Portarlington Golf Club

The thing people mention first is condition. Golf Australia's reviewer singled out the couch fairways and the greens, and in the 2025 ranking blurb the panellist quoted veteran pro Terry Price, after a Legends Tour visit, saying it "might be the best-conditioned golf course we play anywhere in Australia". The club waters the course with harvested stormwater and recycled water, which goes some way to explaining it.

Off the tee, the driving lines are fairly narrow between tall stands of trees on most holes, so it rewards keeping it in play more than smashing it. The review notes some woodland has been thinned on holes 4 to 8, and the 15th and 16th are the main break from the trees. Around the greens, trimmed slopes tend to feed a missed approach away, so your iron play gets a workout.

A few holes the review calls out: the short par-4 1st (about 260 metres from the tips) is a birdie chance, but its green is shared with the 10th. The par-3 2nd has a creek down the left and a big green with long breaks. The 12th is a risk-and-reward par 4 of about 330 metres with bunkers down the left. And the reviewer reckons the closing six holes alone are worth the green fee.

When we checked in October 2026, the club's site listed 18 holes at $70 on weekdays and $80 on weekends and public holidays. Nine holes was $45 any day, and golf after 4pm was $40. Juniors were $30 for 18 and $20 for nine. Prices change, so check before you book.

Public cart hire was $50 and club hire $25, which is handy if you've left the clubs at home. There's also an indoor golf simulator at $30 an hour for one person or $60 an hour for two to four, a decent wet-weather backup. The pro shop runs lessons too.

From Holyday House in north Torquay, allow about an hour's drive across to Portarlington. It's further than the Torquay courses, so it suits a full golf day rather than a quick nine. The house has off-street parking for several cars, so a group can split into a couple of vehicles easily. If you'd like somewhere to keep the clubs between rounds, ask us.

The Bellarine cellar doors are close by, so a round followed by a late lunch at a winery works well (see our wineries guide, and sort out a driver). In January, Portarlington hosts the Mussel Festival, which is in our events guide. And if you want two rounds on the Bellarine, St Leonards is just down the road, while Curlewis and Clifton Springs are on the way back towards Geelong.