13th Beach Golf Links

Few courses in Australia announce their philosophy as clearly as 13th Beach Golf Links, whose name comes from the long surf beach running along its southern boundary. Designed by Tony Cashmore and opened in 2000, the layout was built through coastal tea-tree scrub and banksias on the Bellarine Peninsula, roughly halfway between Geelong and Barwon Heads. A second 18-hole course, the Creek course, was later added to the property, giving the club 36 holes of linksland-inspired golf in one of Victoria's most productive seaside corridors.

The Beach course carries the sharper links credentials — exposed, wind-riddled, with fescue-edged fairways and a routing that repeatedly engages the ocean breeze. The dune-framed stretch through the back nine is where the course earns its reputation, demanding trajectory control and creative shot-making rather than pure power. Pot bunkers and firm running turf reward players who have learned to think along the ground.

The surrounding area sits within the broader Bellarine wine and surf region, where Point Lonsdale and Ocean Grove draw summer crowds. Golf on the Bellarine carries a laid-back, salt-aired character — serious enough to challenge single-figure players, relaxed enough to feel like a genuine coastal escape.