Nudging up to Bass Strait in numerous instances, the captivating Ocean Dunes layout ducks in and away from the coastline as it meanders along King Island’s west coast. A revealing arrangement of green complexes is a feature of a course where the location alone guarantees attention. Yet not content to merely place a good course on a great site, course architect Graeme Grant set about giving golfers a cerebral examination amid potentially volatile surroundings.
Several greens make for vastly different playing strategies based on pin position alone; throw in the varying Roaring Forties winds and the plan might change all together. Holes like the short par-4 second, where the green is completely hidden from few from only a few paces back down the fairway, the multi-segmented eighth green and the genius 14th are scintillating targets to firstly approach and then conquer once the putter is in hand.
Adding to the visual feast are the blind shots that, depending on your position, number as many as nine spanning tee shots and approaches. Yet it’s a fitting design trait given the exhilarating nature of the course and location. To better Ocean Dunes, golfers need to show courage and commitment but also the willingness to allow the fate of their shots to be dictated by the land and weather.
THE DETAILS
Ocean Dunes Golf Course
Ranking for 2024-2025: 13th
Prior rankings: 13th (2022), 13th (2020), 10th (2018)
Where: North Rd, Loorana, King Island TAS 7256
Phone: 0447 830 202
Web: oceandunes.com.au