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morning glory
With 18 superb golf courses spread amongst the coastal plains and sand dunes, and a world-class reputation for food, wine and relaxation, the Mornington Peninsula deserves its popularity as a top golfing and holiday destination.
Teeing off high on the sand dunes of many of the links-style courses, golfers enjoy views out into the thundering Bass Strait on one side and more tranquil views over Port Phillip Bay to the towers of Melbourne city on the other. There’s a constant flow of day-trippers sampling the bounty from vines that march up and down rolling hills.
Known as ‘the Cups’ region, eight of Australia’s top 50 golf courses call the Mornington Peninsula home, with experiences ranging from exclusive and impressive private clubs to challenging public courses and relaxed nines, mixing hints of parkland amongst a predominantly links terrain.
Starting at the furthermost point, the windswept Portsea Golf Club is one of the country’s oldest. Its twists and turns match the challenge of cross winds from Bass Strait, among other natural hazards. The beautiful Sorrento Golf Club receives accolades for its dining menu, but don’t get caught indoors and miss this interesting course layout, which is known for its doglegs, awkward stances and lies.
Heading east, The Dunes Golf Links is regarded as the best example of a true links course in Australia. With 60 hectares of rolling coastal sand dunes following the southern coastline of the Peninsula, its natural bunkering, firm greens and rough areas will frustrate players who stray from the fairways. This awe-inspiring course really exploits the coastal landscape, with greens ranging from sheltered amphitheatres to exposed ridges.
The Moonah Links complex and its Open Course were purpose-built to host the Australian Open in 2003 (and again in 2005) and offer a tough run for even the most experienced golfer. Designer Peter Thomson didn’t hold back on any of the holes spread throughout the dunes, saving the best for last on a 582-metre 18th with 12 bunkers lining the increasingly narrow fairway. The companion Legends Course offers a more relaxing game, with a winding 18 holes looped through ancient Moonah forests and dunes.
American course architect Robert Trent Jones Junior designed a tricky course at Cape Schanck Resort, with many great holes doglegged among a myriad of fairway ridges and valleys. Great views provide distraction, especially the 14th which looks straight down the Peninsula with famous vistas of the Strait to your left and Port Phillip Bay on the right.
Resort facilities include a driving range complete with grass tees, practice bunker and putting green, and a full chipping and pitching area.
Next door, the exclusive National has three courses to choose from – Robert Trent Jones Junior’s commission to create a course to “test the best” produced the original Old Course; Greg Norman designed The Moonah; and the Ocean Course from Peter Thomson - making this one of the most impressive golfing complexes in the country.
On the east side of the Peninsula, the Flinders Golf Club is worth playing just for the spectacular cliff top views if not for its 106-years of golfing history, including the famous fourth, designed by Alister MacKenzie and affectionately dubbed “the coffin”.
The soft, warm sands and lush green bushland of the Mornington Peninsula are just an hour’s drive from Melbourne. It’s very easy to get lost in the cool, bush-lined country lanes, but if you find your way to Red Hill you’ll enjoy exploring some of Australia’s greatest food and wine country. Small, family-run vineyards, cellar doors and culinary delicacies are dotted throughout the region, offering an impressive selection of cool climate wines, handmade cheese and fresh produce.
The Mornington Peninsula is gaining a particular reputation for premium pinot noir. The first Saturday of the month, food and wine producers line up alongside crafts and talented local artists at the Red Hill Community Markets.
Arthurs Seat is the highest point on the Peninsula and a great place to get your bearings if you become lost in the winding lanes away from the bayside freeway. The local walking tracks are a good way to explore the Arthurs Seat National Park.
Swimming beaches stretch along the calm bayside, with rougher surf beaches facing onto Bass Strait. The beaches between Sorrento and Rye are lined with colourful beach boxes and the waters are particularly shallow, warm and calm in summer months with great views back toward Melbourne.
Fishing is a popular distraction and charter boat operators will take groups out into the bay from the Mornington, Rosebud and Sorrento piers angling for snapper and salmon.
By Louise Johnson
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