This will be a big year for preserving one of the best holes in Australian golf
It is the standout hole on what we currently rank as the leading golf course in the country, but the 18th at Cape Wickham Links is in danger of sliding into the sea.
The crescent-shaped par 4 offers a tremendous crescendo to rounds on the King Island course, wrapping along the edge of Victoria Cove – an inlet in the northern part of the Bass Strait island that is integral to the closing hole. Designed as a showstopper by architects Mike DeVries and Darius Oliver, the 18th has repeatedly enticed golfers during the course’s first decade of play. Unfortunately it’s also been repeatedly pounded by Mother Nature.
Fully covered in vegetation when the course opened, an unusually high number of storms, coupled with powerful swells in Victoria Cove, have taken a toll on the bank. Storms and king tides erode its base, causing the bank to slump and collapse. The larger the swell and storm, the greater the impact. Historical aerial photographs show that 25 metres of sand has been lost from the beach since World War II – and almost all of it in one direction.
All is not lost, however. Cape Wickham Links’ owners, Vietnam-based Vinpearl Golf, have plans to conduct remedial work as soon as this winter, provided all necessary pre-work approvals from the relevant government departments, including Tasmania’s Parks and Wildlife Service – which administers the crown land the course occupies – are granted in time.
“We don’t want to change the hole,” says Cape Wickham general manager Thuan Quach, confirming that Vinpearl’s intention is to preserve the original hole as much as possible rather than alter it.
About 250 metres of remedial work is required, most likely in the form of a rock wall. However, this raises questions about where to source the rocks, how to transport them to the site and what will happen to the 17th and 18th holes during a project that is likely to last several months. Time remains a critical factor in the repair work, as the scale and cost of the project are growing with each passing year (a geotechnical report on the issue was first provided to Vinpearl in 2018).
Bringing the rocks in by barge would impact the course less than hauling them by truck across the northern end of the property. However, due to the nature of the swells in Victoria Cove, barge access would only be possible on one or two days each month. An alternative option would be to lower the fairway height by about two metres, although that approach is less likely to meet the Parks department’s requirements. A visit by engineers scheduled for the second half of January was expected to yield a decision on how to proceed.
DeVries, whose work at Hobart’s 7 Mile Beach is soon to be unveiled, has offered his architectural input, while Oliver is grateful to finally see some action being taken to rectify the problem.
He points out that seaside erosion and the fortification of fairways on coastal golf courses are not new challenges. Doonbeg on Ireland’s west coast is one of several links layouts to have encountered similar issues.
Cape Wickham took over the No.1 spot on Australian Golf Digest’s biennial Top 100 Golf Courses ranking in 2024, unseating Royal Melbourne for the first time. Now, the course’s strongest competition is not coming from the Sandbelt but from Father Time and Mother Nature.
