Barnbougle Golf Club (Dunes Course), Australia

Barnbougle Dunes Golf Links is a golf course located near the seaside village of Bridport in Tasmania’s North-East; Australia. The 18 hole championship layout was designed by course architects Tom Doak and Mike Clayton, and is set among sand dunes overlooking Bass Strait. The course has been highly rated since opening in 2005, recognised as Australia’s number one public access course, and fifth best course of any sort in Australia.

Barnbougle Dunes is a true golfer’s golf course, the impeccably-manicured fairways and greens are among the most beautiful and challenging in Australia. To say that designers Tom Doak and Mike Clayton followed the natural lay of the land is an understatement. It’s as if they simply unrolled a grass carpet across the undulating landscape, giving the course a “buried elephants” feel. But while this feature would be ridiculed if it were artificially manufactured at a city course, it fits perfectly in Barnbougle’s seaside setting.

Players will love the challenge of snaking a putt through the enigmatic left-right-left-downhill breaks on the slick 13th green. Or “threading the needle” on the monstrous 8th to carefully place a drive on a narrow strip of elevated fairway — flirting precariously with the ball-devouring rough on the left, and the valley of death on the right. Indeed, this is golf at its finest!

The elements play a pivotal role at Barnbougle. On a calm day, golfers will have many opportunities for creative, glorious, “tell-your-friends-about-it” shotmaking. On a windy day, however, you’ll use all the clubs in your bag.

That’s not to say that the wind is a killer. Unlike other seaside courses, where stiff cross-winds can render holes absurdly unplayable, Doak and Clayton masterfully arranged the holes so that the wind is generally either in your face, or at your back. Golf at the Dunes is a game of strategy, where each shot requires tactical thought and a little creativity can be rewarding.