Overrated. Who's who of Melbourne golfing society. Track is average. Everyone is a little too…read moresnooty for my taste. Almost a "restrictive" attitude if you get my meaning.

Sorrento Golf Club is a private club but green fee players can get on fairly easily - bookings…read moreessential. This picturesque course is beautifully laid out on undulating ancient sand dunes just 1 km from the coast. Its located just south of the historic township of Sorrento on the Mornington Peninsula. Its a tough, championship level course with fast difficult greens and well maintained fairways. There are at least three or four serious bunkers on each hole. It has a large lake and should be drought-proof from now on. The club house is a period piece in wooden and stone and really captures the architecture of the Peninsula. The first hole is a short par 4 down the hill but the shot in really asks some hard questions of your skill with approach shots. The course is probably most similar to nearby Portsea (also a cracker of a track) and in Melbourne its actually quite like a smaller version of Royal Melbourne or Metropolitan. I like it most for the challenging greens and the fact that everyone was friendly although being Sorrento you'd expect it to be a fairly snooty sort of club.

Went there for a wedding - the staff clearly had experience with big events. They made sure the…read morenight ran flawlessly, and calmly ushered people from one area to the next (ceremony, that awkward couple of hours before reception, reception...) without making us feel like we were being herded. They were also able to call us a cab at the end of the night, and someone came into the crowded reception to personally find us to tell us that it had arrived. The canapes were delicious, and a good blend of food we all know and love, but presented in cool quirky ways (salmon and dill in a cone?). The entrees and mains were good, maybe on the high end of average in terms of quality (but I was pretty full by this point, so maybe didn't fully appreciate it...) Overall, it was a good experience in a lovely location.

Eagle Ridge is a high quality course on the Mornington Peninsula that winds its way through…read moretee-tree covered ancient dunes. It is heavily bunkered and has some links features but is more protected and more treed than true links competitors such as the Dunes. It has a good practice green and a driving range. Noted for its beautifully maintained par-threes and flower beds it is one of the most photogenic courses around. I particularly like the challenge of the third - a long par four that turns to the right and narrows severely. The back nine is let down by a couple of ordinary overly short or overly narrow holes. Water is in play on four holes. The fairways were replanted a couple of years back and are always in good condition. Their mailing list offers often have half-price deals - especially around the footy finals period. Overall an challenging course that rarely disappoints and a good option when cost is a consideration or a strong wind makes the nearby rivals less attractive. They also do weddings as the club house is kind of gothic and the putting green has an island and pergola in a small lake. Good for social groups - I organised a day for 20 people and it was no problem to organise a barbecue.