Why Tasmania needs to be on your golf trip bucket list

The island state of Tasmania, to the south of Australia, is celebrated as a place unlike any other around the globe.

Full of historic charm, pristine beaches, and unique wildlife, this remote destination will appeal to anyone looking for an adventure.

Who could forget about the golf courses, too? It should come as no surprise, that just like the island, they are buzzing with creativity and remarkable backdrops. And due to its position in the Southern Ocean, Tasmania has the cleanest air in the world, so this is golf in its most refreshing form.

Golf Australia recently voted Tasmanian golf courses as the top three in its top 100 public access courses in the country, with the island state also taking fifth spot in the rankings. Here’s what you can expect…

The best golf courses in Tasmania

Cape Wickham Golf Links

Located on the rugged northern tip of King Island, with a rare and dramatic mix of coastal holes, ocean-side Cape Wickham Golf Links ranks among the world’s best golf courses, and placed first in Golf Australia’s 2023 Top-100 Public Access Courses ranking. Its holes are positioned Turnberry-style around Cape Wickham Lighthouse (the tallest in Tasmania) and all lean gently towards the Bass Strait, creating distracting views on every hole. The greens are positioned away from the ocean to deliberately give golfers’ senses a rest. The 11th hole is almost in the sea, and the 18th is directly above a beach. Cape Wickham also has 16 villa-style rooms and a clubhouse restaurant focused on local produce.

Barnbougle Dunes

Tasmania’s emergence onto the world golfing stage began in 2004 when Bridport farmer, Richard Sattler, built Barnbougle Dunes on a sandy coastal patch of his 5200ha farm that was unsuited to farming but seemed like a decent spot for a golf course.

The links course has an often-blustery layout that meanders over and between massive coastal dunes with sensational views. The 18-hole championship layout is testing enough to challenge gifted golfers, yet fair enough to be enjoyed by the average player. And if the round isn’t going well, just look at that view again. The course took second place in Golf Australia’s 2023 Top-100 Public Access Courses ranking, rising from third place in 2022. Barnbougle has a range of accommodation and dining options, as well as a day spa.

Barnbougle Lost Farm

Adjacent to Barnbougle Dunes, the sister course of Barnbougle Lost Farm resembles some of the most dramatic British Open courses with spectacular holes that wind along the Bass Strait coast and turn inland.

Located on the opposite bank of the Forester River to the Dunes, Lost Farm is considered by many to be its equal, ranked number three in Golf Australia’s 2023 Top-100 Public Access Courses ranking. The 20-hole course has magical greens that play hide-and-seek among the dunes. The fairways are wide, the greens are undulating, and the challenge is unrelenting.

Ocean Dunes

Fashioned after Scotland’s great links courses, and fronting the Southern Ocean on King Island’s west coast, Ocean Dunes hugs a spectacular coastline with endless ocean views and the bump’n’run of undulating fairways. With heroic tee shots and rolling greens along its 2km of wild coastal dunes, it offers one memorable hole after another. There’s no question as to why it was awarded fifth place in Golf Australia’s 2023 Top-100 Public Access Courses rankings.

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Bougle Run

Barnbougle’s newest course, opened in 2021, is a trimmed-down affair featuring 14 holes, 12 of which are par threes (with two par fours). Set on the tall dunes between Lost Farm’s front and back nines, it offers a quick Barnbougle taster – a round might take only 90min – with elevated views over the Lost Farm course and Anderson Bay.

Quamby Estate

One of Tasmania’s most prestigious properties – the ancestral home of Sir Richard Dry, the state’s first Tasmanian-born premier – Quamby Estate has a groomed nine-hole course lined with mature oak trees and elms, and with views to Ben Lomond and the Great Western Tiers. The 576m eighth hole is the longest par five in Tasmania. The estate operates as a luxury lodge with 10 rooms and an in-house restaurant.

Ratho Farm

Australia’s oldest golf course, laid out by the pioneering Reid family in the 1830s, is nearing its 200th birthday. Six holes that had been lost over the years have recently been restored, which also makes Ratho Farm the newest 18-hole links course in Tasmania. Skirt the resident sheep, busy maintaining the fairways, and perhaps try the “full hickory experience”, playing a round in an old-fashioned golf jacket and plaid hat. The Australasian Golf Museum, which delves deep into Ratho Farm’s story, is just down the road in Bothwell.

Tasman Golf Club

Stretching atop cliffs at Point Puer, a small peninsula at Port Arthur, the nine-hole course at Tasman Golf Club delivers views of Port Arthur and the rugged coast of Turrakana / Tasman Peninsula. It features one of the world’s most spectacular par three holes. The fairway is a chasm into the ocean, with the tiny green resting atop the vertical sea cliff opposite.

Image credits: Tourism Tasmania, Tourism Australia, Caddie Magazine, Ratho Farm, Tasman Golf Club, Adam Gibson, Brian Dullaghan, Scott Sporleder