Royal Melbourne Golf Club
Ranked · 7 courses · updated 2026

The Best Golf Courses in the Sandbelt

Melbourne's Sandbelt is the greatest concentration of golf on earth, a band of perfect sandy soil holding a dozen world class courses within a short drive of one another, shaped by the genius of Alister MacKenzie. Firm turf, crisp edged bunkers and the most strategic greens in golf. Here are the seven we rate most highly, ranked, with our verdict on each and how to play it.

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By the GolfForKings editorial desk · How we rank · Last reviewed June 2026

Photograph: Royal Melbourne Golf Club, Owen Tully, via Google

How we chose them

Run a line through Melbourne's south eastern suburbs and you cross a belt of free draining sand that turns out to be the finest golfing soil in the world. On it, in the early twentieth century, a cluster of clubs built courses that have no equal for sheer density of quality. The turning point came in 1926, when the great Alister MacKenzie, later the architect of Augusta National and Cypress Point, spent time in Melbourne and left his fingerprints on course after course. The result is a style all its own: width off the tee, firm and fast turf, deep bunkers with sculpted sandy faces and bold, sloping greens that reward the player who thinks.

We judged these on design, conditioning, strategic interest and the weight of history, and the standard across the belt is so high that the margins are tiny. Every fact here, from designers and years to host events, was checked at the time of writing. The order is our editors' view. These are private members' clubs, so access takes arranging, and green fees are seasonal and indicative and high at the top clubs, so always confirm directly before booking. Because the courses sit so close together, a Sandbelt week is one of the great golf trips, which is exactly what our concierge builds.

The ranking

01

Royal Melbourne, West Course

Alister MacKenzie with Alex Russell, 1931 · Black Rock, Victoria

One of the greatest courses in the world and the jewel of the Sandbelt, an Alister MacKenzie design completed in 1931 with the help of Australian Open champion Alex Russell. Its width, its diagonal carries and its lightning fast, severely contoured greens make it the purest expression of strategic golf, a course architects study to this day. For its biggest events, including the Presidents Cup, the club plays a Composite Course that weaves the best of the West and East together. Simply essential.

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02

Kingston Heath Golf Club

Dan Soutar, with bunkering by Alister MacKenzie · Cheltenham, Victoria

The course many now rate the very best in Australia, laid out by Dan Soutar in the 1920s and given its magnificent bunkering by Alister MacKenzie. On a smaller, flatter site than Royal Melbourne, it packs in a flawless set of holes, a stunning collection of par 3s and the finest greens and sand on the belt, all framed by native heath. Tighter and more intimate than its famous neighbour, it is, for many connoisseurs, the perfect golf course. A regular host of the Australian Open.

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03

Royal Melbourne, East Course

Alex Russell, 1932 · Black Rock, Victoria

Overshadowed only by its sibling, the East at Royal Melbourne is a magnificent course in its own right, designed by Alex Russell, MacKenzie's collaborator, and opened in 1932. It shares the same firm turf, brilliant bunkering and bold greens, with several holes good enough to feature in the Composite Course used for major championships. Quieter and a touch less famous than the West, it is far more than a support act and would be the standout course in almost any other city in the world.

Plan a Sandbelt golf trip

04

Victoria Golf Club

MacKenzie era Sandbelt design · Cheltenham, Victoria

The home club of five time Open champion Peter Thomson and a glorious Sandbelt test that sits right across the road from Royal Melbourne. Refined in the MacKenzie era and beautifully restored in recent years, it offers classic firm and fast golf, superb green complexes and some of the best bunkering on the belt, all in a wonderfully natural heathland setting. A long time Australian Open venue, it is a connoisseur's favourite and a fixture on any serious Sandbelt itinerary.

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05

Metropolitan Golf Club

Classic Sandbelt design · Seven Australian Opens · Oakleigh South, Victoria

The closest of the great clubs to the city and famed for having the finest turf on the Sandbelt, immaculately presented and a regular host of the Australian Open, with seven national titles to its name. The layout rewards precise iron play into beautifully bunkered greens, and the conditioning sets the standard that even its illustrious neighbours measure themselves against. Elegant, demanding and superbly maintained, Metropolitan is pure Sandbelt golf and an easy course to love.

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06

Commonwealth Golf Club

Classic Sandbelt design · Oakleigh South, Victoria

One of the most underrated courses on the belt, a strong, well bunkered Sandbelt test that has hosted tour events and Australian Open qualifying and rewards thoughtful, accurate golf. Routed through tea tree and native heath, it has the firm turf, crisp sand and clever greens of its more famous neighbours, with a quieter reputation that means it is often overlooked by visitors. For golfers who want the full Sandbelt experience without the queue, Commonwealth is a genuine highlight.

Plan a Sandbelt golf trip

07

Yarra Yarra Golf Club

Alex Russell, with MacKenzie influence · Bentleigh East, Victoria

A charming and much loved Sandbelt course shaped in the classic era and influenced by the MacKenzie school, best known for a famous par 3 guarded by a sprawling complex of bunkers, one of the most photographed one shot holes in the country. Beautifully treed and full of character, it has the firm turf and strategic greens that define the belt, in a more intimate setting. Restored with care in recent years, it rounds out a Sandbelt tour with a course that golfers leave talking about.

Plan a Sandbelt golf trip

Designers, opening years and host events verified June 2026. These are private members' clubs and visitor access must be arranged ahead. Green fees are seasonal and indicative and high at the top clubs. Course profiles are added across the site as the directory grows. Always confirm access, fees and tee times directly before booking. Check tee time availability.

Play the Melbourne Sandbelt

Tell us which courses are on your list and roughly when, and whether you want the Sandbelt alone or paired with the Mornington Peninsula. One concierge arranges the visitor access, tee times and transfers across the private clubs and costs the trip to the head, with no obligation.

Sandbelt golf questions

What is the best course on the Melbourne Sandbelt?

The West Course at Royal Melbourne is our pick and one of the greatest courses in the world, an Alister MacKenzie design from 1931, built with Alex Russell and laid out across firm, fast Sandbelt sand. Its strategic bunkering, sloping greens and width make it the model many architects study. For the biggest events the club plays a Composite Course, combining holes from the West and East to keep play within its own grounds. Kingston Heath runs it desperately close.

What is the Melbourne Sandbelt?

The Sandbelt is a band of sandy soil running through Melbourne's south eastern suburbs, ideal ground for golf, on which a remarkable cluster of championship courses was built in the early twentieth century. The free draining sand allows firm, fast turf, deep crisp edged bunkers and contoured greens. The visit of Alister MacKenzie in 1926 shaped the whole region. No other city on earth holds so many top courses within such a small area.

Can visitors play the Sandbelt courses?

The Sandbelt clubs are private members' clubs, but most welcome visitors at certain times, often midweek and usually with advance arrangement or through a golf tour operator. Royal Melbourne and the other flagship clubs have set visitor procedures, and access is far from automatic. Green fees are seasonal and indicative and high for the top clubs. Always arrange access and confirm fees and conditions directly with the club well before booking.

How many Sandbelt courses can you play in one trip?

Because the courses sit so close together, a well planned Sandbelt trip can take in four to six of them in under a week, often two in a single day, with short transfers between clubs. Many golfers pair the Sandbelt with the nearby Mornington Peninsula courses. Our concierge arranges the visitor access, tee times and logistics across the private clubs, which is the hard part of putting a Sandbelt itinerary together.

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Researched and written by the GolfForKings editorial desk. Last reviewed June 2026. We verify designers, opening years and host events at the time of writing and review them again on a schedule.