Kingston Heath Golf Club is one of the premier golf clubs in Australia, located in Cheltenham,

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

. The course is situated on the sandbelt region in the southeast suburbs of

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

famed for its golf courses, with Kingston Heath consistently ranked in the top 3 courses in Australia and top 20 courses in the world. The club has hosted many major events, including 7 x Men's Australian Opens, 1 x

Women's Australian Open The Women's Australian Open is a women's professional golf tournament played in Australia, operated by Golf Australia and the WPGA Tour of Australasia, long co-sanctioned by the Ladies European Tour (LET). Beginning with the 2012 event, it i ...

, 7 x

Victorian Open The Vic Open is an annual golf tournament held in Australia. It was founded in 1957 and is the Victoria state open championship for men. It is run by Golf Victoria and is a Golf Australia national ranking event. The event is held concurrently ...

s, 2 x

Australian Masters The Australian Masters was an annual golf tournament on the PGA Tour of Australasia held in Victoria, Australia from 1979 to 2015. History In 1989 the International Management Group took control of the management of the tournament. Though the ...

and the

2016 World Cup of Golf The 2016 World Cup of Golf (known as the 2016 ISPS Handa World Cup of Golf for sponsorship reasons) was a golf tournament played from 24–27 November at Kingston Heath Golf Club in Melbourne, Australia. It was the 58th World Cup. Twenty-eight ...

. The Men's Australian Open was scheduled to return to Kingston Heath in 2020 but was cancelled due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...

History

Elsternwick Park (1909 - 1925)

Kingston Heath was originally formed as the Elsternwick Golf Club in 1909, and was based at present day

Elsternwick Park Elsternwick Park (currently known by its sponsored name Sportscover Arena) is an Australian rules football and cricket stadium in Brighton, a suburb of Melbourne in Victoria, Australia. The name also refers to the wider parkland in which the mai ...

. In 1920, the committee discussed a relocation to the South-Eastern suburbs of Melbourne. This area would become world famous as the Melbourne Sandbelt.

Cheltenham (1925 - present)

The club relocated to its present location in Cheltenham in 1925. This move included the complete dismantling, moving and re-assembling of the original clubhouse to the new site. The club officially opened in April 1925, and was renamed Kingston Heath 5 months later.

Course

The current course was designed by

Dan Soutar Daniel Gordon Soutar (3 December 1882 – 30 November 1937) was an Australian professional golfer. He pioneered professional golf in Australia, bringing his Scottish work ethic and all-round skills to influence the game as a whole from teachin ...

and was constructed by M.A Morcom. Originally, it played as a par 82 and at the time was the longest course in Australia. Its founders were of the opinion that it was easier to shorten the course rather than to lengthen it. The original scorecard read as below: Advice was sought from

Alister MacKenzie Alister MacKenzie (30 August 1870 – 6 January 1934) was a golf course architect whose course designs span four continents. Originally trained as a surgeon, MacKenzie served as a civilian physician with the British Army during the Boer War ...

during his visit to Australia in 1926, who provided a suitable bunkering strategy for the course. Although many link MacKenzie to the actual design of Kingston Heath, his only course routing input was to change the 15th hole. This was a short par 4 (222 yards) which played as a blind tee shot over a hill before descending to the green.

MacKenzie Mackenzie, Mckenzie, MacKenzie, or McKenzie may refer to: People * Mackenzie (given name), a given name (including a list of people with the name) * Mackenzie (surname), a surname (including a list of people with the name) * Clan Mackenzie, a S ...

's recommendation was to shorten the hole, bringing the green to the top of the rise and becoming a tricky, uphill par 3. Work commenced soon after, with the newly rated par 3 15th becoming one of the most recognisable holes in Australian golf, and Kingston Heath's signature hole. Over the years, the par of the course has gradually dropped, now playing as a par 72 for Men and 74 for Women. In 2002, the club constructed a 19th hole - a par 3 positioned between the 1st green and 2nd tee. This hole was designed to championship specifications, allowing the club to insert it into the course rotation during times of required maintenance of another hole. The 19th has since become a fixture in the club's "Tournament" course, often replacing the 10th hole in major events. An interesting feature of the course is the adaptability in producing different layouts. Given it does not allow a traditional "9 out, 9 in" layout as many courses of its stature do, an alternative was required for the hosting of major events. The introduction of the 19th hole assisted in allowing the club to produce a more tournament friendly layout, known as the "Inner and Outer" course, routing players through the 9 inner most holes of the property as the front 9, returning them to the clubhouse after 9 holes. They then play the 9 outer most holes of the property as the back 9, allowing them to finish on the 18th hole.

Course Records

*Professional :: (Men) Mark Brown: 62 (-10), during Round 2 of

The Open The Open Championship, often referred to as The Open or the British Open, is the oldest golf tournament in the world, and one of the most prestigious. Founded in 1860, it was originally held annually at Prestwick Golf Club in Scotland. Later th ...

IFQ, 2013 :: (Women)

Karrie Webb Karrie Ann Webb (born 21 December 1974) is an Australian professional golfer. She plays mainly on the U.S.-based LPGA Tour, and also turns out once or twice a year on the ALPG Tour in her home country. She is a member of the World Golf Hall of F ...

Jiyai Shin Jiyai Shin (Korean: 신지애 ''Shin Ji-ae'', ; born 28 April 1988) is a former world No. 1 ranked South Korean professional golfer who primarily plays on the LPGA of Japan Tour as of the 2020 golf season. She previously played primarily on the ...

: 67 (-6), both recorded during the final round of the 2008 MFS Women's Australian Open *Amateur :: (Men) Cruze Strange: 63 (-9), during the 2011 Port Phillip Amateur Championship :: (Women)

Stephanie Kyriacou Stephanie Kyriacou (born 22 November 2000) is an Australian professional golfer. She won the 2020 Australian Ladies Classic Bonville by eight strokes as an amateur and joined the Ladies European Tour on a two-year winner's exemption. Career Kyr ...

: 66 (-8), during the 2017 Port Phillip Amateur Championship

Championships

Professional Events

* Australian Open: 7 ::1948, 1957, 1970, 1983, 1989, 1995, 2000 *

: 1 ::2008 *

World Cup of Golf The World Cup of Golf is a men's golf tournament contested by teams of two representing their country. Only one team is allowed from each country. The players are selected on the basis of the Official World Golf Ranking, although not all of the fir ...

: 1 ::

2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the Impeachment of Dilma Rousseff, impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses duri ...

: 2 ::2009, 2012 *

: 7 ::1958, 1969, 1976, 1979, 1987, 1988, 1989 * Australian Match Play Championship: 7 ::1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992

The Open Championship The Open Championship, often referred to as The Open or the British Open, is the oldest golf tournament in the world, and one of the most prestigious. Founded in 1860, it was originally held annually at Prestwick Golf Club in Scotland. Later t ...
International Final Qualifying

Kingston Heath was the preferred Australian venue of

the R&A The R&A is the collective name of a group of companies that together play a significant role within the game of golf. Historically, "the R&A" was a colloquial name for the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews; in 2004, the club spun off ...

for the staging of International Final Qualifying for

The Open Championship The Open Championship, often referred to as The Open or the British Open, is the oldest golf tournament in the world, and one of the most prestigious. Founded in 1860, it was originally held annually at Prestwick Golf Club in Scotland. Later t ...

, which was held each January from 2004 to 2013.

Amateur Events

* Australian Men's Amateur Championship: 1 ::1963 * Australian Women's Amateur Championship: 2 :: 1952, 1996

Course Ranking

The course is consistently ranked within the top 3 courses in Australia. It also regularly features in publications such as Golf Digest and

Golf Magazine ''Golf Magazine'' is a monthly golf magazine. It was started in April 1959 by Universal Publishing and Distributing, who sold it to Times Mirror in 1972. Time Inc. acquired it in 2000. It was acquired by Howard Milstein in 2018. It was the world ...

in their "World's Top 100 Golf Courses" lists, which has seen Kingston Heath hold a position in the Top 20 for a number of years.

References

External links

*
Kingston Heath Golf Club Profile, Golf Australia
{{coord, display=title, -37.573357, 145.051627, type:landmark_region:AU-VIC Golf clubs and courses in Victoria (Australia) Golf clubs and courses designed by Alister MacKenzie Sporting clubs in Melbourne Sports venues in Melbourne 1925 establishments in Australia Sport in the City of Kingston (Victoria) Buildings and structures in the City of Kingston (Victoria)