Mona Vale Golf Club boasts a ton of accolades: one of Australia's top public access golf courses, one of the top courses you can play for under $50 etc etc. And it deserves them! Eighteen holes sit alongside the oceanfront, just north of the Mona Vale Hospital and accessed near where Pittwater Road meets Barrenjoey Road. It's a longish course to walk (five par 5s) and electric buggies are popular, but most of the fairways are fairly flat with just a few climbing back up to the clubhouse.
The front nine holes are reasonable, but nothing to shout about - though they do leave you wondering why wetsuit-clad blokes with surfboards drift to and fro across the fairways. Get past the tenth hole - which takes you to the clubhouse - and it becomes clear. The back eight holes skirt to and fro along the coast, with magnificent views from Mona Vale headland reserve down to north Narrabeen. We saw whales breaching in the distance which was a distraction from the task at hand. And of course the board riders are headed to the waves of Mona Vale beach, taking a shortcut across the course. The fairway of hole 17 is actually shared with the public coast path, so be prepared to yell if your drive goes astray.
Finishing at the Clubhouse for lunch was a reward too: award winning rabbit pies top the menu, but we also enjoyed some great wraps and wedges - comfort food for the foot-weary. read more