Baker Golf Club

Netherby sits in the Wimmera region of northwestern Victoria, a stretch of flat to gently undulating wheat-and-wool country where the horizon runs long and the light turns golden late in the afternoon. This is rural Australia at its most unhurried, and the golf that gets played out here reflects that spirit — community-driven, unpretentious, and genuinely welcoming to a visiting golfer who wanders in.

Baker Golf Club is the kind of small country club that holds a district together. These Wimmera layouts typically feature compacted dirt or sand-scrape fairways through dry native vegetation, where managing the bounce and run of the ball matters as much as carry distance. Conditions shift noticeably through the seasons — firm and fast in the summer heat, more receptive after autumn rains — and locals know every slope and subtle break by heart.

If you're touring the Victorian countryside and want to experience golf the way much of regional Australia has always played it, a stop at a club like Baker is worth the detour. Bring your own water, expect honest hospitality, and don't be surprised if the best conversation of the day happens in the clubhouse afterward.