Shock result as Australia’s best golf course is revealed – with ultra-exclusive club that even refused to let Shane Warne play bumped from top spot
- Cape Wickham has been crowned Australia’s best golf course
- Tasmanian seaside venue replaces perennial winner Royal Melbourne
- Cape Wickham received the honor from the Australian Golf Digest rankings
When it comes to Australia’s best golf course, there is officially a new leader: Cape Wickham on King Island in Tasmania.
The seaside location is now officially number one, ahead of the historic Royal Melbourne West.
The development is big news in golfing circles as Royal Melbourne has only been dethroned as the country’s top venue twice in four decades.
Located at Black Rock in Melbourne’s south-east, the prestigious 36-hole private club has long been considered the country’s leading golf course, but that is no longer the case.
Cape Wickham on King Island in Tasmania has been voted Australia’s best golf course
Cape Wickham’s prestigious course – especially the 18th hole – is a favorite with many golfers, thanks in part to its spectacular backdrop (pictured)
The development is big news in golfing circles as Royal Melbourne (pictured) has only been dethroned from top spot twice in forty years.
Royal Melbourne is also the venue where Australian cricket greats Shane Warne and Ricky Ponting were once knocked back from playing a round
It is also the location where Australian cricket greats Shane Warne and Ricky Ponting were once knocked back from playing 18 holes on the revered course.
In the recently published biennial Australian Golf Digest (AGD) Top 100 course rankings, Cape Wickham is the new number one, taking the coveted position after improving the measuring criteria.
After an $8 million construction project, Cape Wickham Links opened to the public in 2015 and quickly attracted dozens of admirers.
It ranks 24th among the best courses in the world, with its main selling point being the breathtaking views of the northern tip of King Island – especially on the 18th hole.
‘This result will shock many, but it must be clear that the iconic Royal Melbourne [West] hasn’t lost any ground – it’s as good as ever – it’s just that it has been surpassed on our measurement criteria by the stunning Cape Wickham,” AGD told Top 100 editor Steve Keipert. News Corp.
‘And it’s also worth noting that we rate Royal Melbourne on its two established layouts, East and West.
‘The composite layout is a selected mix of both courses, so it is not a true everyday golf course. ‘The result is that the composite version is not assessed.’
Elsewhere, The Grange in Adelaide – the venue of this week’s LIV golf event – finished in 42nd place, with five Victorian courses making up half of the top 10 places.