Barnbougle Lost Farm: 2026 Update
The younger of the two great Barnbougle links, Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw's Lost Farm, has spent a decade and a half establishing itself among the finest courses in the world. Here is where it stands in 2026, how it sits beside the Dunes, and how to play it.
The news: a modern great, fully matured
Lost Farm opened in December 2010 as Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw's answer to the original Barnbougle Dunes, built on the bigger, more expansive dunescape across the Forester River near Bridport in northeast Tasmania. Fifteen years on it has long since shed any sense of being the second course, and into 2026 it sits comfortably among the world's top ranked links and is rated one of the very best courses in Australia.
The story for 2026 is one of a course that has settled fully into its ground. There is no renovation news to report and none needed: Lost Farm uses the natural scale of its site, the firm coastal turf and the constant Bass Strait wind to ask a different set of questions every day, and its famous extra pair of short holes still gives golfers the option to play beyond the standard eighteen. It remains, with the Dunes, the reason serious golfers make the long journey south.
The course, and the resort around it
Lost Farm is bigger and bolder than its sibling. Where the original Barnbougle Dunes is a rawer, more classical links, Lost Farm sprawls across taller dunes with wider corridors, huge greens and long sight lines to the sea, a more expansive kind of links golf that some visitors prefer and others rank just behind the Dunes. Settling that debate is half the fun of a Barnbougle trip.
The course no longer stands alone on the property. Together with the Dunes and the Bougle Run short course, Lost Farm anchors one of the great links resorts anywhere, with this much quality on a single stretch of Tasmanian coast. It is a walking links best understood over several rounds, when the shifting wind reveals how cleverly Coore and Crenshaw routed the holes through the dunes.
How to play it in 2026
Tasmania plays best through the southern summer, December to February, when the long daylight and milder island climate suit the links, though the well drained turf holds up across a longer shoulder season into autumn and spring. Barnbougle is remote, reached via Launceston and a drive to Bridport, so it rewards a stay of several nights rather than a flying visit, ideally with rounds across both Lost Farm and the Dunes.
The smart 2026 itinerary pairs Barnbougle with the Melbourne Sandbelt and, for the truly committed, with the King Island courses across Bass Strait, building a links and sandbelt tour that takes in the best of Australian golf. Green fees sit at the premium resort end and move with season and package, so treat any quoted figure as indicative for 2026 and always confirm directly before booking, and book peak summer rounds well ahead.
Our take
Our take is that Lost Farm is essential for any golfer serious about modern links architecture, a course whose scale and boldness reward repeat play and which has fully earned its place in the world top tier. Pairing it with the Dunes over a multi night stay is one of the best two course experiences in the game, and the remoteness only sharpens the sense of occasion.
For 2026 the advice is simple: give Tasmania several days, play Lost Farm and the Dunes more than once each, add the Bougle Run for fun, and join it to the Sandbelt or King Island if you can. Few corners of the golfing world repay the effort of getting there as completely as this one.
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Questions
Who designed Barnbougle Lost Farm and when did it open?
Barnbougle Lost Farm was designed by the American duo Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw and opened in December 2010, laid out on the dunes north of the original Barnbougle Dunes near Bridport in northeast Tasmania. It is a links of unusual generosity, routed over rumpled ground above the Forester River mouth, and it carries a famous extra pair of short holes that take the round beyond the standard eighteen.
How is Lost Farm ranked, and is it better than the Dunes?
Lost Farm sits among the world's top ranked courses and is rated one of the very best in Australia, in the same conversation as its sibling the Dunes. Which is better is the great Barnbougle debate and comes down to taste: the Dunes is the rawer, more classical links, while Lost Farm is bigger, bolder and more expansive. Most golfers who make the trip play both and are glad they did.
How do you play Barnbougle Lost Farm in 2026?
Lost Farm is part of the Barnbougle resort, so the way to play it is a multi night stay combining it with the Dunes and the Bougle Run short course. Tasmania plays best through the southern summer, December to February, though the well drained links holds up across a longer shoulder season. The resort is remote, reached via Launceston and a drive to Bridport, so book peak rounds well ahead. Green fees are premium and indicative; always confirm directly before booking.
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Researched and written by the GolfForKings editorial desk. Course facts, design credits and rankings verified June 2026 from club, ranking panel and golf travel sources; Lost Farm was designed by Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw and opened in December 2010. Conditions, access and green fees change, so always confirm directly before booking. Last reviewed June 2026.