Stretching east from the outer suburbs of Melbourne to the New South Wales border, north to the Great Dividing Range and south to the Bass Strait coastline, Gippsland incorporates snowfields, old growth forests, rolling green pastures, beaches and lakes.
As a Victorian golfing destination, Gippsland is often overlooked behind the likes of the Mornington and Bellarine Peninsulas as well as the world-famous Melbourne Sandbelt.
In Gippsland, you won’t find 6,500-metre modern championship layouts created by big name designers. What you will find are a well-maintained variety of courses that every golfer can enjoy.
With the Princes and South Gippsland Highways leading from the capital’s south eastern suburbs straight through the heart of the region, it is very accessible and when you’re not on the course there is a long list of attractions to experience.
I guarantee you will be pleasantly surprised at the quality of the layouts you will find scattered throughout the region, from Lang Lang in the west to Lakes Entrance in the east. And when you discover the green fee these courses charge, you will agree Gippsland golf offers incredible value for money.
GATEWAY TO GIPPSLAND
The Monash Freeway weaves its way from the city out through Melbourne’s south-eastern suburbs and splits into the Princes and South Gippsland Freeways, which both then wind eastward through Gippsland.
Taking the South Gippsland road will lead you on a longer more scenic loop through the southern parts of the region, before re-joining the Princes Highway nearly 200kms away in Sale.
It is on this route where you will experience a real Gippsland golfing highlight – Lang Lang Golf Club, which is 90 minutes’ drive from inner city Melbourne.
If you have ever owned a Holden, the name Lang Lang might sound familiar. Lang Lang was home to the General Motors Holden proving ground, which was first opened in 1957 and included nearly 45km of sealed and unsealed test roads among other testing facilities.
The club dates back to 1925 but it wasn’t until 1963 – after playing on sand scrapes across six different properties in the area – that the club settled into its current location … a very long par-5 east of the proving ground.
The course was designed by 1937 Australian Open Champion and long-time Riversdale Golf Club professional, George Naismith, who, along with fellow golf pro, Bill Walker, created the layout free of charge.
This par-70 offers hints of the Melbourne Sandbelt with its superbly maintained couch fairways and bentgrass greens, while the bunkering is also a memorable feature. The layout, at 5,710 metres from the tips, is not long by modern standards but its predominantly narrow tree-lined holes demand precision ball-striking.
But it is a course where you can make a score, as PGA professional and club member Peter Wilson proved recently. Wilson, 45, made international headlines when he shot an 11-under 59 around the layout not once, but twice, and on consecutive days.
