Golf on the Coast: Top spots to tee up

Visit this pretty nine-hole layout just a few minutes from the beachside town of Terrigal. The Breakers Country Club golf course is known as challenging and offers players six par-4s and three par-3s. There’s also alternate tees if you’re keen to tackle 18 holes. Water comes into play on six out of the nine holes. The Skillion Brasserie within the Breakers Country Club offers you a warm, inviting venue with a brilliant menu for foodies. Serving a delicious variety of steaks, burgers, pizza, pasta alongside Modern Australian favourites, you'll also be impressed by the stunning views across the ocean as you dine.

Hardest hole? Fifth.

Toughest green? Second.

Café or restaurant on site? Yes – try the Skillion Brasserie.

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Enjoy your game of golf on the Peninsula – near Umina and Ettalong – at one of the most challenging 18-hole golf courses on the Central Coast. Everglades Country Club golf course offers a golf course suitable for players of all levels and ability, with two turn and one synthetic bowling green. There’s also a Halfway House located on the course, if playing 18 holes you will pass by it four times for a mid-game pick me up! Guests can also explore their golf Pro-Shop or grab advice from their in-house Golf Pro.

Hardest hole? 14th.

Toughest green? Second.

Café or restaurant on site? Yes – try Vibes Alfresco by the golf course, Nine Restaurant inside the club.

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How would you like to experience playing on the oldest golf course on the Central Coast? With the first rounds of golf played here as far back as 1928, heritage Gosford Golf Club is the place to go. Play 9 or 18 holes, or even play twilight golf as the sun sets over Brisbane Water National Park. Nestled between Narara Creek and Gosford CBD, this course offers sweeping views of the surrounding mountains, and gives its members and guests a welcoming golfing experience. The fairways are tree-lined, and water comes into the course on half a dozen holes, with all greens being bunkerless bar one. As the club nears its Centenary milestone, there is a real feeling of community here where golf on the Central Coast was born.

Hardest hole? 11th.

Toughest green? 9th.

Café or restaurant on site? Yes – Bistro 1928 for lunch and dinner.

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Grab your golfing excursion with a magnificent view in the Central Coast hinterland and Dharug National Park, just 40 minutes north of Sydney. Mangrove Mountain Golf Course offers you the opportunity to sharpen your ball-striking accuracy with some of the finest views looking over the course layout and surrounding countryside. On a clear day the ocean can be sighted! The course contains two main water hazards to avoid, some downhill and dense bushland. This club is also home to the only FootGolf course on the Central Coast, which is great to try for something different, followed by a meal in their well-regarded local gem of a restaurant.

Hardest hole? Second (par 4, 380m).

Toughest green? 16th.

Café or restaurant on site? Yes – try their hidden gem of a restaurant.

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Kooindah Waters is an immaculate 6,083 metre, 18 hole par 72 Championship Golf Course ranked among the best golf courses in Australia, commonly called a “thinking golfer’s course”. Completed in 2006, it was designed by Ross Watson and champion Australian golfer, Craig Parry. Built on Wyong’s natural wetlands in a bushland setting, Kooindah Waters offers golfers some amazing birdlife as spectators. This stunning golf course brings a challenge to golfers of all levels of experience, as a player needs to avoid water hazards on all 18 holes. Additionally, Parry and Watson incorporated 84 fairway and greenside bunkers to further challenge any confident golfer’s ego. But don’t worry, there’s a practice putting green, purpose built chipping green and practice bunker area.

Hardest hole? 18th.

Toughest green? 8th.

Café or restaurant on site? Yes – try Karinyas Restaurant & Wine Bar overlooking the fairways.

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In 2020, Magenta Shores achieved its No.36 ranking in Australia’s Top-100 Courses. Also designed by the same golf course architect behind the championship course at Kooindah Waters, Ross Watson has created this magnificent, private members golf course at Magenta, just north of The Entrance on the Central Coast. One half of the 18 holes is bordered by beautiful Pacific Ocean views, the other by red-gum rich national park. This golf course is a great challenge, especially when the wind gets up from the coast, so it should test your shot shaping skills into tight pins. Magenta Shores is a private club, but any golfer visiting the Central Coast should also visit its highly ranked layout, with visitors welcome at limited tee times. The course is also open to guests staying at Pullman Magenta Shores Resort on site.

Hardest hole? 9th.

Toughest green? 9th.

Café or restaurant on site? Yes – try Barretts Restaurant.

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Golf beside the big blue with some of the most captivating views while you spend a day on the green! Located at the northern end of Shelly Beach, this pine-tree lined golf course is set on rolling coastal hills and claims to be one of the most scenic golf courses on the Eastern seaboard. Worth a putt in the fresh air to find out! It’s also ranked No.86 in Golf Australia’s list of the Top-100 Public Access Courses in the nation. “Shelly Beach has always been a wonderful place to play golf, but it has been at its best in recent years,” said Top-100 judge Sandra Lyons to Golf Australia, “The holes closest to the ocean are the obvious highlight during a round that never disappoints.” The course is suitable for all levels – experienced players to first-time putters. This 18-hole golf course also features a chipping green, practice nets and a golf shop open 7 days a week.

Hardest hole? Second.

Toughest green? 9th.

Café or restaurant on site? Yes – head to the Clubhouse to try the popular Aqua Restaurant.

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Great course, great views, great food. Whether you visit this venue for golf or for food – you’re onto a winner.

Carved into natural bushland, this challenging golf course was designed by Graham Papworth (front nine), and Al Howard (the back nine) featuring a mix of uphill versus downhill shots and small collection ponds. The opening hole is a real challenge for any player, a sign of things to come with experts claiming this is one of the greatest tests of skill of all 10 golf courses on the Central Coast. You can also dine here to experience renowned executive chef, Dan Capper, serve up fresh and fabulous contemporary Australian cuisine. Interestingly, The Springs also serve an ever changing selection of ‘ducktails’, alongside an inspiring range of Australian international beers, and fine wines.

Hardest hole? Third.

Toughest green? Fourth.

Café or restaurant on site? Yes – try The Springs Sitting Duck Bistro.

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Almost perfectly half-way between Sydney and Newcastle, Toukley Golf Club is also perched between Tuggerah Lake and Budgewoi Lake, making the views exceptional for your golfing excursion. Tee up at this 18-hole championship golf course, established in the 1970s, it’s known as a friendly local course to enjoy spending time honing your golfing skills. Amazingly, it’s also home to breeding sites for the Magnificent Eagle (naturally the Club’s logo), so you can expect birdies all round...

Hardest hole? 9th or 15th.

Toughest green? 9th.

Café or restaurant on site? Yes – try Osprey Dining.

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Located just five minutes’ drive from Kooindah Waters, this alternative option is a different kind of golfing experience, growing in the area for the last 80 years with bentgrass greens and kikuyu fairways. There is a greater variety of shots to be played here at this humble, great value golf course, which has a linked history to Wyong Racecourse nearby. Expect your 18 holes to be diverse, undulating and offer some ‘risk and reward’ opportunities, such as the 453-metre par-5 5th hole.

Hardest hole? 12th.

Toughest green? 9th.

Café or restaurant on site? Yes – try the Wyong Golf Club Restaurant.

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According professional golfer and WPGA tournament winner Tahnia Ravnjak, there’s a few tips to keep in mind if you’re fresh to a game on the green. Her advice published in the article An expert’s guide to golf in NSW includes the below pointers, and as she’s been playing on the world’s best golf courses since her teens and took on her first Australian Open in 2020, this insight is golden…

• Always call the pro shop to book in before you go, don’t just turn up. There could be a competition on that day or the course could be booked out and you won’t be able to get a game.
• Golf etiquette is important – respect the players in your group, especially if you don’t know them, and don’t talk when they are taking their shot (though a bit of banter among friends is fine).
• Be careful where you are walking on the green – you don’t want to step on the “line” of someone’s putt.
• When you are teeing off, make sure you don’t tee up your ball in front of the tee markers.
• If you hit your shot “on the dance floor” that means you have hit it onto the green.
• Playing “army golf” is when you hit the ball all over the course, going left, right, left and into the trees.
• “Birdie” means your score is one shot less than par (eg: scoring 3 on a Par 4).
• “Fix your divot” – when you hit a shot and take a clump of grass with it, you need to repair it with sand. You should always carry a small sand bucket, which are available at the golf club
• "FORE" – this is what you shout if it looks like your ball might hit someone. Or if you're playing and you hear someone shout "fore", it might be a good idea to put your arms over your head and check that there aren't any golf balls flying in your direction!

To see the full article with Tahnia visit Destination NSW website