Royal Hobart Golf Club
Founded in 1900 and one of Australia's oldest clubs, Royal Hobart found its lasting home on the sand of Seven Mile Beach. Vern Morcom shaped the present course there, opened in 1963, a par 72 of about 6,174 metres laid through natural bushland and defended by more than eighty bunkers.
Photo: Royal Hobart Golf Club via Google.
The verdict
Royal Hobart is one of the great survivors of Australian golf. The club dates to 1900, which makes it among the oldest in the country, and it has moved more than once in its long life. In 1956 it secured the sandy ground it holds today, 175 acres at Seven Mile Beach, and turned to Vern Morcom, the renowned Victorian designer behind so much of the country's best bunkering, to build the course. It opened for play in 1963.
Morcom found a rare gift in that site: a true sand base of gentle contour in natural bushland, the kind of ground that drains fast and runs firm. He used it to cut more than eighty fairway and greenside bunkers, and they give the course its character, demanding position from the tee and precision into greens that sit cleanly on the sand. For a traveling golfer it is the heritage anchor of a Hobart trip, a course with a Royal title and the design pedigree to back it.
Royal Hobart at a glance
- Club founded
- 1900
- Course opened
- 1963
- Designer
- Vern Morcom
- Holes
- 18
- Par
- 72
- Yardage
- About 6,174 m
Designer, year, par and yardage verified June 2026 from the club and leading course databases. The club was founded in 1900, secured its Seven Mile Beach site in 1956, and the Vern Morcom course opened in 1963, a par 72 of about 6,174 metres with more than 80 bunkers. Visitor access is by arrangement, so always confirm current access and any fees directly before booking.
The holes worth the trip
The bunkering is the defining feature and the reason the course rewards a thinking player. Morcom set his sand to catch the lazy line, so the right miss and the wrong miss are clearly different things, and a round here is largely about staying on the correct side of the trouble off the tee. The sand base means the ball sits up cleanly and the greens accept a well struck approach, but the firmness asks you to control spin and run.
The bushland setting gives the round a quiet, contained feeling, each hole framed by its own corridor of native trees with the next tee out of sight. There is little water and few tricks; the test is honest, classical and built almost entirely on angles and the bunkers that guard them.
It plays its length sensibly rather than punishingly, which makes it a pleasure for the visiting golfer. Drive to the open side, respect the sand, and Royal Hobart gives you a fair and satisfying examination of the kind Morcom designed so well.
How to get on
| What to know | Detail |
|---|---|
| Access | Private members club; visitors and reciprocal players welcome by prior arrangement |
| Green fee | Visitor green fees apply where access is granted (indicative, 2026) |
| Booking | Contact the pro shop ahead; weekends carry more member competition |
| On the day | Walking course with carts by arrangement; full clubhouse; smart golf dress expected |
| Getting there | Seven Mile Beach, beside Hobart Airport, about 20 kilometres east of central Hobart |
| Best months | November to April for the warmest, driest days and firmest sand |
Access and fees verified June 2026 from Royal Hobart Golf Club where published; policy changes, so always confirm current access and any fees directly before planning a visit.
Where to stay nearby
Hobart, twenty kilometres west, is the natural base, with the waterfront, Salamanca and the city's whisky and seafood within easy reach for the evening. The course sits beside the airport, so it is an easy first or last round of a trip, a few minutes from the terminal.
For a quieter stay, the Seven Mile Beach and Lauderdale area offers low key lodging right by the sand and the first tee. From either base the southern Tasmania trio of Royal Hobart, the Tasmania Golf Club and the historic Ratho Farm sit within a short, scenic drive of one another.
Looking for a base? See our recommended hotels and resorts near Hobart.
Build a Tasmania golf trip
We pair Royal Hobart with the Tasmania Golf Club and the heritage round at Ratho Farm, and book the lodging, the whisky and the seafood around your group. Tell us roughly when and who is travelling and one concierge costs it to the head, with no obligation.
Royal Hobart questions
Who designed Royal Hobart Golf Club?
The Seven Mile Beach course was designed by the noted Australian architect Vern Morcom, who used the natural sand base to build more than 80 bunkers. The course opened for play in 1963; the club itself was founded in 1900.
Can visitors play Royal Hobart Golf Club?
Royal Hobart is a private members club that welcomes visitors and reciprocal players by prior arrangement. Contact the club to book, and always confirm current access and any fees directly before booking.
What is the par and length of Royal Hobart Golf Club?
Royal Hobart plays to a par 72 of about 6,174 metres for men, on gently contoured, sand-based ground in natural bushland at Seven Mile Beach.
Where is Royal Hobart Golf Club?
It lies at Seven Mile Beach, beside Hobart Airport and about 20 kilometres east of central Hobart, Tasmania, Australia.
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Researched and written by the GolfForKings editorial desk. Designer, year, par and yardage verified June 2026. Last reviewed June 2026.