As the world’s top golfer in the ’80s and ’90s, Queensland-born Greg Norman, the “Great White Shark,” had a major hand (almost losing his in a recent chainsaw accident) in bringing attention to his homeland. Today, Australia remains a major golfing destination, with a range of exceptional courses ideally suited for business, leisure and incentive groups.
Did somebody say golf and wine tasting? In South Australia, home to 17 wine regions and considered the nation’s wine capital, delegates can pair a professional round of golf at globally ranked Royal Adelaide with tastings of shiraz in the Barossa, riesling in the Clare Valley, big reds in the Coonawarra and more. Home to the National Wine Centre of Australia, Adelaide is surrounded by more than 200 cellar doors.
It’s VIP all the way at Hamilton Island Golf Club, the only championship course in Australia on its own private island. Located in the heart of the Great Barrier Reef, the course, designed by Australian golf legend Peter Thomson, is just minutes by boat from Hamilton Island and elite properties like qualia.
Exceptional, too, is iconic Barnbougle Links Golf Resort on Tasmania’s rugged north east coast. Combining two world-ranked courses seemingly airlifted from Scotland or Ireland, the resort can cater up to 70 delegates with side offerings including locally sourced food and wine, day spa options and incentive trips around magical Tasmania.
Also designed by Thomson is one of the world’s top 10 desert courses, Alice Springs Golf Club. Located in the heart of the Outback near legendary Uluru (Ayers Rock), the club is bordered by the 1,200-seat Alice Springs Convention Centre and its Lasseters Hotel Casino, offering 140 rooms and 13 suites, plus a new 180-seat restaurant with two private dining rooms.
Melbourne’s famed eight “sandbelt” courses, so named for the rich loam underlying their brilliant green fairways, include Royal Melbourne, one of the world’s top 10 courses.
Golf clubs catering to large corporate events include Royal Queensland Golf Club in Brisbane, with its stunning clubhouse overlooking the course and restaurant seating up to 120 guests, plus a full bar. Surrounded by water on three sides, New South Wales Golf Club in Sydney offers banquet space for up to 90 guests, plus a main bar and outdoor patio for taking in the million-dollar views.
For more information and reservation access, visit Great Golf Courses of Australia.
