What it is
Lorne Country Club is a golf and tennis club up the hill above Lorne. The club was established in 1954, and Golf Australia magazine says the current course opened for play in 1968. It's nine holes, and the club's own line is that "visitors are most welcome".
It's a holiday course, and it doesn't pretend otherwise. The club says course dress is casual, "in keeping with the resort nature of our town". What you get in return for the climb is the view: Golf Australia magazine wrote about views across Louttit Bay and the Southern Ocean from the clubhouse and from parts of the course.
It won't be the centrepiece of a serious golf trip. But if you're in Lorne for the day anyway, it's a fun way to fill a couple of hours.
The course
Hilly. The club says the slopes on the fairways and greens "provide a challenge for every shot", and when Golf Australia magazine covered the Great Ocean Road courses in 2022 it said there are few, if any, genuinely flat lies, which makes hitting straight shots into the small greens harder than it looks. The club doesn't publish a par or length on its website, so we haven't either.
You'll probably have company. Golf Australia mentioned kangaroos, kookaburras and koalas around the course.
The 1st
Golf Australia called the opening hole Lorne's most memorable. In its 2022 description it's a 480-metre par 5 that climbs over a small rise, then runs down and to the right towards the green with the ocean in view.
The 2nd
An uphill par 3 of 143 metres with a diagonal, terraced green. The magazine's advice was to miss right if you're going to miss, because left leaves a tough up-and-down.
The 5th
A 124-metre par 3 from an elevated tee to a kidney-shaped green with a bunker on the left. Golf Australia reckoned it hands out as many bogeys and doubles as birdies, especially when the wind comes off the water from the left.
Any rankings?
Golf Australia magazine included it (unnumbered) in its list of Australia's 50 most-fun short courses in 2021. It's not in the big Top 100 lists, and it isn't trying to be.
Visitors and booking
Who can play
Visitors are welcome, and the club's visitor page lists golf as open every day. We couldn't find a handicap requirement on the club's website. If that matters to someone in your group, ask the club before you go.
How to book
Tee times are booked through the "Book Tee Time" link on lornecountryclub.com.au, which goes to the club's Book A Tee page. Book ahead in summer, when Lorne is full.
Green fees
When we checked in October 2026, visitors were $40 for 18 holes (twice around) or $30 for 9. Juniors 17 and under were $20 and $15. There's also a weekly ticket: $120 for adults and $65 for juniors, handy if you're staying in the area for a week. Check before you book.
Hire
Club hire was $10 and a pull buggy $5. The club has golf carts and a cart policy on its website, but we couldn't find a cart price, so ask if you need one. Given the hills, some people will.
Hot days
The club has an extreme conditions policy on its website. On a hot or wild day, read it before you head down.
Tennis, food and the clubhouse
Tennis
If half the group would rather hit tennis balls, there are courts too. When we checked, court hire was $20 an hour for an en tous cas court and $40 an hour for a mod grass court, booked online through the club's website. Social mixed doubles run from April to September on Saturday mornings and Wednesday afternoons, at $10 for visitors.
The bistro
The restaurant is called The Peak, and you can book it online through the club's website. The visitor page says the bistro is open daily for lunch and dinner through summer until 26 January. Outside summer, check the hours before you count on it.
Getting there from Holyday House
Lorne is about 45 minutes down the Great Ocean Road from Torquay, and the club is a few more minutes up the hill from town. Allow longer on summer weekends. You'll go through Anglesea on the way, so if you want two rounds in a day, Anglesea Golf Club and its kangaroos are about 20 minutes from the house.
The easiest way to do it is as part of a Lorne day trip: nine holes in the morning, then down to the beach and the pier for lunch. If you're in town for the Pier to Pub swim in January, our Pier to Pub accommodation guide explains why plenty of people stay in Torquay and drive down. Then it's back to the house, with off-street parking for everyone's cars, and the hot tub for the legs after all those hills.
Lorne Country Club FAQ
How many holes is Lorne Country Club?
Nine. You can play 9, or go around twice for 18, and the green fees are set for both.
Can visitors play?
Yes. The club says visitors are most welcome, and golf is listed as open every day. Book a tee time through the Book A Tee link on the club's website.
Is there a dress code?
The club says course dress is casual, in keeping with Lorne being a resort town.
Is it hard to walk?
It's a hilly course with few flat lies, according to Golf Australia magazine. The club has carts, so ask about one if walking the slopes is a worry.
How far is it from Holyday House?
About 45 minutes to Lorne along the Great Ocean Road, plus a few minutes up the hill to the club. Longer in summer traffic.
This is an independent guide; green fees, booking rules and visitor times change, so check with Lorne Country Club before you go. For the bigger courses closer to the house, see our Torquay golf guide. The three-day Great Ocean Road itinerary has more ideas for the drive. And if you'd like a base for golf, beaches and day trips, check dates and send us an enquiry.
Sources
Facts on this page were checked against these sources on 15 October 2026. Opening hours, patrols, rules and closures change — check with the source before you go.
- The Course — Lorne Country Club
- Visitor Info — Lorne Country Club
- Lorne Country Club — Lorne Country Club
- Holiday at home: The Great Ocean Road — Golf Australia magazine
- Australia's 50 Most-Fun Short Courses — Golf Australia magazine