The course
St Leonards Golf Club is a small, volunteer-run club at 282–320 Ibbotson Street, St Leonards, near the eastern tip of the Bellarine. If you've seen it listed somewhere as an 18-hole course, that's out of date. In November 2023 the club moved to a brand-new course on the western side of Ibbotson Street, and it's a different setup now.
The new course has nine greens, and each one is played from three different sets of tees. The club calls these three nines Dolphin (blue tee markers, the rear course), Pelican (black, the middle) and Seahorse (white, the front). Mix and match and you get 27 hole configurations. The club hasn't published a par or length for the nines, so don't go looking for a scorecard total here.
The club describes it as an inland links-style course. It has a fully automatic irrigation system and its own desalination plant to keep it watered year-round.
Built by the members
The Bellarine Times reported in December 2023 that the club had chased the project for more than a decade. Contracted landscapers shaped the course and laid the base, and club volunteers led by course superintendent Ben Davis did much of the rest: filling the greens and bunkers, growing in the grass and building mounds from the soil of two dams.
A bit of history
According to the club, Arthur Blanche founded it in 1951 with about 40 members, on a nine-hole course he designed and built on his own land, with sand-scraped greens. An 18-hole course with grass greens opened in 1967–68, and the club re-formed in 1979. The old clubhouse on Blanche Street, built in 1986, was demolished in December 2021 ahead of the move.
What it's like to play
Going by the club's own course notes, the main defence is the wind. The holes point in different directions, so it changes on you as you go round. The fairways are Santa Ana couch, wide off the tee and cut tight so you can run the ball in, but there's a better angle into each green from a particular spot. Some are split, with mounding making separate corridors.
The greens are big, raised bentgrass "turtle-backs" that push a slightly off approach away, so accuracy matters more than distance. Bunkers are used sparingly, with centreline bunkers on the 5th and 7th you can play around, over or short of. Short-grass fescue run-offs around the greens give you a choice of chip, pitch or putt.
Water's in play on the 3rd, 4th, 6th and 9th, and out of bounds runs along the 1st, 2nd and 5th. The deep rough is native grasses and indigenous shrubs, and the club expects it to get tougher as it matures. Keep it on the short stuff.
Visitors, fees and when to go
This is the easy one. When we checked in October 2026, the club's site said tee times aren't needed when the course is open for visitor play. Green fees were $40 for adults and $25 for under-18s, and that's for unlimited play for the day, so you can go round again from a different set of tees. Pay in cash or at the Vendi tap-and-go machine on the back of the starter's hut, between the clubhouse and the 1st tee. Fees change, so check before you go.
When it's closed to visitors
The course is closed to all golfers until midday every Wednesday for maintenance. Thursday and Saturday are club competition days, and it's closed to green fee players until 2pm. Other times, visitors are generally welcome.
Joining a competition
Visitors can enter the Thursday and Saturday club competitions. Book through the MiScore app or by calling the club captain (the number's on the club's site).
What to wear
The club keeps it relaxed: neat and tidy clothes are fine, but no thongs, singlets or work boots on the course.
Carts, practice and the clubhouse
There are three electric carts, hired through the Vendi app on a first-come, first-served basis. Guests paid $40 for three hours, $45 for five hours or $40 for twilight when we checked. On Thursdays and Saturdays they're for members only until 2pm. We didn't see club hire mentioned, so bring your own sticks.
For warming up there's a practice putting green by the clubhouse, a hitting net, and a practice fairway between the 4th and 8th.
The refurbished clubhouse opens on competition days (Thursday and Saturday from 2pm) and for listed events, so don't count on it on other days. When it's open there's a full bar, a wood fire in winter, TVs with live sport and the races, a pool table and darts, plus a lawn under shade sails looking over the final hole. The club doesn't mention food, so plan lunch elsewhere.
Getting there and pairing it up
From Holyday House in north Torquay, allow about an hour to get across the Bellarine to St Leonards. That's a long way for a short course, so most people will want to pair it with something. Portarlington Golf Club is just up the road if you want a full 18 the same day, and Queenscliff is at the other end of this corner of the peninsula. Or skip the second round and do a Bellarine cellar door on the way home (our wineries guide has the options).
The flat day rate and the no-booking setup suit a casual hit with the kids or a group of beginners. The house has off-street parking for multiple vehicles, so splitting the group across cars is no drama. Ask us if you'd like somewhere to keep the clubs between rounds.
St Leonards Golf Club FAQ
Is St Leonards an 18-hole course?
Not any more. Since November 2023 it's been nine greens, each played from three sets of tees (the Dolphin, Pelican and Seahorse nines), giving 27 hole configurations. Older directories that say 18 holes are describing the previous course.
Do I need to book a tee time?
No. The club says tee times aren't required when the course is open for visitor play. Just turn up and pay at the starter's hut.
How much does it cost?
In October 2026 it was $40 for adults and $25 for under-18s, for unlimited golf that day. Check the club's site before you go.
When can't visitors play?
Wednesday until midday (closed to everyone for maintenance), and Thursday and Saturday until 2pm (competitions). Visitors can enter those competitions through the MiScore app.
How far is it from Holyday House?
About an hour's drive from north Torquay.
This is an independent guide; green fees, booking rules and visitor times change, so check with St Leonards Golf Club before you go. For the bigger picture, our Torquay golf guide covers the courses closer to home. If you're visiting with kids, the family holiday guide has more ideas, and the events guide lists what's on across the region. When you've got dates in mind, check availability 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.
- St Leonards Golf Club — St Leonards Golf Club
- About the Course — St Leonards Golf Club
- Green Fees — St Leonards Golf Club
- Course Closure Times — St Leonards Golf Club
- Cart Hire — St Leonards Golf Club
- Clubhouse Opening Times — St Leonards Golf Club
- Club History — St Leonards Golf Club
- Course construction complete in St Leonards — Bellarine Times