Golf Course Review by: Billy Satterfield
Rankings:
The Takeaway: While St Andrews Beach gets most of the hype among public golf courses on the Mornington Peninsula, The Dunes trumps it with a masterful routing, compelling par fives, and interest with every shot. The rolling terrain, overall length, and quality bunkering combine to create one of Australia’s best tests while still delivering plenty of fun. Grade A
Quick Facts
Designer: Tony Cashmore 1997
Cost: Varies Click for current rates
Phone Number: +61 3 5985 1334
Course Website: Official Website - Visit The Dunes Golf Links's official website by clicking on the link provided.
Directions: Get here! - 335 Browns Road, Rye, Victoria 3941 – AUSTRALIA
Photos: See additional photos of The Dunes Golf Links
Similar Course:
What to Expect: Designed by Tony Cashmore and opened in 1997, The Dunes Golf Links seamlessly blends natural sand-based terrain with strategic design, delivering a round that is both visually dramatic and endlessly engaging. Wide fairways ripple through undulating dunes, while native vegetation and ever-present coastal winds create both beauty and challenge. Set on 300 acres of rolling coastal dunes, the course embraces its natural topography rather than reshaping it. The fairways twist through sandy hollows and rise over ridgelines that look untouched by machinery. Cashmore’s routing makes expert use of the land’s movement, offering both beauty and strategy from every tee. Deep revetted bunkers, true to links tradition, exact a heavy penalty for missed approaches while the shifting winds can keep you guessing. The course plays firm and fast, rewarding thoughtful shot placement and imagination around the greens. It’s a course that rewards creativity and courage, demanding that golfers think their way from the first tee to the last putt. For those chasing authentic links golf without traveling to the UK, The Dunes is as close as it gets.
By the Numbers
| Tees | Par | Yardage | Rating | Slope |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Black | 72 | 7064 | 75.2 | 148 |
| Blue | 72 | 6815 | 74.1 | 141 |
| White | 72 | 6208 | 71.2 | 135 |
| Red (Ladies) | 72 | 5647 | 73.5 | 129 |
Individual Hole Analysis
Signature Hole: 12th Hole – 549 Yard Par 5 – A hole Jason Day famously dominated during the 2005 Dunes Medal, the 12th is often a turning point in a match at The Dunes. The tee shot plays uphill to a rippled fairway with a smaller bunker on the left side of the driving zone and a massive 120 yard long bunker on the right that the fairway bends around. Players that avoid the sand off the tee can take a rip at the hidden green in two, but more bunkers await with two short on the right side and two more long on the right. The heavily contoured green will require precision with the flatstick and is quick to punish overly aggressive putts. With the ever-present coastal wind, this par five can swing from an eagle opportunity to scrambling for a par in a hurry.
Best Par 3: 13th Hole – 175 Yards – This picturesque par three follows immediately after the signature hole and requires precision over power. A quartet of bunkers front the corners of the green and sits at the base of the surrounding dunes. The tiered putting surface creates distinct levels in the green and puts a premium on having your ball finish on the same level as the flag. With the wind often swirling among the dunes, choosing the right club becomes the real challenge; especially when making an uncommitted swing. This is a great one-shotter to set the tone with the rest of the way.
Best Par 4: 4th Hole – 339 Yards – A short par four with a risk/reward element, the 4th is a hole that will tempt big hitters to be aggressive. A tee shot that carries the trio of bunkers across the fairway will have flown 240 yards in the air and has a chance to chase up on the green. Players looking to dial things back will position an iron or fairway wood short of the bunkers, leaving a wedge approach into a narrow two-tiered green that is well-protected. The downhill nature of the tee shot will help balls travel further and should be taken into account when deciding which strategy to employ. It is a great hole early in the round that can trigger a birdie onto the card.
Best Par 5: 16th Hole – 552 Yards – The final par five at The Dunes is a memorable offering that asks players to stay right of the large blowout bunker on the left side of the fairway. Successful tee shots will set up an opportunity to attack the green in two, but you'll just need to carry the bunker 40 yards short of the center of the putting surface in order to find the downslope that caroms balls onto the green. This strong back-to-front sloping green was originally the green for a long par four, but changes in 2012 converted this hole to a par five that fits in beautifully with the terrain. The natural movement in the terrain makes this hole incredibly engaging and sets up for a dramatic finish to the round.
Birdie Time: 11th Hole – 328 Yard Par 4 – Early on in the back nine The Dunes offers some reprieve and a chance for you to card a birdie. This short par four opens the door for longer hitters to take a rip at the green, and will be particularly rewarded if the tee ball has a baby cut that follows the bend in the fairway to the green. Tee shots that go up the right side need to carry the large bunkers protecting that line in order to be rewarded with a short shot to the flag, while tee shots up the left side have less trouble in the fairway but more sand next to the green. This is a chance to be aggressive, so hit the tee shot that best fits your game so that you can go flag hunting on the second shot.
Bogey Beware: 1st Hole – 447 Yard Par 4 – Gentle handshake? No chance. The Dunes asks players to bring their game to the 1st tee, and with an expansive driving range to warm up on before your round, there is no reason not to. This dogleg right features a cluster of bunkers protecting the inside of the bend in the fairway, so if you are going to challenge it you better nuke your drive to set up the approach shot. The approach shot is demanding with an elevated green that features a valley in front and bunkers on each side. Ultimately, you can't hit an indifferent shot and walk away with a par. Come out guns blazing, Tony Cashmore certainly did and you need to prove your merit immediately.
