Royal Melbourne Golf Club (Melbourne, Australia) — Scorecard, Yardage & Pre-Round Guide
Sand Belt Championship Venue Melbourne Sand Belt

Royal Melbourne Golf Club

Melbourne, Australia

Par
71
Holes
18
Yards
6,539
Par 3 / 4 / 5
4 · 11 · 3

Course Layout

575 features mapped — fairways, greens, bunkers, tees, water. Data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Fairway Green Bunker Tee Water

Course by the Numbers

Calculated from 575 mapped features. Areas are measured directly from the polygon geometry.

319 bunkers
84,236 sq yd of sand — 17.7 bunkers per hole on average.
4994 sq yd
Largest bunker on the course — bigger than most tees.
898 sq yd avg green
Classification: Massive greens (>8,000 sq ft avg) — links/championship scale. Huge surfaces — a 40-ft putt is a common outcome even from a good shot.
1989 sq yd
Largest green on the course — a three-club difference front-to-back is possible.
59.5 ha of fairway
Total groomed playing surface across 72 fairway zones.
319 bunkers · 69 greens · 72 fairway zones · 107 tee boxes · 4 water hazards.

About Royal Melbourne Golf Club

The Royal Melbourne Golf Club is a 36-hole golf club in Australia, located in Black Rock, Victoria, a suburb in southeastern Melbourne. Its West and East courses are respectively ranked number 1 and 6 in Australia. The West course is ranked in the top-five courses in the world. Founded 135 years ago in 1891, it is Australia's oldest extant and continually existing golf club.

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Tournament History & Records

60
Cameron Smith, 2018 World Cup
The course record that still stands — shot during round 3 of Australia's World Cup victory on home soil.
Track your best round at Royal Melbourne Golf Club in The Grand Plan app.

Events Hosted

  • Presidents Cup — Hosted 1998, 2011, 2019
  • World Cup of Golf — Hosted 1959, 1988
  • Australian Open — Hosted 17+ times (most recent 2022)
  • Australian Masters — Hosted multiple times through 1980s–2000s

Course Record

60
Cameron Smith · 2018
World Cup of Golf

Architecture

  • • Alister MacKenzie (West Course, 1931)
  • • Alex Russell (East Course, 1932)
Opened: 1931

Notable Holes

  • • West 5 — a 170-yard par 3 guarded by sand-belt bunkering, rated one of the best short par 3s in world golf
  • • West 10 — a driveable 312-yard par 4 that rewards aggressive play from the tee

What Should You Expect to Shoot?

These expected scores use the World Handicap System formula: your handicap index × slope ÷ 113, plus course rating. Use them to set a realistic target before you tee off.

Championship

Rating 72.5 · Slope 135 · Par 72 · 6,589 yards
Your Handicap Course HCP Expected Score Over Par
5 6 79 +7
10 12 85 +13
15 18 91 +19
20 24 97 +25
25 30 103 +31
30 36 109 +37

Scorecard

Hole 123456789 Out 101112131415161718 In Total
Par 4 5 4 4 3 4 4 3 4 35 4 4 4 3 5 3 4 4 5 36 71
Yards 428 480 333 470 176 428 148 305 432 3,200 436 455 433 147 502 143 347 439 437 3,339 6,539
Stroke Index 7 11 1 9 15 5 3 17 13 8 2 12 18 6 16 10 4 14

Holes That Decide Your Round

Hardest Hole · SI 1
Hole 3
Par 4 · 333 yards

Play for the fat of the green and take bogey off the table. Build your pre-round plan →

Longest Hole
Hole 14
Par 5 · 502 yards

Three good shots beats two heroic ones. Bogey here is a solid result for anyone above 10 handicap.

Scoring Opportunity
Hole 15
Par 3 · 143 yards

Attack the pin — if your wedge game is on, this is where strokes get gained back.

Easiest Hole · SI 18
Hole 13
Par 3 · 147 yards

Expected par or better. If you drop a stroke here, it's usually a mental mistake — which is trackable.

Pre-Round Checklist for Royal Melbourne Golf Club

Your Game Plan for Royal Melbourne Golf Club

The scorecard tells you the course. The Grand Plan assessment tells you you — which part of your game is actually bleeding strokes. Pair both, and you have a pre-round strategy tailored to this course AND your weaknesses.

Tee Sets

Championship

Yards:
6,589
Par:
72
Course Rating:
72.5
Slope:
135

Play the Melbourne Sand Belt

The world-famous Sand Belt — Australia's greatest cluster of inland courses, all within a 30-minute radius south-east of Melbourne CBD.

See the full Melbourne Sand Belt guide →

Other Notable Courses near Melbourne

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the par at Royal Melbourne Golf Club?

Royal Melbourne Golf Club is a par 71 course with 18 holes measuring 6,539 total yards. Front nine par 35 (3,200 yards), back nine par 36 (3,339 yards).

What is the longest hole at Royal Melbourne Golf Club?

The longest hole is hole 14, a par 5 playing 502 yards.

Which hole is hardest at Royal Melbourne Golf Club?

Hole 3 has the lowest stroke index (1). It's a par 4 playing 333 yards.

What tournaments have been held at Royal Melbourne Golf Club?
  • Presidents Cup — Hosted 1998, 2011, 2019
  • World Cup of Golf — Hosted 1959, 1988
  • Australian Open — Hosted 17+ times (most recent 2022)
  • Australian Masters — Hosted multiple times through 1980s–2000s
What should I shoot at Royal Melbourne Golf Club?

Use the expected-score table above — it's calculated from your handicap and this course's official WHS rating and slope. A 15 handicap typically shoots mid-80s to low-90s depending on the tee set; a 25 handicap mid-90s to low-100s. Track your actual scores against these targets to see how your game travels.