Cape Wickham Links is an 18-hole golf course that was constructed on the northern tip of King Island, north of

Currie Currie ( gd, Currach, IPA: �kʰuːᵲəx is a village and suburb on the outskirts of Edinburgh, Scotland, situated south west of the city centre. Formerly within the County of Midlothian, it now falls within the jurisdiction of the City of Edi ...

, on

Tasmania ) , nickname = , image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdi ...

. It opened to the public on 30 October 2015. A par 72 course, it is long. Critically acclaimed, it has been ranked third in the Australian ''

Golf Digest ''Golf Digest'' is a monthly golf magazine published by Warner Bros. Discovery through its sports unit under its Warner Bros. Discovery Golf division. It is a generalist golf publication covering recreational golf and men's and women's competiti ...

'' Top 100 Courses rankings, and 24th in the world.

History

Andrew Purchase bought the land in 2011. Extra land was required, which resulted in Victorian course owner Duncan Andrews investing in the project, and the Tasmanian Government making some public land available for lease. Golf course designer Mike De Vries designed the course, nine holes of which straddle the coastline. The windy climate necessitated the use of multiple types of fescue grasses for the greens. The course has cost $8 million to buy and construct. Covering around , the course encroached on the nesting burrows of

short-tailed shearwater The short-tailed shearwater or slender-billed shearwater (''Ardenna tenuirostris''; formerly ''Puffinus tenuirostris''), also called yolla or moonbird, and commonly known as the muttonbird in Australia, is the most abundant seabird species in A ...

s. Some of these were destroyed in the course's creation, however, the construction took place outside the breeding season while the birds were absent. The site owners reported that the birds dug new burrows in natural areas the next season, and that the course has prevented access to locals taking birds for food. The course has been designed with wide fairways to accommodate for the strong westerly winds known as the

Roaring Forties The Roaring Forties are strong westerly winds found in the Southern Hemisphere, generally between the latitudes of 40°S and 50°S. The strong west-to-east air currents are caused by the combination of air being displaced from the Equator ...

. Holes singled out for praise by ausgolf reviewer Gary Kennedy include the par five 9th hole, complete with ravine, the par three 11th hole alongside a rocky cove, and the picturesque 18th hole. Some concerns have been raised over the loss of access to public land, as the beach locale Victoria Cove was incorporated into the 18th hole and blocked from public use.

References

{{reflist 2015 establishments in Australia Sports clubs and teams established in 2015 Sports venues completed in 2015 Golf clubs and courses in Tasmania King Island (Tasmania)