8 WORLD-CLASS Gold Coast Golf Courses

KIRRA SMITH

Whacking balls into the ether just for the hell of it on some of the worlds most beautiful courses, wearing pants that definitely can’t be worn anywhere else, wandering around for hours on end looking for said whacked balls on said world’s most beautiful courses, what’s not to love?

In honour of that, here’s a list of eight beautiful Gold Coast golf courses from north to south that you should absolutely hit up (get it) while you’re staying on our sparkly shores.

A course with the most mind blowing of backdrops, Links can be found right on the water up north. Set within a 360-hectare residential resort community, Links is a world-renowned golf course and we would highly recommend getting involved in twilight golf because sunsets over the water are absolutely nextlevel. The entire course boasts five-star facilities and is consistently named one of Australia’s top ten resort courses. Challenging and with some of the most spectacular views on the Coast, this one is a must-putt. www.linkshopeisland.com.au

Right in the heart of it all is RACV Royal Pines, an immaculate, world-renowned course with 27 holes that can be configured into three, 18-hole courses should that be your thing. The recently redesigned championship course hosts the Australian PGA Championship and was nominated Australia’s Best Golf Hotel 2017 by the World Golf Awards. Treat yourself to a frosty beverage once you’re done, 21 floors up at the beautiful Videre with 360-degree views of the Gold Coast. www.racv.com.au

Simply stunning is the Sanctuary Cove Golf and Country Club. With 18 perfectly manicured holes, a sleek country club and right on the water, it’s safe to say you’ll absolutely enjoy your time on the course here. The Palms course has undergone an $8.8 million reconstruction in recent years and was redesigned by renowned golf course architect Ross Watson. It is one of Australian Golf Digest’s Top 50 golf courses. Perfection, see. www.sanctuarycovegolf.com.au

They say this one is a challenging one (pretty sure they’re all challenging but okay). Surrounded by beautiful waterways, boardwalks and gardens, The Glades is a premiere course designed by champion Australian golfing icon Greg Norman and typical of his trademark aggressive layouts (no idea what that means but no doubt you do) offering a challenging round of golf within absolutely stunning surrounds. Lovely. www.glades.com.au

Found very close to the Gold Coast Turf Club is the Southport Golf Course; a spacious, easy walk course filled with tree-lined fairways and plenty of ponds (perfect for losing balls in). It’s quite tranquil wandering through the course so if the golfing isn’t going that well, at least you can have a relaxing stroll to make up for it. Designed for all levels, Southport Golf Course starts with a par 5 and most golfers meander through the first nine holes comfortably. www.southportgolfclub.com.au

Pretty as a picture is Palm Meadows Golf Course, also in Carrara. It’s the Coast’s original course and it really is a beauty. The challenging 350 hectare course was designed by leading Australian golfer Graham Marsh. There are water features on 14 holes and 82 sand bunkers PLUS the first hole is recognised as one of the world’s most challenging opening holes. The more obstacles the better hey. Unsure why to be honest but there you go golfers. www.palmmeadows.com.au

One of the world’s finest golfers, Jack Nicklaus, has designed over 300 golf courses across the world. One of which, is Lakelands, his first in Australia. They say it took him 25 years to find the perfect Aussie site and quite obviously, he found it on the Gold Coast. Magic you see. The course is tree-lined and the grass is immaculate and you might find yourself getting lost in the sheer beauty of it. www.lakelandsgolfclub.com.au