Located a scenic 20-minute drive from the CBD of Tasmania’s capital city Hobart, Tasmania Golf Club came highly recommended. In our travels, we always ask locals where we should play golf. Eager to discover their hidden gems, this has worked very well for us, especially while we were in New Zealand. Tasmania Golf Club was a consistent answer, and it came highly recommended by Cape Wickham and Barnbougle, and just about every golfer that we met in our 4-month journey through Tasmania.

Afforded with the luxury of time, we rarely play golf on the weekends. Traveling full-time, we find that playing golf during the week is always less crowded, and often more affordable. But unfortunately, our time in Tasmania was coming to an end. It was a Saturday the day we arrived, and the Club had a morning competition. There were tee times late in the afternoon that was available, but that meant that we would only have enough time for 9 holes. Since we had to move on, we decided that 9-holes was better than not playing this gem. If you only have time to play 9 holes at Tasmania Golf Club, we were told to play the front.

TGC picturesquely juts out into Barilla Bay and is surrounded on three sides by water. The golf course has 18 holes and measures 6124 meters (6780 yards) from the back Blue tees and a long 5520 meters (6037 yards) from the forward Red tees. Par is 72 from the Blue and White tees, and 74 from the Red. We played the front nine, which measures 3020 meters (3303 yards), and plays to a par of 35.

Green fees in March of 2021 were a modest $85 for 18 holes and $50 for 9. Rates are even lower if you are a Tassie resident!

The sharp dogleg right 312-meter (348-yard) par 4 second hole is slightly uphill. Hoping for a fade, I hit my driver straight off the tee, which came to rest on the left side of the dogleg. I had 110 meters in, which with the light breeze, should have been the perfect distance for a wedge. The ridge of the hill blocked my view of the green, but I could see the top of the flag. Catching the wedge a bit heavy, my approach found the front edge of the green, a long way from the pin in the back. I was on the dance floor, but a long way from the music as my father used to say.

Playing down the middle of the fairway, Menekse hit a 3-wood on the screws. It skirted the bunker, and also came up a couple of meters short. But a good crisp pitch inside the leather left her with a tap-in five!

The 515-meter (575-yard) par 5 third hole is one of the more famous holes in Tasmania. With Barilla Bay running the full length of the left side, this dogleg left is slightly reminiscent of the brilliant finishing hole at Pebble Beach! Unlike Pebble, however, the fairway on three is framed with gum trees (eucalyptus trees) on both sides. There is a tall gum on the left which made it difficult to know how much of the corner could be taken off because I didn’t think I would be able to clear the tree from that distance. So, I settled on a distinctive-looking gum tree through the fairway on the right side and decided that was the best target. With a definite target in mind, I was able to turn over my tee shot, and it found the center of the fairway.

We both hit 3-woods from the fairway on three, something that I love to do, but don’t do enough. Playing for the angle, I hit it down the right side, running it just into the first cut of the rough.

There are a pair of bunkers on both sides of the green that need to be avoided. With a preferable distance to the flag, I hit a 56-degree wedge to about 3 meters but pushed my birdie putt right.

The fifth is a demanding uphill 188-meter (213-yard) par 3 that turned us around back into the breeze! With a duo of bunkers right, I pulled a 5-iron that stayed on the hill left of the green and led to back-to-back bogies for my round. From 110 meters, Menekse hit a tremendous five-wood off the tee. It threaded the needle hugging the corner of the right-side bunker, rolled on, and had a good look at birdie!

The 148-meter (172-yard) par 3 eighth is a stunning golf hole. Set high on a cliff with panoramic views of the Bay on the right, the late afternoon breeze started to pick up. With the ocean right and deep bunkers left, this is an intimidating scene. The breeze was just enough to make the deep greenside bunkers a definite threat, especially for a guy who often pulls it left. Fat and short of the bunkers was the result of my worried swing, but I managed safe passage!

With 5-wood in her hand, Menekse pulled her tee shot just enough that it quickly tumbled down the deep bunker. I completely lost sight of her as she descended to the head-high depths of the abyss.  It took her a couple of attempts, but she hit an incredible bunker shot that escaped the treacherous hazard.

The number one handicap 419-meter (463-yard) par 4 uphill ninth was a tremendous finishing hole for our day. A dogleg right, the fairway is lined with trees down the left. After blocking my tee shot right, I nutted a 5-wood that slide between the greenside bunkers that protect both sides and rolled on.

Tasmania Golf Club was exceptional, and we wish we would have had time to play the back nine. The golf course was in wonderful condition. The greens were particularly a standout. Larger than we expected, they were firm, full of undulations, and had a good speed. The views of the bay, especially from the third and eighth tees, were magnificent.

Traveling and playing golf in Australia has been a rewarding experience. We have been fortunate to have seen so many of Australia’s icons, as well as to be able to play some of its greatest golf courses. But it has been the people that we have met in our travels that will be our lasting memory. And we couldn’t have had a warmer welcome from everyone we met during our day at Tasmania Golf Club. The staff treated us like long-time members, but it was especially the members that we met that made us feel at home. The pride every member takes in their Club was evident and infectious.

There is a reason why everyone recommended Tasmania Golf Club, it was simply spectacular golf. But more than that, it was the warmth we received from the members that will be our lasting memory.

And, as if the golf wasn’t enough to make this day unforgettable, we saw the Southern Lights later that night!