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Plus three public courses to book this weekend, and Stableford made simple.
| Fairway Finders |
Australia’s golf weekly |
The 19th Hole.
Australia’s best public courses, weekend golf plans, and tee-time deals when we find them — one email a week.
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From the editor
Once a week we send you the best of Australian golf worth knowing about — where to play, what’s worth booking, and the odd thing that’ll make you a smarter golfer.
We cover the whole country (1,231 courses and counting) with one not-so-secret bias: public golf you can actually get on. That’s where this whole thing started, so it’s where we’ll start with you.
A note on the numbers below: green fees, access and rankings change — treat them as a guide, and check with the course before you book.
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Editor’s pick
Photo: cottonbro studio / Pexels
World-class golf you can actually play
The Sandbelt has a reputation as golf’s most exclusive postcode — Royal Melbourne, Kingston Heath, Victoria: private cathedrals with four-figure green fees. Most golfers who love this game will never play them.
But the velvet rope is looser than it looks. Sandy Golf Links in Cheltenham — reworked by Geoff Ogilvy’s firm OCM into a genuine Sandbelt course — takes your booking online for about $43. Same sand, same wind, same firm, fast, infuriating game.
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The mystique says the Sandbelt is closed. The tee sheets say otherwise.
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Where to play this weekend
A public Sandbelt starter pack — world-class Melbourne golf anyone can book.
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Sandy Golf Links
Cheltenham, VIC
Geoff Ogilvy’s firm OCM reworked this old council track into proper Sandbelt golf — fast greens, fiendish short par-3s — bookable online for around $43.
Course details →
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Brighton Public Golf Course
Brighton East, VIC
A friendly, good-value bayside course with more artful bunkering than its green fee has any right to — welcoming for beginners, interesting for everyone else.
Course details →
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03
St Andrews Beach
Mornington Peninsula, VIC
A Tom Doak design, widely rated among the best public-access courses on the Australian mainland — open to everyone, seven days a week.
Plan the trip →
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Course spotlight
The Coast Golf Club
Little Bay, NSW · Public
A few headlands from the ultra-private NSW Golf Club sits its public cousin — the most beautiful round you can book in Sydney. Par 70, just over 5,300 m, with the Pacific in play on all eighteen holes. The short par-3 4th — 146 m across a churning gorge — is the one you’ll photograph.
| Where | Little Bay, ~14 km SE of the Sydney CBD |
| Course | Public clifftop links · 18 holes · par 70 · ~5,300 m |
| Green fees | ~$45 midweek twilight to ~$70 weekend peak |
| Access | Public, 7 days, outside members’ comp times — book ahead |
| Don’t miss | The 4th tee, the drive on the 14th — and the whales (May–Nov) |
| The verdict: Sydney’s best-value coastal golf — character over conditioning, and gloriously so. |
Read the full review →
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The shortlist
Three from the week worth your time.
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The Best Sandbelt Courses, Ranked (2026)
Our PGA pro’s definitive order, judged on one thing: how hard each course makes you think. Read → |
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Where To Play Your First Round in Sydney
The friendliest places to start, minus the intimidation. Read → |
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How To Get a Golf Handicap in Australia (2026)
The quick, cheap path to a GA Handicap — and why it unlocks every club comp going. Read → |
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One useful tip
Stableford, in 30 seconds
Most Aussie club comps are Stableford, and once it clicks it’s the friendliest format in golf. You score points per hole off your net score:
| Net birdie |
3 pts |
| Net par |
2 pts |
| Net bogey |
1 pt |
| Net double or worse |
0 — pick up |
Around 36 points means you’ve played to your handicap. The genius: one blow-up hole can’t wreck your card — collect your twos, dodge the zeros.
The full explainer, with a worked example →
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Over to you
What’s the best public course you’ve ever played?
The one that punches well above its green fee. We’re building the next issues around what you play — hit reply with:
Course:
State:
Why it punches above its green fee:
Can we quote you? Yes / No
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We read every reply — the best ones shape a future Where To Play and Course Spotlight.
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The 19th Hole.
By Fairway Finders
Every golf course in Australia — discover, explore, and book your next round.
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Fairway Finders · Melbourne, VIC, Australia
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The 19th Hole — the Fairway Finders weekly
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