 Interactive map of The Australian Golf Club | |
| Club information | |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 33°55′4″S151°12′54″E / 33.91778°S 151.21500°E /-33.91778; 151.21500 |
| Location | Sydney,Australia |
| Established | 1882; 143 years ago (1882) |
| Type | Private |
| Total holes | 18 |
| Events hosted | Australian Open |
| Website | www.australiangolfclub.com |
| Designed by | Clark,Hutchison & Martin (1903) /Jack Nicklaus (1976) /Jack Nicklaus (2013) |
| Par | 72 |
| Length | 6610m |
| Course rating | 76 |
| Course record | 61 (Rod Pampling) |
The Australian Golf Club is agolf club located inRosebery, a suburb ofSydney,Australia. Although it survived numerous course location changes, it is arguably the oldestgolf club in Australia. To date the course has held 22Australian Open events and most recently in 2023 the event was won by ChileanJoaquín Niemann. The course has been rated the 9th best in the country.[1]
The Australian Golf Club was founded in1882, which makes it the oldest golf club in Australia followed byRoyal Melbourne Golf Club (founded 1891). However, The Australian did not have a golf course between the years of 1888 and 1895, which has led to debate as to which golf club is the oldest.
The club's firstgolf course was situated inMoore Park, a suburb of Sydney, but due to a new road the course had to be abandoned six years later in 1888. In 1895 a second, eleven-hole course was built inWaverley, which was used until 1898, when the club's lease expired. The course then moved toBotany, Sydney. It was this course that hosted the 1901 Australian Amateur Championship, and the first Australian Open in 1904.
The present day location of the course was inspected in 1903, while a year later plans were put forward for the new course byCarnegie Clark,Jock Hutchison andGilbert Martin. In 1926Alister MacKenzie, designer of courses such asRoyal Melbourne Golf Club andAugusta National Golf Club,[2] was asked to update holes on the course. Due to the popularity of the course, members approved a new layout in 1949 which supplied the club with two starting holes. In 1967 the proposal of a new road threatened the land on which the course was laid out on. As a result, a redesign by Sloane Morpeth was needed, which was completed in 1973. Between 1977 and 1980Jack Nicklaus made significant alterations to the course, which included adding length andwater hazards, which transformed the course into what it is today.[1]
Present works are under way to improve the course, including the re-routing of a number of holes. The changes will create a more contemporary feel. The club has again commissioned Jack Nicklaus to design the changes, and the course is set to re-open in autumn of 2013.
| Tee | Rating/Slope | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Out | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | In | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Par | 5 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 36 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 36 | 72 | |
| Championship | 76 | 455 | 194 | 343 | 186 | 551 | 386 | 382 | 405 | 422 | 3324 | 378 | 175 | 385 | 349 | 510 | 188 | 431 | 392 | 478 | 3286 | 6610 |
| Blue | 75 | 455 | 168 | 343 | 159 | 542 | 386 | 382 | 405 | 405 | 3245 | 378 | 175 | 370 | 349 | 510 | 188 | 387 | 392 | 478 | 3227 | 6454 |
| Men's | 73 | 442 | 162 | 325 | 141 | 492 | 379 | 358 | 392 | 396 | 3087 | 363 | 155 | 356 | 344 | 487 | 174 | 375 | 371 | 463 | 3088 | 6175 |
| Ladies | 75 | 403 | 146 | 291 | 102 | 453 | 366 | 307 | 374 | 305 | 2747 | 309 | 120 | 278 | 323 | 463 | 155 | 353 | 309 | 430 | 2740 | 5487 |
Source[3]
The Australian Golf Club has held 20 Australian Opens,[4] with the most recent being from the 23–26 November 2017, which was won byCameron Davis with a score of 11 under par. The various winners of Australian Opens at The Australian are as follows:
| Year | Winner | Year | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1904 |  Michael Scott (a) | 1977 |  David Graham |
| 1908 | Clyde Pearce | 1978 |  Jack Nicklaus |
| 1920 | Joe Kirkwood Sr. | 1982 | Bob Shearer |
| 1925 | Fred Popplewell | 1990 | John Morse |
| 1931 | Ivo Whitton (a) | 1996 | Greg Norman |
| 1937 | George Naismith | 2004 | Peter Lonard |
| 1949 | Eric Cremin | 2007 | Craig Parry |
| 1959 | Kel Nagle | 2014 | Jordan Spieth |
| 1975 | Jack Nicklaus | 2015 | Matt Jones |
| 1976 | Jack Nicklaus | 2017 | Cameron Davis |
The Australian has also hosted 13 Australian Amateur Championships – the first in 1901, and the most recent in 2015.
