Royal Hobart Golf Club

Overview: At Seven Mile Beach, Royal Hobart’s sandy course plays 18 holes to par 72 at Seven Mile Beach, close to Hobart Airport and the Tasmanian coast. Vern Morcom’s layout was built on sandy soil in natural bushland with gentle contours, giving the course a heathland character rather than a heavily manicured resort feel. The fairways move through eucalypts and coastal vegetation, and prevailing wind can turn an apparently straightforward approach into a demanding one. It is a private club with a significant championship history.

History: The club’s roots reach back to Newlands Golf Club in 1896 and the Hobart Golf Club’s formation in 1901. After a move to Rosny and the award of a Royal Charter in 1925, the members selected the Seven Mile Beach site in 1956. Vern Morcom designed the present course, which officially opened for play in 1963. Royal Hobart then hosted the 1971 Australian Open, won by Jack Nicklaus.

Did You Know? The original Sandy Bay course reportedly played to the remarkable par of 89, including a par-seven hole. Royal Hobart’s current Seven Mile Beach course is a conventional par-72 championship layout, so the club’s history records a dramatic change in how golf was routed and scored over its first century.