Time was when Tasmania was better known for caricatures than courses. Mention of it conjured thoughts of a cartoon devil on a far-flung island with a penal colony past.
That perception began shifting in 2004 with the opening of Barnbougle Dunes, a Tom Doak design that soon gained a sibling in Lost Farm by Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw. With that one-two punch, Australia’s smallest state became the antipode’s answer to Bandon, Ore., a remote-golf must.
Now there’s even more reason to make the trip.
The added incentive is 7 Mile Beach, a rumpled layout along a crescent-shaped shoreline of the same name, 20 minutes from Tasmania’s capital, Hobart. Decades in the making, the project is the brainchild of Tasmanian native and former Tour pro Mat Goggin, who brought in Mike Clayton and Mike DeVries to route holes through wild coastal dunes.
The result is a true links, with fast-running fescue fairways, wispy grasses and water views from every hole. The wind is no cartoon. It’s real, often frisky and central to a course with a vivid sense of place.
Plan your dream golf trip with 8AM Travel. Contact discovery@8amtravel.com today.
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