Golf course hits new sweet spot

FOUR Tasmanian golf courses are on par with the best in the country, each securing prime positions in the latest top 100 list.

Royal Melbourne remains on top of the respected biennial rankings of Australian Golf Digest

magazine, but Cape Wickham on the northern tip of King Island is closing in.

The true links public golf course, which only opened in November 2015, pipped Kingston Heath in Victoria to take out the number two spot on the 2020 list.

It is the course’s highest ranking yet, after placing third in 2016 and 2018.

Cape Wickham general manager John Geary yesterday labelled the result “phenomenal”.

“To be ranked so highly so early in the life of the development vindicates everyone’s hard work,” he said.

“We’re getting people coming from all over the world saying it’s as good, if not better than the best they have ever played on. The landscape and interaction with the ocean is a large part of it, but the designers have done a magnificent job in making the most of the property we’ve got.”

Mr Geary said the next challenge was converting the ranking into greater visitation.

The Barnbougle Dunes and Barnbougle Lost Farm courses in Bridport finished fourth and seventh respectively, while Ocean Dunes, also on King Island, finished 13th.

Each course receives a score out of 80 across seven criteria, which focus predominantly on design and layout. Australian Golf Digest

Top 100 editor Steve Keipert said the previous rankings in 2018 were decided by a judging panel of 45 people, but that figure was increased to 182 for the 2020 list, delivering even greater scrutiny of the nation’s best courses.

“Tassie really has been the state that has seen the most activity since the turn of the century. No other state but Victoria is that topheavy on the list,” Mr Keipert said. “The newer courses coming into Tassie have been world-class, with layouts by elite designers in amazing locations.”

The top 100 list will be published in the March edition of Australian Golf Digest, which will hit news stands from next Thursday.