OUR GOLF IN AUSTRALIA

Golf was once in the middle of the outback. A $2 sand greens course.

Number 12 at Moore Park a muni with Sydney in the background

Our golfing experience was different from the United States. If you were a casual tourist and golfing as part of a package or a round or two over a several week vacation you might not notice. But over our thirty rounds of golf in Australia, plus another ten in New Zealand, one difference was that we always walked. Not that you couldn't rent a cart, but the culture did not promote riding. That was fine with us. The second big difference was the cost. The culture of golf in Australia is to make it affordable for everyone. Certainly at select clubs and courses one could spend $200-300 a round. But at Moore Park, a respectable municipal course within the Sydney limits and only a fifteen minute drive from our home in the suburb Coogee, the rate was $26 plus $5 for a pull cart if you did not have your own. At another muni., Kogarah, the cost was $23 and included a beer at the clubhouse after the round. At Moore Park a member has no initiation fee, annual dues are $2700 and as a member you only pay $5 a round. Unlimited golf. Part of the reason for golf's affordability is that the government contributes out of public recreation funds. Also there are slot machines at most clubhouses that also defray costs. Australians like to gamble, and "Pokey" machines are ubiquitous at golf courses. Not overdone, and often set aside, but they are there. One of our favorite courses in the Sydney vicinity was St. Michael's, that had 9 holes alongside the ocean...a mini Pebble Beach. Finally, golf is everywhere in Australia. Way out in the middle of the outback there is a now abandoned 9 hole sand greens golf course that cost $2 to play. The town closed down when the trains changed to just refueling on their way across country. Go golf Australia, its everywhere and you won't find better companions.