Lakelands Golf Club

Overview: Lakelands Golf Club is a public-access Jack Nicklaus Signature course on the Gold Coast, built around the idea that risk and reward should be visible from the tee. The par 72 layout combines generous corridors with water, bunkering and shaped green approaches that punish a careless line. It is a course for strategic golfers as much as long hitters: the safe side of a fairway can open a green, while the tempting shortcut can turn a routine hole into a recovery exercise.

History: Lakelands opened in 1997 as Australia's first Jack Nicklaus Signature design. The club and Golf Australia describe a layout shaped by Nicklaus's preference for clear strategic choices, well-defined hazards and a strong relationship between tee shot and approach. It has become one of the Gold Coast's established golf destinations, with the original design intent still visible in the way holes present alternatives rather than a single forced route.

Did You Know? The course is built around a risk-reward conversation that can change with the wind and the day's pin position. Fairways may invite an aggressive drive, but the best score often comes from choosing a less dramatic line that leaves the correct angle. That makes Lakelands a useful course to play more than once during a Gold Coast golf trip.