With more course visits and evaluations logged in the 101-200 section than before, our “Next 100” ranking is more comprehensive than ever.
Of the 7,026 evaluations logged by our judging panel for the most recent Top 100 Golf Courses ranking, 3,183 (or nearly 45 percent) of them were for layouts that didn’t make the Top 100. Which means our reservoir of scores for the courses beyond the main list is as deep as ever.
For an insight into how much territory our panel covered collectively during the ranking period that began on March 1, 2022, and ended on February 29 this year, consider that there were multiple scores lodged for courses as remote as Charleville (in central southern Queensland), Port MacDonnell (near the south-eastern tip of South Australia), Coal Valley (in south-eastern Tasmania) and Ultima (in north-western Victoria). That list could go on, while the list of courses seen by at least one of our panellists is even longer. In short, our expanded panel of 277 yielded an exponentially large volume of course scores, and those scores span a much greater percentage of the country. If you missed it in the May issue, those 7,026 evaluations covered 809 different courses – more than half the total number we have.
This is the third time Australian Golf Digest has published a secondary list in the wake of the main Top 100 ranking. If there’s a trend evident across the “Next 100” lists of 2020, 2022 and now 2024, it’s a gradual narrowing of the gap across all 200 courses. This time, just 4.32 points out of 80 separated course No.100 from No.200, compared to 5.3 points across the same spread in 2022 and 7 points two years earlier. For comparison, 15.2 points separated No.1 from No.100 (that gap was 16.5 points in 2022 and 16 points in 2020).
Sixty-seven courses from the Next 100 list of 2022 returned this time, and of the rest, 29 appear here as the result of a promotion from beyond 200th place with four having been demoted from the Top 100. Six courses featured in the Next 100 two years ago climbed into the main ranking for 2024.
One further trait possessed by the courses ranked 101st to 200th that’s not reflected in the Top 100 is a far wider geographic spread. While most of the 100 best courses in Australia are within or attached to metropolitan regions, a sizeable portion of the Next 100 are more far-flung. To reach these 100 courses, you’d need to visit Tropical North Queensland, eastern Victoria, the Barossa Valley, the bottom of Western Australia, several spots along the Murray River, a couple of parts of northern New South Wales, as well as the very heart of the Northern Territory. It would be an epic journey, but you’d certainly rack up the kilometres.
NSW again owns the lion’s share of the Next 100, with 40 courses in our most populous state. Contributing 29 courses reinforces Victoria’s standing as the golf haven of the nation (given the Garden State also provides 36 of the Top 100), while the remaining states and territories provide a roughly proportionate number, considering the total courses in each. Unlike the Top 100, every state and territory has at least one course in the Next 100.
Once again, to uphold the sanctity of the primary Top 100 Courses ranking, those ranked 101st to 200th are listed alphabetically by state or territory and without individual rankings.
Did you miss our Top 100 Courses ranking in the May 2024 issue? The full list – and an explanation of the process and judging criteria – is available at australiangolfdigest.com.au/australias-top-100-golf-courses-2024-25/
The courses ranked 101 to 200 in Australia
Australian Capital Territory
- Gold Creek
- Yowani
New South Wales
- Belmont
- Blackheath
- Byron Bay
- cluBarham
- Club Catalina (1-18)
- Cobram Barooga (Old)
- Coffs Harbour (1-18)
- Coolangatta-Tweed (River)
- Cromer
- Dubbo (1-18)
- Duntryleague
- Hawks Nest
- Horizons
- Kooindah Waters
- Lakeside Camden
- Links Shell Cove
- Long Reef
- Lynwood
- Macquarie Links
- Manly
- Mount Broughton
- Murwillumbah
- Oatlands
- Ocean Shores
- Pambula-Merimbula
(Championship) - Pennant Hills
- Pymble
- Rich River (East)
- Riverside Oaks (Gangurru)
- Ryde-Parramatta
- Shoalhaven Heads
- Tallwoods
- The Coast
- Thurgoona
- Tocumwal (Captains)
- Tocumwal (Presidents)
- Twin Creeks
- Wollongong
- Yarrawonga Mulwala (Lakes)
- Yarrawonga Mulwala (Murray)
Northern Territory
- Alice Springs
Queensland
- Bribie Island
- Indooroopilly (West)
- Kooralbyn Valley
- Maleny
- McLeod
- Nudgee (Bulka)
- Nudgee (Kurrai)
- Palm Meadows
- Palmer Gold Coast
- Palmer Sea Reef
South Australia
- Mount Osmond
- Tanunda Pines
- Tea Tree Gully
- The Vines of Reynella
- Victor Harbor
Tasmania
- Devonport
- Kingston Beach
- Royal Hobart
- Tasmania
- Ulverstone
Victoria
- Anglesea
- Bairnsdale
- Ballarat
- Cranbourne
- Eagle Ridge
- Eastern (South)
- Eynesbury
- Flinders
- Gardiners Run
- Growling Frog
- Horsham
- Kew
- Keysborough
- Lakes Entrance
- Leongatha
- Mornington
- Northern
- Peterborough
- Portarlington
- Queenscliff
- RACV Healesville
- RACV Torquay
- Ranfurlie
- Rosebud (South)
- Sandhurst (Champions)
- Sandhurst (North)
- Southern
- The Sands Torquay
- Yering Meadows (Valley)
Western Australia
- Araluen
- Bunbury
- Busselton
- Gosnells
- Hartfield
- Margaret River
- Sun City
- The Vines (Lakes)
Which courses are underrated, according to our panel?
At the close of the judging period for our ranking of Australia’s Top 100 Golf Courses, we asked our panel for their nominations for the best ‘underrated’ courses in the country. That’s an indistinct term and very open to interpretation, so we suggested choosing courses that don’t receive the exposure they deserve, for whatever reason and whether they’re inside the Next 100 or not. It’s also a word that drew votes for 112 different courses (the vote was optional). Of those, 33 received multiple votes and are listed here alphabetically:
- Ballarat (VIC)
- Belmont (NSW)
- Bunbury (WA)
- Burleigh (QLD)
- Byron Bay (NSW)
- Cobram Barooga (Old) (NSW)
- Coolangatta Tweed (River) (NSW)
- Duntryleague (NSW)
- Geelong (VIC)
- Horizons (NSW)
- Keysborough (VIC)
- Kooralbyn Valley (QLD)
- Lang Lang (VIC)
- Lakes Entrance (VIC)
- Leongatha (VIC)
- Long Reef (NSW)
- Maleny (QLD)
- Millicent (SA)
- Moss Vale (NSW)
- Northbridge (NSW)
- Nudgee (Kurrai) (QLD)
- Ocean Shores (NSW)
- Portarlington (VIC)
- Queenscliff (VIC)
- Shelly Beach (NSW)
- Shoalhaven Heads (NSW)
- Tambo Valley (VIC)
- Tarraleah (TAS)
- Teven Valley (NSW)
- The Coast (NSW)
- The Sands Torquay (VIC)
- Wollongong (NSW)
- Yarrawonga Mulwala (Murray) (NSW)
These selections are based on opinion rather than our seven judging criteria, which explains why not every course listed made our Next 100 ranking. In this instance we asked for a gut-feel response with the only parameter being that it couldn’t be ranked in the Top 100 (a couple of selections were omitted because the course ultimately wound up making our primary list).
Two courses stood out: Queenscliff on Victoria’s Bellarine Peninsula and Duntryleague at Orange in the Central West of NSW. Both comfortably made our Next 100 list and in Queenscliff’s case, it was listed among the 25 courses to watch ahead of our 2026 Top 100 ranking.
“Queenscliff is a gem of a course,” says panellist Craig Seckold. “Pass through the high security gates, as it shares its island home with the Commonwealth Defence Department. An open links layout with a wonderful abundance of challenging holes played to all directions of the compass.”
“A very scenic course on Swan Island with views all around Swan Bay and Queenscliff township,” adds Ian Greenwood. “Largely run by members/volunteers, they’ve done a great job presenting a very playable course.”
“It’s one course I wish I had discovered earlier,” insists Luke Bolden. “From the quirky access to the dated clubhouse, it all adds to the ambience of this island golf course. While some tees could be flatter, the quality of the putting surfaces and the quality of the golf holes snaking across Swan Island should not be underestimated. A track I would happily include in any rotation of golf courses I wished to play.”
In a completely different setting, Duntryleague drew similar praise.
“The condition of the course, layout and aesthetics are true standouts,” says panellist John Fox. “Having played it, I knew I would return as it just gives such an uplifting and fulfilling experience.”
“The best course in the mid-west NSW,” enthuses Chris Francis. “Excellent condition and always a pleasure to play the treelined fairways.”
If you’re after more insights from our panel as to what they feel are underrated Australian golf courses, add this eclectic selection of unheralded tracks to your golf-travel plans, none of which are on the Next 100 list: Atherton, Bayview, Bright, Carnarvon, Charlestown, Cohuna, Devilbend, Drouin, Eastlake, Flagstaff Hill, Grafton, Gunghalin Lakes, Half Moon Bay, Headland, Heathcote, Keperra, Maryborough (Vic), Mona Vale, Mount Gambier, Muirfield, Neanger Park, Oberon, Port Macquarie, Quamby, RAAF Darwin, RACV Goldfields, Rosebery, Roseville, Shelly Beach, Shortland Waters, South Pines, The Springs (WA), Toowoomba (Middle Ridge), Townsville, Traralgon, Waratah, Waterford Valley and Windaroo Lakes.
Course snapshots
Nudgee, QLD
Both the Kurrai and Bulka courses made our Next 100 list, with the Kurrai only a stone’s throw from being elevated to the Top 100 (it ranked 106th). Whether in its former guise or the James Wilcher-renovated version – which was forced, to a large degree, by the upgrade to Brisbane’s Gateway Motorway – Nudgee has never made the Top 100. Yet it appears imminently possible now for at least one of the two courses.
Was it in the Next 100 last time? Yes (Kurrai course)
Has it made the Top 100 before? No
Busselton, WA
Our Top 100 lists of the 1980s are like a time capsule. Some courses that made the grade then are unlikely to do so today only because of the calibre of new courses built since then. A genuinely appealing country course that is a former Top 100 layout and these days sits comfortably in the Next 100, Busselton has seen several promising upgrades in recent years. With 2022 Australian Golf Digest Superintendent of the Year Lance Knox drawing the best out of the Murray Dawson-designed layout, the course has drawn golfers to WA’s south-west in ever-increasing numbers.
Was it in the Next 100 last time? No
Has it made the Top 100 before? Yes
When? 1986 (Eighth Ten), 1989 (93rd)
cluBarham, NSW
Standing out along the Murray River isn’t easy to do thanks to the vast number of golf courses dotted along the way and because they share such similar design traits. Barham Golf Club, now known as cluBarham, is one place seeking to renovate and update its layout. It’s best known for the gaping “Gallipoli” bunker fronting the green on the uphill 14th hole (formerly the fifth before the two nines were swapped), while the Centreline Golf Design-led redo of the first hole has been a well-received update on the original Ross Watson design.
Was it in the Next 100 last time? Yes
Has it made the Top 100 before? No
The Vines, WA
Both the Lakes and Ellenbrook courses at Perth’s Vines Resort have a lengthy history with our Top 100 ranking. In recent years, though, the sheer volume of top-tier courses has made it difficult for established ones to ‘survive’ in an ever-competitive environment. That may change in rankings to come as The Vines transitions to having 27 main holes (the old Composite course – nine from each of the two courses – plus holes 3-11 from the Ellenbrook) as well as a 14-hole short course. That will surely strengthen its ranking prospects, as the premier existing 18 will become the focus. For now, the Lakes ranks as one of the leading courses on our Next 100 list.
Was it in the Next 100 last time? Yes
Has it made the Top 100 before? Yes
When? The Lakes course was formerly a Top 100 mainstay, missing only three rankings between 1989 and 2020, when it last appeared. As a standalone layout, the Ellenbrook course made the Top 100 only once, in 2010 (91st).
Ocean Shores, NSW
Here’s a classic example of a past high-ranking course that has slid down the list mainly because of the influx of new courses unseating it. With six par 3s, six par 4s and six par 5s – and no holes with the same par played consecutively – Ocean Shores instantly owns a point of difference, but there’s much more to the layout than a quirky scorecard alone. Designed by Bruce Devlin and Robert von Hagge in the late 1960s and more recently updated by Richard Chamberlain, Ocean Shores has long been considered one of the best courses on the North Coast of New South Wales.
Was it in the Next 100 last time? No
Has it made the Top 100 before? Yes
When? Every ranking from the original list in 1986 until 2004, peaking at 34th (in 1989).
Gosnells, WA
A sleeper course in southern Perth, Gosnells melds a semi-bushland setting with Sandbelt-style ground traits in a compelling mix that was good enough to see it selected to host the Australian Junior Amateur in April. Rankings-wise, it nudged into the lower realms of the Top 100 twice during the early 1990s and has now been part of the Next 100 in the past two lists. The course blends its attractive bunkering with mostly small greens, which are not over-bunkered.
Was it in the Next 100 last time? Yes
Has it made the Top 100 before? Yes
When? 1991 (90th) and 1994 (88th)
Rich River, NSW
The East course at Rich River draws most plaudits, yet both layouts at the 36-hole resort at Moama on the Murray River are part of the fabric of our Next 100 list. Irrigation and bunker upgrades in recent years – as well as the East course hosting the 2023 New South Wales Open – have placed Rich River back in the spotlight as a 36-hole facility to watch.
Was it in the Next 100 last time? Yes
Has it made the Top 100 before? Yes
When? 1989 (80th), 1991 (68th) and 1994 (100th)
Eynesbury, VIC
The Graham Marsh design on Melbourne’s western edge experienced a quiet welcome in 2008 when several other fine new Australian courses were also opening, then made the Top 100 for five straight rankings from 2010. Eynesbury has now spent the past three rankings listed among the ‘close but no cigar’ set of the 25 courses just outside the Top 100, which gives an indication of how near the main list the course rates.
Was it in the Next 100 last time? Yes
Has it made the Top 100 before? Yes
When? 2010 (79th), 2012 (83rd), 2014 (81st), 2016 (83rd) and 2018 (90th)
Rosebud (South), VIC
Another situation of Big Brother, Little Brother yet one where the lesser course stands a solid chance of catching up. The North course at Rosebud is edging towards the top 50 in the country, which augurs well for the largely unrenovated South course, as it shares similar properties and has the scope – once upgraded – to challenge for its debut appearance on our main list. Both layouts are perennial favourites on Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula.
Was it in the Next 100 last time? Yes
Has it made the Top 100 before? No
