The President's Cup was first played in 1994 and has captured the attention of the golfing world since its inception. This year it will be held at Royal Melbourne and, in leading up to the event, we hope to highlight the area around Melbourne + provide a few thoughts on why you may want to consider this part of Victoria in your plans for an Australian golf holiday.
Melbourne is an absolute must-visit for golf: First and foremost, this region is home to some of simply the best golf courses in the world. They are located a short drive from downtown and visitors have an opportunity to play classic designs from Alister MacKenzie and Alex Russsell on land that just seems to have been made for the game.
We would normally end there, but Melbourne has so much more to offer outside of the Sandbelt! If planning to play golf we would suggest a 4-5 nights in the area in order to play and take in a few of the other sights.
The city is modern, fun and a great visit even for the non-golfer! If traveling with family or friends who may not play golf every day, please know that Melbourne is a cosmopolitan city with many sights and unique aspects to keep people entertained. Very different in feeling from Sydney, Melbourne feels almost European in nature and is a special city on its own.
World-class cuisine and top rated restaurants are found throughout the city. Cumulus Inc. Eating House and Bar is a local favorite and located in the heart of Melbourne’s art and fashion precinct, Flinders Lane. This is the arts & cultural capital of Australia so there are also a ton of interesting shops to browse.
For those interested in nightlife and local events, there are over 3,000 live music gigs a week via small jazz bars, nightclubs, rooftop bars and speakeasies. Aussies here are outside and obviously enjoy where they live. It's no wonder why this is home to so many of the country's important sporting events including the Australian Open (Feb), a Formula 1 Grand Prix race (March), Melbourne Spring Racing Carnival (November) and Melbourne Food and Wine Festival (Nov).
Access to wineries and distilleries is very easy in Melbourne. We mention this because so many of our clients are familiar with US wineries, but they don't get exposed to the Aussie classics! A day trip into the Yarra Yarra wine country is a great way to enjoy and visit the surrounding area and life outside the city.
Trips to showcase showcase Victoria’s nature and wildlife are also a great way to spend the day (or a few days) with friends and family. Guided road-trips along the Great Ocean Road, a trip to Wilson’s Promontory or out to The Grampians National Park are all options we will cover in future posts on this blog. In addition, Phillip Island (home to the famous Little Penguins) has recently opened a $58M Penguin Parade Visitor Center- enhancing what was already a world-class experience.
To sum, leading up to the President's Cup we will continue post more details on this area. If weighing a visit to Australia, we would love an opportunity to help plan your golfing getaway + include a few sight-seeing opportunities. Contact one of our experts today to get started!