What is the course record at Royal Melbourne Golf Club?

The course record at Royal Melbourne Golf Club is 60, set by Cameron Smith in 2018 during the World Cup of Golf.

Sand Belt Championship Venue Melbourne Sand Belt

Royal Melbourne Golf Club

Q: Which hole is hardest at Royal Melbourne Golf Club?

Hole 3 has stroke index 1 — the hardest hole on the scorecard.

Melbourne, Australia

Par

Holes

Yards

6,539

Par 3 / 4 / 5

4 · 11 · 3

Course Layout

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

Fairway Green Bunker Tee Water

Hole-by-Hole Strategy

Dogleg and layup calls derived from hole centerline geometry. 7 doglegs · 3 layup holes.

#	Par	Yards	Plays Like	Shape	Call
1	4	364	365 +1y · +3ft	Straight	Straightaway — driver safe if you're hitting it well.
2	3	162	162 +0y · +0ft	Straight	Par 3 — pick the club that fits the full yardage, not one short.
3	4	377	378 +1y · +3ft	Straight	Straightaway — driver safe if you're hitting it well.
4	4	359	353 -6y · -20ft	Moderate dogleg right (28.6°)	Favor the left side off the tee — opens the angle for your approach.
5	4	384	388 +4y · +13ft	Sharp dogleg left (56.7°)	LAYUP Sharp left-hand dogleg (56.7°). Driver runs through the corner — 3-wood or long iron off the tee.
6	4	280	278 -2y · -7ft	Sharp dogleg right (41.7°)	LAYUP Sharp right-hand dogleg (41.7°). Driver runs through the corner — 3-wood or long iron off the tee.
7	3	160	160 +0y · +0ft	Straight	Par 3 — pick the club that fits the full yardage, not one short.
8	4	425	429 +4y · +13ft	Straight	Straightaway — driver safe if you're hitting it well.
9	3	140	142 +2y · +7ft	Straight	Par 3 — pick the club that fits the full yardage, not one short.
10	4	372	374 +2y · +7ft	Slight dogleg right (12.0°)	Straightaway — driver safe if you're hitting it well.
11	3	207	204 -3y · -10ft	Straight	Par 3 — pick the club that fits the full yardage, not one short.
12	3	170	166 -4y · -13ft	Straight	Par 3 — pick the club that fits the full yardage, not one short.
13	4	343	342 -1y · -3ft	Straight	Straightaway — driver safe if you're hitting it well.
14	3	164	162 -2y · -7ft	Straight	Par 3 — pick the club that fits the full yardage, not one short.
15	4	397	398 +1y · +3ft	Sharp dogleg right (43.9°)	LAYUP Sharp right-hand dogleg (43.9°). Driver runs through the corner — 3-wood or long iron off the tee.
16	3	160	163 +3y · +10ft	Slight dogleg right (23.1°)	Par 3 — pick the club that fits the full yardage, not one short.
17	4	403	401 -2y · -7ft	Moderate dogleg left (29.9°)	Favor the right side off the tee — opens the angle for your approach.
18	4	297	297 +0y · +0ft	Straight	Straightaway — driver safe if you're hitting it well.
Total	65	5,164	Distances from OSM centerlines; elevation from SRTM (Open-Meteo).

Course by the Numbers

Calculated from 134 mapped features. Areas are measured directly from the polygon geometry.

53 bunkers

14,040 sq yd of sand — 2.9 bunkers per hole on average.

1180 sq yd

Largest bunker on the course — bigger than most tees.

734 sq yd avg green

Classification: Large greens (~6,500 sq ft avg) — tough 3-putt territory. Huge surfaces — a 40-ft putt is a common outcome even from a good shot.

13.16 ha of fairway

Total groomed playing surface across 19 fairway zones.

7 doglegs

3 sharp, 4 moderate. Plotting a line off the tee matters more here than pure distance.

3 layup holes

Best played as three-shot holes for anyone outside single figures — chasing them turns pars into doubles.

53 bunkers · 22 greens · 19 fairway zones · 40 tee boxes · 0 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

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	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	Out	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	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

Know your average distance off the tee — budget for 11 par-4 tee shots. Check 4 par-3 yardages — pick your go-to clubs now, not on the tee. Plan hole 3 (hardest) for bogey — don't chase birdie there. Hole 14 is long — know your layup number. Arrive 45 min early — 15 range, 10 short game, 10 putting, 10 to the tee.

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.

Take the 2-min Assessment Try the App Free for 30 Days

Tee Sets

Championship

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

Play the Melbourne Sand Belt

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.