The Lakes Golf Club
A few minutes from Sydney Airport, on sandy ground that once held lakes and dunes, The Lakes is one of the city's great championship courses. Mike Clayton and the Ogilvy Clayton team remodeled it between 2006 and 2009, scattering broad sandy waste areas and rugged bunkering across firm turf, and the result is a strategic, links influenced test that has hosted the Australian Open eight times and was named host of the 2026 BMW Australian PGA Championship.
Photograph: The Lakes Golf Club, via Google · Andy Hoang
The verdict
The Lakes is the championship course of eastern Sydney, a sandy, strategic test that sits alongside Royal Sydney and The Australian among the city's most serious venues. The club dates to 1928, when Eric Apperly and Tom Howard laid out the first holes, but the course you play today is a modern one. The airport freeway cut through the property in 1968, prompting a Robert von Hagge and Bruce Devlin rebuild, and then between 2006 and 2009 Mike Clayton and the Ogilvy Clayton team gave it the character it now carries: open sightlines, firm running turf, and great sweeps of exposed sand.
What makes it worth the trip is that Clayton's remodel turned a good but uneven course into a genuinely strategic one. The sandy waste areas and rugged bunker shapes ask you to choose a line and commit to it, the previously flat front nine was sharpened, and the whole course plays with a links feel that rewards the ground game and punishes the lazy drive. It has staged eight Australian Opens, most recently the shared 2023 event, and returns to the championship rota as host of the 2026 BMW Australian PGA Championship. For a visiting golfer building a Sydney itinerary around New South Wales Golf Club and Royal Sydney, The Lakes is an essential round and the most accessible of the city's true championship tests.
The Lakes at a glance
- Opened
- 1928
- Designers
- Apperly, then Clayton remodel
- Type
- Sandbelt, links feel
- Par
- 72
- Yardage
- Around 6,920 yds
- Green fee
- Private, by arrangement
Designers, opening year, par and yardage verified June 2026 from The Lakes Golf Club and recognized course databases. The original course was laid out in 1928 by Eric Apperly and Tom Howard, rebuilt by Robert von Hagge and Bruce Devlin in 1968, and remodeled by Mike Clayton and the Ogilvy Clayton team from 2006 to 2009. It plays as a par 72 of around 6,920 yards. The Lakes is a private members club with limited visitor access and no standard published public rate; the visitor fee sits well above the Sydney average and changes each season, so always confirm the current rate directly before booking.
The holes worth the trip
The Lakes builds toward a famous closing stretch where water, the feature that gives the club its name, finally takes center stage. The lake comes into play down the closing holes, asking for nerve and a committed line as the round reaches its decision, and a long carry over water defended the title in more than one Australian Open finish. It is the kind of finish that decides matches and rewards the player still willing to take on a shot when the pressure is highest.
Away from the water, the genius of Clayton's remodel is in the sand. Broad, rough edged waste bunkers and scattered sandy areas frame the fairways and greens, so the course defends par with strategy rather than length: a drive flirted too close to the sand leaves an awkward stance, while the safe line lengthens the hole and brings the next bunker into range. The greens are firm and subtly contoured, the sightlines to the Sydney skyline were deliberately reopened, and the wind off the coast a few minutes away adds another layer. The remodeled front nine, once the course's weakness, now holds its own with the stronger back.
None of it leans on raw distance. At around 6,920 yards off the championship tees it is a fair length for a modern tournament course, but the defense is the sand, the firm turf, the green contours and the breeze. Play it with discipline, keep clear of the waste areas, and respect the closing water, and you have navigated one of the best strategic tests in Australian golf.
How to get on
| What to know | Detail |
|---|---|
| Access | A private members club with limited unaccompanied visitor play, generally on selected weekdays; affiliated, interstate and overseas golfers should contact the club to arrange a tee time |
| Green fee | No standard published public rate; the visitor fee sits well above the Sydney average for a quality course, is set by the club and changes each season, so all figures are indicative until confirmed |
| Booking | Arrange directly with The Lakes or through your trip planner, well ahead for peak dates and around its championship calendar |
| On the day | A walking course suits the sandy ground; carts and a comfortable clubhouse are available, and a recognized handicap is expected |
| Championship dates | Access is restricted around major events; the club hosts the 2026 BMW Australian PGA Championship, so plan visitor rounds away from tournament week |
| Best months | Spring, from September to November, and autumn, from March to May, give the firmest turf and most comfortable Sydney conditions |
Access rules and indicative green fees verified June 2026 from The Lakes Golf Club; they change without notice, so always confirm current details directly before booking with the club or your trip planner. Check tee time availability.
Where to stay nearby
The Lakes sits in Eastlakes, only a few minutes from Sydney Airport and a short drive from the eastern beaches and the city center, so it is one of the easiest premium courses to reach on a Sydney trip. Most visiting golfers base themselves around the eastern suburbs, Coogee or Bondi for the beaches, or the central city for hotels, dining and the harbor, all within easy reach of the first tee.
For a fuller New South Wales golf trip, pair The Lakes with the dramatic clifftop links of New South Wales Golf Club at La Perouse and the polished parkland of Royal Sydney, then look south to the sandbelt around Melbourne and the classics of Kingston Heath. A few days in Sydney followed by the sandbelt makes one of the great golf journeys in the southern hemisphere.
Looking for a base? See our recommended hotels and resorts near The Lakes.
Build a Sydney and sandbelt golf trip
We pair The Lakes with New South Wales Golf Club, Royal Sydney and the great courses of the Melbourne sandbelt, secure the tee times, and handle hotels, transfers and the order of play. Tell us roughly when and who is travelling and one concierge costs it to the head, with no obligation.
The Lakes questions
How much does it cost to play The Lakes?
The Lakes is a private members club, so visitor access is limited and the green fee sits well above the average for a quality Sydney course. The club does not publish a standard public rate, and figures change each season, so the only reliable way to learn the current visitor fee for 2026 is to contact The Lakes Golf Club directly, or to have a trip planner arrange a tee time. Always confirm the rate directly before booking.
Who designed The Lakes golf course?
The original course was laid out in 1928 by Eric Apperly and Tom Howard. After the airport freeway cut through the site in 1968, the American Robert von Hagge, with Bruce Devlin, rebuilt it on both sides of the road. The course played today is the 2006 to 2009 remodel by Mike Clayton and the Ogilvy Clayton team, who reshaped the bunkering, opened the sightlines and gave the course its sandy, links influenced character.
What tournaments has The Lakes hosted?
The Lakes has hosted the Australian Open eight times, most recently sharing the 2023 staging, and has been named host of the 2026 BMW Australian PGA Championship. It has long been one of the championship venues of Sydney golf and sits among the top courses in the country.
Is The Lakes a links course?
Not in the strict seaside sense, but it plays with a links feel. The site is sandy ground a few minutes from the coast, and the Clayton remodel scattered broad sandy waste areas and rugged bunkering across firm, running turf. The result is a course that asks for ground game and strategy rather than pure power, closer in spirit to a heathland or links test than a lush parkland.
Related
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Researched and written by the GolfForKings editorial desk. Designers, history, par, yardage and access verified June 2026. Last reviewed June 2026.