Moonah Links Golf Club

About the club

The Legends Many of the clubs that feature multiple courses tend to create thirty-six holes that are quite similar. Moonah Links in Fingal, Victoria, has avoided this pitfall, and though attracting tournaments was a major concern when the course was being planned (and indeed it has already hosted the Australian open more than once), average players will find plenty here to enjoy, especially since it is, at 6315 meters, not overly long. Of the courses here, Legends is perhaps the more attractive, with more abundant natural vegetation and bunkering that recalls the Sandbelt courses of MacKenzie, such as the Peninsula, National and Commonwealth. Designer Ross Perrett, a student of Peter Thomson, gave the course a clever twist by calling the holes after famous golfers. Most are natives to the country, but Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus receive the honor as world champions who have found success in Australia. The Open With Moonah Links' Open, an hour or so to the south of Melbourne on the Morninington Peninsula, Peter Thomson took up the challenge to build a new course amid the classics for which the city is famous. Surrounded by imposing dunes, the Open has much in common with links courses, though it does not look out on the ocean. All the same, the wind usually blows, as the relatively high scores at the recent Australian Open here attest. Officials with that tournament pay frequent visits, since the Australian Golf Association is now part owner of the course. Solid players will appreciate the challenging game here, even if the course is a bit lacking in crisp borders and color palette. Players who visit the area will naturally want to play as many of the Sandbelt courses as possible, and those with a little extra would do well to hit the Moonah Links.