New South Wales Golf Club
Alister MacKenzie drew the routing in 1926 on the headland where Botany Bay meets the Pacific, and the course opened in 1928. A par 72 of about 6,830 yards across the La Perouse clifftops, New South Wales is Sydney's great links experience and one of the most dramatic settings in world golf, with limited visitor play on weekdays.
Photo: New South Wales Golf Club via Google.
The verdict
MacKenzie passed through Sydney on the same 1926 tour of Australia that produced his sandbelt work, and the routing he sketched at La Perouse became New South Wales Golf Club, opened in 1928 on the windswept headland guarding the entrance to Botany Bay. Later hands, Eric Apperly chief among them, refined the course into its modern form, a par 72 of about 6,830 yards.
The setting has no equal in Australian golf: fairways tumbling over exposed clifftop ground, the Pacific crashing below, and wind that changes the course daily. A neat piece of design trivia tells the story of its variety, four par 3s and four par 5s each facing a different point of the compass, so no two days play alike. It belongs on any serious Australian itinerary alongside the Melbourne sandbelt.
New South Wales Golf Club at a glance
- Opened
- 1928
- Designer
- Alister MacKenzie
- Type
- Clifftop links
- Par
- 72
- Yardage
- About 6,830 yds
- Green fee
- On application
Designer, opening year, par and yardage verified June 2026 from New South Wales Golf Club and leading course databases. MacKenzie supplied the routing in 1926 and the course opened in 1928, refined later by Eric Apperly among others; it measures about 6,245 meters, roughly 6,830 yards, at par 72. The club is private and does not publish a public green fee, with limited visitor times priced on application, so always confirm access and rates directly before booking.
The holes worth the trip
The stretch everyone travels for begins at the 5th, a par 5 that climbs blind over a saddle before the land falls away and the entire Pacific fills the view from the crest, one of the great reveals in golf. It is followed by the 6th, Eric Apperly's celebrated short hole, played from a tee perched on the wave washed rocks of Cape Banks back across the surf to a green set into the hillside.
The course then rides the headland in and out of the wind, the compass point arrangement of the one shot and three shot holes guaranteeing that whatever the day brings, some holes run downwind and some dead into it. The turf is coastal and firm, the carries honest, and club selection is the examination.
There is no hiding from the weather and that is the point. On a calm morning it is a beautiful, scoreable links walk; in a southerly it is one of the hardest tests in the country. Either way, the closing run home above Botany Bay is the kind of golf that stays with you for years.
How to get on
| What to know | Detail |
|---|---|
| Access | Private members club; limited visitor tee times are available on weekdays, subject to club and event calendars |
| Green fee | No published public rate; visitor fees are quoted on application and sit in line with Sydney's top private clubs (indicative, 2026) |
| Booking | Contact the club office or golf shop well in advance; a letter of introduction or a recognized trip planner smooths the process |
| On the day | Handicap evidence and standard private club dress expected; walking is the norm |
| Getting there | La Perouse, about 30 minutes from central Sydney and 20 minutes from Sydney Airport |
| Best months | October to April for the warmest, most settled coastal weather; winter golf is playable but exposed |
Access arrangements verified June 2026; New South Wales Golf Club is private and policies change, and any visitor rate is quoted on application, so always confirm directly before booking with the club or your trip planner.
Where to stay nearby
Most visitors stay in central Sydney, where the hotel choice is deep and the run out to La Perouse is an easy half hour against the traffic. The eastern beach suburbs, Coogee and Maroubra in particular, put you closer still, with ocean pools and surf beaches for the off mornings.
New South Wales pairs naturally with a Melbourne sandbelt leg on the same trip; many itineraries fly into Sydney for the harbor and this round, then continue south for Kingston Heath and Royal Melbourne West. Domestic flights make the combination simple.
Looking for a base? See our recommended hotels and resorts near New South Wales Golf Club.
Build a Sydney golf trip
We work the limited New South Wales visitor windows, pair the round with the best of Sydney and the sandbelt and book the lodging around it. Tell us roughly when and who is traveling and one concierge costs it to the head, with no obligation.
New South Wales questions
Who designed New South Wales Golf Club and when did it open?
Alister MacKenzie supplied the routing during his 1926 visit to Australia and the course opened in 1928. Eric Apperly later refined several holes, including the famous short 6th at Cape Banks.
What is the par and length of New South Wales?
New South Wales is a par 72 of about 6,245 meters, roughly 6,830 yards, played over exposed clifftop ground where the wind dictates the effective length from day to day.
Can visitors play New South Wales Golf Club?
Yes, on a limited basis. The club reserves a small number of weekday visitor times, priced on application. Book well in advance through the club office or a recognized golf travel planner.
What is the most famous hole at New South Wales?
The 6th, a short par 3 played from a rock tee at Cape Banks across the ocean, is the most photographed hole, and the blind par 5 5th with its Pacific reveal at the crest is just as celebrated.
Related
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Researched and written by the GolfForKings editorial desk. Designer, opening year, par and yardage verified June 2026; indicative green fees verified June 2026. Last reviewed June 2026.