Tropical weather, beaches, and golf have always gone together well. Australia is the best golf destination in the entire Pacific, hands down. There are numerous courses and clubs that rank right up among the worlds best like the Royal Melbourne or Barnbougle Dunes. New Zealand has a few decent courses as well, and although they tend to be a bit spread out for a major golfing tour, the isles of the South Pacific hold a few little known gems.
- Barnbougle Dunes, Australia Tasmania’s Barnbougle Dunes has no membership like St. Andrews or Pebble Beach. When not chopping away at dunes and grassy hills, relax in seaside cottages just off the course.
- Royal Melbourne West, Australia This private Alister MacKenzie has not a single water hazard, but the bunkers are in all the right places making for one of the most difficult runs in the game.
- Cape Kidnapper’s, New Zealand In its former life this Tom Doak designed course perched along dramatic sea cliffs on Hawk’s Bay was a 5,000 acre sheep ranch.
- Kauri Cliffs, New Zealand With 15 holes with ocean views, this David Harman designed course is one of the most scenic, not to mention challenging, in the entire Pacific.
- Royal Melbourne East, Australia Although the terrain is less dramatic than the West course at Royal Melbourne, the Alex Russell design is just as intriguing.
- Royal Adelaide, Australia Adelaide’s signature course is considered one of the best in the country and right up there with the world greats. The Alister MacKenzie design is characterized by the combination of dunes and fir trees.
- New South Wales, Australia AKA La Perouse, this course south of Sydney near Botnoy Bay has strong winds and water on three sides. One of the world’s most scenic courses.
- Kingston Heath, Australia Near Melbourne, this is one of Australia’s favorite championship courses. It has hosted many Australia Opens, British Open qualifying rounds, and several other major championships.
- Millbrook Resort, New Zealand The challenging 18-hole, 72-par golf course has jaw dropping backdrops of the Remarkables Mountain Range and winds through trout streams and alpine forests.
- Denarau Golf Club, Fiji This course on Vitu Levu is outrageously expensive, but it is one of the best settings on earth for a game of golf. Imagine hitting a ball on a perfectly maintained course surrounded by crystal clear waters and rows of coconut trees.