VICTORIA GOLF CLUB
Regularly ranked in the Top-100 golf courses in the world, the Victoria Golf Club is one of the truly wonderful experiences that visitors can easily enjoy.
The club was founded back in 1903 and moved to the current Cheltenham site, across the road from the famed Royal Melbourne Golf Club back in 1927. With almost 100 years at the site, and as with its Sandbelt peers, the course has hosted the very best players in the world.
The club has also produced great players including arguably Australia’s best ever golfer, Peter Thomson, who joined the club as a 16-year-old in 1946 and remained a member until his passing in 2018 – a photograph at his statute near the 10th tee is a memory to keep. 2006 US Open champion Geoff Ogilvy was 15 when he joined and 2018 US Amateur champion Gabi Ruffels joined as an 11-yearold – and both remain members. You might even bump into them at the club.
The course was laid out by two members who did a remarkable job – and the doyen of golf architecture Alister MacKenzie assisted them with some insights while he was in Melbourne working at the Royal Melbourne Golf Club. The course typifies the wonderful MacKenzie bunkering.
In 2018, the Club undertook an industryleading renovation of the course which entailed the replacement of each and every green on the course. It was a fantastic project and both members and visitors alike are effusive in their praise with comments that they are now amongst the best surfaces in the country.
While the surfaces are world-class, the design is comparable with a wonderful array of challenging yet eminently playable holes. Holes 11 through 16 will play a significant role in determining your score. Holes 11, 12 and 13 are all par-4s requiring accuracy and placement off the tee followed by an approach shot to the ‘right spot’ on the green to hopefully allow the player to make a putt.
The 14th hole is a tricky uphill par-3 requiring the most precise of tee shots – missing the green will make par unlikely. The 15th is perhaps the most interesting – anything from a driver to a 6-iron – and, again, reaching the green in regulation is essential for par. The 16th typically plays as one of the hardest holes during tournaments and a long iron with careful placement is required to make three.