Golf Amenities
Home of the Australian PGA Championship, and perhaps the Gold Coast’s most high-profile course, Royal Pines near Surfers Paradise has three 18-hole, par-72 combination layouts including a championship course. There are also those courses revered for their famous creators including Links Hope Island designed by five-time British Open champion Peter Thomson; the Glades by Greg Norman; Lakelands by Jack Nicklaus, as well as Palmer and Palm Meadows both designed by Graham Marsh.
Among the popular public courses there is the Burleigh Golf Club, Surfers Paradise Golf Club and the Coolangatta & Tweed Heads Golf Club.
Jordan Navybox of Cohen Handler, an avid golfer and Queensland-based buyer’s agent, said buyers are attracted to golfing communities for a number of reasons beyond just the sport.
“These are often beautifully designed neighborhoods that attract a sophisticated demographic,” Mr. Navybox said. “It’s not often a golf course in Queensland is on a main road, they’re often in affluent suburbs in leafy locations with wide protected streets.”
Given Australia’s love of golf and the caliber of its golfing alumni, he said it’s no surprise local courses are coveted.
“A lot of the top professionals have come from Australia over the years; Greg Norman, Adam Scott, Cameron Smith and Jason Day,” Mr. Navybox said. “Because we’ve had such a good golfing culture internally, and we’ve bred good golfers who’ve performed so well on the PGA Tour, we’ve got recognition from the rest of the world.”
The Gold Coast’s fairways and clubs also score well thanks to Mother Nature and southeast Queensland’s annual average of 300 days of sunshine.
“We’re blessed by great weather,” Mr. Navybox added. “Not just for playing, but we have the perfect climate for growing turf. In other parts of the world, it’s incredibly expensive to grow and maintain the turf and that makes a big difference.”
Home buyers can live and breathe golf at several master-planned resort communities such as Sanctuary Cove, one of the coast’s most high-profile golfing suburbs. Housing more than 1,500 private homes, the gated estate has a marina that can accommodate superyachts, a five-star hotel, a country club, restaurants and two championship golf courses: members-only, Arnold Palmer-designed the Pines and the Palms.
Matt Gates, director of Ray White Sanctuary Cove, said the area has something for everyone.
“It’s an incredible place. It was even opened by Frank Sinatra back in the 1980s. We have amazing restaurants here, a full-fledged gymnasium and rec club, and a 25-meter pool,” he said.
“If you’re an avid boatie and a golfer you can live on the golf course and keep your boat in the on-site marina,” he said. “You can literally come out of your garage, head to the marina to go out on your boat, then play nine holes, have some lunch and pick something up from the supermarket, all without leaving your golf cart.”
He added the biggest endorsement for communities such as Sanctuary Cove is the staying power of its residents.
“When we sell one house we’re usually selling three or four in one line because people are moving around,” he said. We don’t often see people leave the resort once they live here, they simply stay and either upgrade or downsize.”