Mailbag: The Australian Sandbelt

“‘I’m back.’ -Michael Jordan” -Garrett Morrison

I spent December on the road: first, a two-week trip to Melbourne, Australia, to cover the Sandbelt Invitational and take a crash course in Sandbelt golf architecture; then, an holiday break with my family in my hometown of Santa Barbara, California. Many thanks to my colleagues for keeping the content mill churning in my absence, and to you, Club TFE members, for your patience while I get back into writing shape.

Item number one on my to-do list is to answer all of the excellent Australia-related questions you asked a month ago, so let’s dig in…

I’m assuming you’ll cover these questions but just to cover the basics:

1. What was your strongest initial impression of Australian golf courses/golf?
2. Was there something that surprised you?
3. Is there anything unique from the Australian courses you played that could be incorporated into American golf course design? -Dale Miller

Thanks for teeing me up, Dale! Makes my job easier.

1. My strongest initial impression of Melbourne golf courses was: whoa, look at all that short grass. Short grass around the greens. Short grass between greens and tees, tees and fairways. Short grass connecting adjacent fairways. Short grass, famously, right up to the edges of bunkers. Short grass!

3. And if you’ll let me skip ahead, this is an aspect of Sandbelt golf that I’d like to see emulated by as many courses as possible. Green, irrigated, fertilized “rough” is a blight on the game. I was a partisan on this issue before, but the Sandbelt radicalized me.

A ball on the edge of a bunker at Kingston Heath—normally, this ball doesn't stay up. (Photo: Garrett Morrison, Fried Egg Golf)

2. I was surprised by how subtle the land was at most Sandbelt courses. The only truly dramatic topography in the Sandbelt proper* is in the main paddock at Royal Melbourne, which contains holes 1-12 and 17-18 on the West Course and holes 1-4 and 16-18 on the East Course. Some similar, though smaller, ridges and valleys can also be found at Sandy Golf Links and Victoria Golf Club, both of which adjoin RM. But for the most part, Sandbelt terrain is not notably undulating. The fact that so many great courses exist here is a testament to the importance of agronomy and architecture, and a reminder that wild land is not a prerequisite for great golf.

*I would define this as the set of Golden Age clubs in the south Melbourne suburbs—specifically Royal Melbourne, Kingston Heath, Victoria, Metropolitan, Yarra Yarra, Commonwealth, Woodlands, Huntingdale, and Sandringham (now owned by the local government and known as Sandy Golf Links). Some might also include Peninsula Kingswood and its lesser-known neighbor Long Island in this group because of their stylistic affinities with classic Sandbelt courses, but they sit on a different, heavier type of soil in the suburb of Frankston, 30 minutes south of Royal Melbourne.

I’d like to hear your observations and impression on the difference between the Australian private golf club culture versus what it’s like in the States. -Daniel Caprio

Would love to hear what facets of golf culture in Australia should be incorporated into U.S. golf culture? -Ben Denison

I’ll answer these questions together.

Whenever I talk about the “culture” of golf in a country, I’m wary of over-generalizing. Just as in the U.S., there is a broad range of golf clubs, golf experiences, and golfers in Australia. We shouldn’t be under the impression that “golf culture in Australia,” or even “Australian private golf club culture,” is a single, identifiable thing.

One generalization I do feel comfortable making, however, is that the costs of being a member of a private golf club are lower in Australia than in the U.S. The reasons for this are complex and deserve a more thorough exploration than I can offer here, but the result is plain for any visitor to see: an ordinary middle-class professional in Melbourne can realistically hope to become a member of a world-top-100 club. And that, I think, has a huge effect on the culture of Sandbelt golf. Places like Kingston Heath, Victoria, and even Royal Melbourne do not feel sealed off from the general public. In fact, they’re pretty darn accessible to a large share of the local population—not to mention to tourists. In this way, Australian golf has a great deal in common with the Scottish game.

How do we bring down the costs of joining golf clubs in the U.S.? Aside from simply… well, increasing the supply of golf clubs, I don’t know. But I’d love to hear some ideas.

How do you feel about the Australian and [New Zealand] practice of differential green fees depending on your country of origin (overseas visitors are charged more than the locals)? I understand it’s driven by the “market rate” and overseas visitors are prepared to pay more than locals. Would be interested in your view. -Ian Hamilton

My understanding is that most Melbourne-area clubs offer accompanied and unaccompanied guest rates, with the latter being significantly higher. I didn’t see any distinction being made between local and international guests, but I could have just missed it.

In any case, I support whatever practice keeps membership fees as affordable as they are.

I was lucky enough to play Victoria Golf Club in 2022 when I was in Australia for a friend’s wedding. It was my only Sandbelt golf experience (and only round of golf played outside the U.S.), but I couldn’t get over the sense of place VGC had. It had a sense of wildness and adventure but was neatly and intimately contained, surrounded by “normal” neighborhoods. Curious if you have the same reaction and, if so, how [VGC] stacks up to some of the best courses you’ve seen, both in the States and abroad. -Jordan Johnson

I echo your sentiments! Victoria is a wonderful course that more people outside of Australia should know about and put on their bucket lists. I’m working on a Club TFE Course Profile on it right now.

The 11th at Victoria Golf Club. (Photo: Garrett Morrison, Fried Egg Golf)

How does one convince a spouse to let them go on a 10-day Aussie golf trip, returning just days before Christmas? -Andrew Mays

This was a work trip, I swear! Real talk, though, my wife is the greatest.

As someone who is terrified of snakes, how many have you run into/how many do your hosts run into when playing golf down there? -Ethan Fisher

I saw two: a large tiger snake on a cart path on the Moonah Course at The National Golf Club (my tour guide, course manager Leigh Yanner, drove our cart gingerly around it) and a small, dead red-bellied black snake that a member at Porsea Golf Club found and was carrying around as a conversation piece.

Look, there are definitely some gnarly reptiles and arthropods in Australia. I was warned not to go looking for my ball in thickly vegetated native areas, and every Melbourne golfer has stories about close encounters. Still, I don’t think fear of venomous creatures is a good reason to avoid the place. I’m not a big fan of snakes and spiders myself, but I never felt like I was in danger during my trip.

I would love to hear your impressions of Sandbelt agronomy. I heard that the reason the courses can have such tightly cut fairway/bunker lines is due to the nature of the very densely packed sand in the region. I am interested to know if the courses play bouncy like the links you have seen… and if the designs facilitate use of the ground? -Adam Tomasiello

Yes, every course I played was delightfully firm, and yes, Sandbelt architecture allows for, even encourages, the ground game. Most greens at Melbourne courses open up to specific angles from the fairway. It’s up to you whether to chase those angles, but since your ball is likely to jump like a kangaroo after landing, you might find yourself valuing position in the fairway more highly than you normally do.

On a related note, I appreciate the willingness of many Melbourne superintendents to prioritize playing characteristics over aesthetics. At Royal Melbourne, for instance, the green surrounds are sodded with fescue, which contrasts visually with the Bermudagrass fairways and bentgrass greens. Many U.S. clubs might reject this approach for aesthetic reasons. But for the RM grounds crew, the priority is not how the fescue surrounds look, but how they play. And they play incredibly firm and fast.

A view of the 10th green from the fairway at Royal Melbourne West, which illustrates the differences between the Bermuda fairway grass (foreground), the fescue grass in the surrounds (midground) and bentgrass on the putting surfaces. (Photo: Garrett Morrison, Fried Egg Golf)

To piggyback on/add to [Adam’s] question… what makes the agronomy [in Melbourne] different? I feel like I remember Doak saying in a podcast with Andy that it’s not possible to cut bunkers into the greens in the U.S. like they do in Australia. -Jay Moynihan

Melbourne sand is indeed unique, with angular particles that pack together tightly and allow for sharp, stable bunker faces and edges. However, Melbourne-based architect Mike Cocking, a regular Fried Egg Golf Podcast guest and one-third of the firm OCM, disagrees with the notion that Sandbelt-style bunkers can’t be built outside of the Sandbelt. At Peninsula Kingswood (which, again, is not located in the Sandbelt proper), he helped develop a method of building bunkers that results in something close to a classic Melbourne lip. OCM employed the same technique at one of their new courses at Fall Line in Georgia. Stay tuned for more detail—I interviewed Cocking about this subject for a video that we hope to release in Q1.

A fairway bunker on the fourth at Peninsula Kingswood South. (Photo: Garrett Morrison, Fried Egg Golf)

A) How long do your walking tours last? B) How do those playing the course react to seeing you on a stroll? -Nate Carr

My walking tours of golf courses typically last between 90 minutes and two hours, or perhaps a bit longer if I’m taking photos. I learn a great deal from these experiences—more, in some ways, than I do from playing.

I try to schedule my walks for either the early morning or the late afternoon so that I don’t run into many players. Typically, though, when golfers see me out and about, they either ignore me or give me a wave and say something like, “Gettin’ some good pictures?” I’ve rarely encountered much suspicion or hostility. I guess people just assume I’m supposed to be there. (Which I am, because—and this is important—I always get permission to walk a course from the pro, superintendent, or GM, and I make sure that the grounds crew knows I’m coming.)

Let’s hear some takes on similarities between [golf] architecture in Australia and Australian wine! -Ben Denison

I find Australian Shiraz to have firm tannins, much like the turf conditions in the Sandbelt. How’s that?

Seriously, though, I had a few nice Shirazes and Pinots during my stay, but I’m nowhere near well-versed enough in Aussie wine to answer this question proficiently.

Is it really pronounced “Mel-bin” by the locals? -Peter McCallum

I hear it more as “Mel-bun,” with a strong deemphasis on the second syllable: “MEL-bun.”

But I don’t get the impression that Australians expect everyone else to pronounce it this way. “MEL-burn,” I think, is acceptable for most American accents.

Phonetics sidebar: since I speak a rhotic dialect of American English, I pronounce “r” sounds before consonants—such as the one before the “n” at the end of “Melbourne.” Australians, as non-rhotic speakers, don’t pronounce those “r” sounds. That’s why they say “Mel-bun”—and, for that matter, “pahk” for “park,” “Hahvahd” for “Harvard,” and “yahd” for “yard.” Come to think of it, Bostonians, many of whom speak a non-rhotic dialect, might actually say “Mel-bun”!

Sorry, I feel like this is getting annoying. Let’s move on.

I would love to hear about what golf courses IN the U.S. feel like best encapsulate the Australian aesthetic and agronomic conditions. -Andy Lack

The most obvious—and probably best—answer is Pinehurst No. 2. Like Sandbelt courses, No. 2 has firm Bermudagrass fairways, ground-game options galore, sand and scrub instead of conventional rough, relatively subtle topography, and a rare ability to terrify pros while giving average golfers room to have fun.

I also find the courses at Sand Valley, particularly OG Sand Valley and Sedge Valley, vaguely Melbourne-ish, albeit with a fescue base rather than Bermuda surfaces.

Finally, on the private side, I’ll give a nod to the Valley Club of Montecito, which pairs firm, pale Bermuda fairways with Alister MacKenzie’s architecture at a level worthy of the Sandbelt.

How great are those short par 4s? -Daniel Carpio

Unreal. There are so many world-class short par 4s in the Sandbelt and on the Mornington Peninsula. It’s a regional specialty.

Some of my favorites: 3 and 10 at Royal Melbourne West, 15 at RM East, 15 at Victoria, 14 at Commonwealth, 4 and 13 at Woodlands, 10 at Yarra Yarra (controversial among members, reportedly), 8 and 13 at Peninsula Kingswood North, 12 at PK South, 6 at Sandy Golf Links, 2 and 14 at St. Andrews Beach, 15 at Portsea, and 2 at National Gunnamatta.

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I’d be interested in Garrett’s thoughts on the realities and practicalities of a golfing trip to Australia for Americans. I heard the NLU boys talking about how easy it is to travel to Scotland for a trip from the East Coast [of the U.S.], but I know the logistics and flight duration [are] more difficult for Australia. I am really interested to hear, though, how the quality of golf and overall experience pays back against the cost (time and money) of a golf trip to Australia. -Chris Chambers

The flight from the U.S. to Australia is hard, no doubt. But I’m not sure the overall difficulty and cost of the trip are massively higher than what you’d experience seeing the great courses of Great Britain and Ireland, especially since a Sandbelt tour doesn’t require much car travel.

I’ll put it this way: if you live in the States and plan to visit at least four big international golf destinations in your lifetime, I think the Sandbelt should be one of those. It offers a type of golf that you’ll find nowhere else in the world.

Got any other questions I didn’t cover in this mailbag? Put them in the comments section below.