New Links Course to Open in Tasmania


Australia’s newest links course, Barnbougle Dunes Golf Links, opens December 10, 2004, on Tasmania’s north coast. Designed by noted American golf architect, Tom Doak, the 18-hole links promises to offer a truly natural golfing experience in Tasmania’s coastal wilderness.

Flanked by the crashing surf of Bass Strait, the Trent Tidal Estuary and Forester River, the course will test the games of golfers as they negotiate coastal dunes alongside kangaroos, echidna, platypus and a rich variety of birds, including black swans, sea eagles and pelicans An 18-hole round costs approximately $110 U.S.

On-site accommodation is available in 15 newly built eco-cabins. A range of accommodations are also available in the nearby townships of Bridport and Launceston. For more information, visit www.barnbougledunes.com.

Boasting more courses per capita than anywhere else in Australia, golf in Tasmania is noted for its dramatic scenery. The terrain presents course architects with a tremendous diversity of terrain. Visiting golfers also receive a warm welcome at all courses, provided inquiries are made in advance.

Golf in Tasmania has its quirks, such as when players encounter the grazing sheep and fenced-in greens on the Southern Hemisphere’s oldest golf course in Bothwell. At the adjacent Australiasian Golfing Museum, Australia’s proud golfing traditions are on display. Among the items shown are old golf balls made from kangaroo skin and merino wool, and the putter used by Australian golfer Ian Baker Finch to win the 1991 British Open. Among the island’s more noteworthy courses are Tasmania Golf Club and the links at King Island Golf Club. Green fees start as low as $9 and $11, respectively.

For more information about Tasmanian golfing packages, contact Golf Wine Australia, 888/607 1717 (toll-free), or visit www.golfwineaustralia.com/tasmania.html. For additional information on traveling to Tasmania, visit www.discovertasmania.com or e-mail tasmania@infox-usa.com to receive a free Tasmania Holiday Planner.