Australia’s Finest GOLF COURSES
by Darius Oliver
RRP: $49.95 AUD ($34.95 Paperback Edition released Sep '07), Principal photographer David Scaletti. Foreword by Ian Baker-Finch
Australia’s Finest Golf Courses is a magnificent tour through Australia’s best golf courses, from the timeless classics at Royal Melbourne, Kingston Heath and Royal Adelaide to the modern masterpieces at The National, Kennedy Bay and The Capital. There is also a rare and fascinating look at the country’s most exclusive golf course —Ellerston —designed by Greg Norman and located on the Packer family estate in the New South Wales Upper Hunter Valley.
The book presents state-by-state reviews of our finest courses, covering both history and design, and accompanied by superb photography and course comments from leading designers including Greg Norman, Peter Thomson, Ross Watson, Michael Clayton, Tony Cashmore and Michael Wolveridge. The book also includes a foreword by 1991 British Open champion Ian Baker-Finch and a ratings section that details the best golf holes and courses, both classic and modern.
Darius Oliver has researched (and played) each course reviewed in the book and provides an insider’s guide to more than 60 of the country’s best public and private courses. From professionals and dedicated amateurs to weekend hackers and armchair golfers, Australia’s Finest Golf Courses is a book for anyone who has ever dreamt of playing the best golf Australia has to offer.
- Australia’s Finest Golf Courses
- 160 pages
- 280 x 230 mm hard cover (Portrait)
- Published by New Holland Publishers
- Note - New paperback edition released September 2007
- RRP $34.95 - Available now from all good book stores.
About the author
Darius Oliver grew up playing golf on Melbourne’s Sandbelt where he developed an appreciation for classic golf course architecture and an insatiable desire to play all the great courses in Australia.
Darius helped establish ausgolf—Australia’s foremost golf website—in 1996, and has been an editor there ever since. During his time with ausgolf he has travelled extensively throughout Australia and played not only all of the country’s leading courses but also some of the world’s most famous.
A former member of the Huntingdale Golf Club and one-time caddy at Royal Melbourne, Darius now plays at The National Golf Club off a handicap of 3 and is a regular judge on golf course ranking panels.
Book Review - by Selwyn Berg
"Australia's Finest Golf Courses is a wonderful celebration of our golfing heritage from MacKenzie to Moonah by ausgolf’s Darius Oliver.
Oliver’s examination explains just why each course is special; with historic notes on the classics and first hand information from the great designers of the modern era from Thomson and Wolveridge to Baker-Finch, Norman and Harrison (including their stunning work for Kerry Packer at Ellerston) and Cashmore. He is also unafraid to criticise where course reworking has destroyed character, or created penal or boring holes.
Although I’ve played most of the 50 courses several times, Oliver’s book provides special insights that will enable me to discover added pleasure on future rounds.
A wonderful inclusion in the book is a section wherein Oliver rates not only the courses, but the holes, presenting lists such as “Best Set of Par Threes – Modern”, “Best Par Fours – Classic (under 340m)”, “Most Spectacular Holes”.