE SCHANCK | 40 |
17 | CLUB MANDALAY | 49 |
18 | FLINDERS | 54 |
19 | SANCTUARY LAKES | 55 |
20 | QUEENSCLIFF | 56 |
21 | ROSEBUD - NORTH | 58 |
22 | RANFURLIE | 63 |
23 | BALLARAT | 64 |
24 | LEONGATHA | 65 |
25 | HORSHAM | 67 |
26 | PORTARLINGTON | 69 |
27 | WARRNAMBOOL | 73 |
28 | SANDHURST - CHAMPIONS | 74 |
29 | EYNESBURY | 75 |
30 | SHEPPARTON | 76 |
31 | SANDS TORQUAY | 80 |
32 | SANDHURST - NORTH | 83 |
33 | LANG LANG | 85 |
34 | YERING MEADOWS - NURSERY | 90 |
35 | GROWLING FROG | 94 |
36 | ROSEBUD - SOUTH | 95 |
37 | GARDINERS RUN | 96 |
2021 Rankings:
COURSE | 2021 AUST RANK |
BARWON HEADS | 4 |
THE DUNES | 5 |
ST ANDREWS BEACH | 7 |
THIRTEENTH BEACH - BEACH | 9 |
MOONAH LINKS - LEGENDS | 10 |
MOONAH LINKS - OPEN | 16 |
PORTSEA | 19 |
PORT FAIRY | 22 |
THIRTEENTH BEACH - CREEK | 23 |
CAPE SCHANCK | 38 |
SETTLERS RUN | 39 |
CURLEWIS | 40 |
CRANBOURNE | 42 |
LONSDALE | 45 |
HERITAGE - ST JOHN | 46 |
RANFURLIE | 53 |
CLUB MANDALAY | 56 |
BALLARAT | 60 |
FLINDERS | 61 |
ROSEBUD - NORTH | 63 |
LEONGATHA | 64 |
HERITAGE - HENLEY | 68 |
SANDHURST - CHAMPIONS | 69 |
WARRNAMBOOL | 70 |
EYNESBURY | 75 |
HORSHAM | 76 |
PORTARLINGTON | 77 |
YERING MEADOWS - NURSERY | 80 |
SANDS TORQUAY | 81 |
SANDHURST - NORTH | 86 |
GROWLING FROG | 92 |
SHEPPARTON | 93 |
GARDINERS RUN | 95 |
2020 Rankings;
COURSE | 2020 RANK |
THE DUNES | 4 |
BARWON HEADS | 5 |
ST ANDREWS BEACH | 8 |
THIRTEENTH BEACH - BEACH | 10 |
MOONAH LINKS - LEGENDS | 12 |
MOONAH LINKS - OPEN | 18 |
PORTSEA | 19 |
PORT FAIRY | 21 |
THIRTEENTH BEACH - CREEK | 27 |
CURLEWIS | 37 |
CAPE SCHANCK | 41 |
CRANBOURNE | 46 |
SANCTUARY LAKES | 50 |
CLUB MANDALAY | 54 |
HERITAGE - ST JOHN | 56 |
RANFURLIE | 57 |
BALLARAT | 59 |
EYNESBURY | 63 |
FLINDERS | 64 |
ROSEBUD - NORTH | 67 |
HERITAGE - HENLEY | 70 |
HORSHAM | 74 |
WARRNAMBOOL | 75 |
SANDS TORQUAY | 81 |
SHEPPARTON | 83 |
YERING MEADOWS - NURSERY | 85 |
Here is the 2014 List:
COURSE | 2014 RANK |
THE DUNES | 3 |
MOONAH LINKS - LEGENDS | 5 |
BARWON HEADS | 7 |
THIRTEENTH BEACH - BEACH | 9 |
ST ANDREWS BEACH | 10 |
MOONAH LINKS - OPEN | 12 |
PORTSEA | 19 |
HERITAGE - ST JOHNS | 24 |
SORRENTO | 26 |
HORSHAM | 30 |
THIRTEENTH BEACH - CREEK | 33 |
PORT FAIRY | 34 |
CAPE SCHANCK | 37 |
RANFURLIE | 39 |
HERITAGE - HENLEY | 41 |
CRANBOURNE | 44 |
EYNESBURY | 45 |
SANDHURST - CHAMPIONS | 51 |
YERING MEADOWS - NURSERY | 53 |
BALLARAT | 54 |
CURLEWIS | 57 |
EAGLE RIDGE | 59 |
ROSEBUD - NORTH | 60 |
SANDS TORQUAY | 63 |
SANCTUARY LAKES | 67 |
SETTLERS RUN | 68 |
SHEPPARTON | 75 |
SANDHURST - NORTH | 76 |
WARRNAMBOOL | 80 |
FLINDERS | 84 |
FOREST RESORT | 85 |
GROWLING FROG | 89 |
WATERFORD VALLEY | 95 |
KINGSTON LINKS | 98 |
Here is the 2013 list which includes Murray River courses (not exactly in Vic):
COURSE | GCG RANK | DESIGNER |
The Dunes | 3 | Tony Cashmore |
Moonah Links (Legends) | 6 | Ross Perrett |
Barwon Heads Golf Club | 7 | Victor East |
St Andrews Beach Golf Course | 8 | Tom Doak |
Thirteenth Beach - Beach | 9 | Tony Cashmore |
Moonah Links (Open) | 12 | Peter Thomson, Michael Wolveridge, Ross Perrett |
Portsea Golf Club | 17 | Jack Young, Sloan Morpeth, Michael Clayton |
Port Fairy Golf Links | 23 | Kevin Hartley, Michael Clayton |
Horsham Golf Club | 30 | Sam Berriman |
Sorrento Golf Club | 31 | J.D. Scott |
Ranfurlie Golf Course (Amstel) | 33 | Michael Clayton |
Eynesbury Golf Course | 37 | Graham Marsh |
Cape Schanck RACV Resort | 46 | Robert Trent Jones Jr |
Cranbourne Golf Club Inc | 47 | Sam Berriman |
Murray Downs | 48 | Ted Parslow |
Curlewis Golf Club Inc | 49 | |
Ballarat Golf Club | 50 | |
The Sands Torquay | 51 | Stuart Appleby |
Eagle Ridge Golf Course | 57 | |
Rosebud (North) | 59 | |
Warrnambool Golf Club | 62 | George Lowe |
Shepparton Golf Club | 66 | |
Creswick The Forest Resort | 71 | Tony Cashmore |
Flinders Golf Club | 79 | |
Growling Frog Golf Course | 89 | Graham Marsh |
Lonsdale Golf Club Inc | 97 |
Here is the VIC ranking from the Golf Course Guide, 2004
VICTORIA (INC MURRAY RIVER) TOP PUBLIC ACCESS COURSES
* Murray River (NSW) Course
* Denotes Murray River (NSW) Course |
Victoria and Murray River Top 50
“Victorian golf has long been recognised for Melbourne’s famous Sand Belt region, home to arguably the finest collection of golf courses in the world. That region is now complemented by extensive developments on the Mornington and Bellarine Peninsulas, many of which are top quality public access courses. Victorians have also laid claim to the Murray River courses that extend from Albury in the East to Wentworth in the West. Throughout the State there is a large variety of charming country courses noted for their accessibility and modest green fees.”
In keeping with previous editions, we not only list all (private and public) courses throughout the most compact mainland state, but we rank the best of the public access courses according to the same criteria as used for the Australian ranking.
The Dunes tops our list as it has since 1999 when we first published a Public Access Course ranking. This year, Thirteenth Beach (The Beach Course) moves up one spot to give designer Tony Cashmore and entrepreneur Duncan Andrews the quinella.
Barwon Heads moves into fourth place, just behind Portsea – two classic layouts that still hold their own with Cashmore’s creations, and the mighty Open Course at Moonah Links in fifth spot.
Other courses to improve their rankings include Sorrento, both Cobram Barooga layouts on the Murray, Curlewis, Anglesea and Gisborne. On debut at No 42 is Bright – yet another Cashmore design that opened in 1989 and has perhaps been overlooked by our panel in the past. Two other courses just crept into the Top 50 – Rosebud Park on the Mornington Peninsula and The Hills course at Beaconhills.
Whilst there is some movement in the rankings due to conditioning changes as perceived by our panel, and occasionally by design alterations, it is recognised that many of the assessments are extremely close, and necessarily subjective in nature. The list is strictly intended as guidance only.
I can only repeat Peter Thomson’s assertion:
"Generally speaking it is possible in Victoria to indulge oneself in golfing fare to the point of gluttony. The standard is unusually high, so that even the best players can have their skills put to the highest test." (Foreword to the first Edition of the Golf Course Guide, 1994)