Searching for the game’s utopias – which subscribers work and play in Australia’s best golf town?

Where is the best golf town in Australia? At first the mind wanders south, looking for clusters of famous Melbourne Sandbelt layouts or the otherworldly links of Tasmania. Or at least towards very good courses with sunny weather.

But that’s a narrow approach. Maybe a better consideration is: where would you raise your children if you were hellbent on cultivating within them your love for the game? A properly golf-obsessed mum or dad can do that anywhere, of course, but it’s easier if there’s a village.

We should be able to find places in this country where the whole golf ecosystem is thriving. Perhaps a private club has a junior program that’s initiating kids with the lure of fun. Alongside that, hopefully there’s a public course with a solid design that offers affordable tee-times and maybe innovative holiday clinics. A well-managed practice facility that serves a wide range of clientele? (We’re not asking for Titleist Pro V1s, but at least give us balls with dimples, and lights for nighttime sessions would be a nice bonus). Maybe the local school has a dynamic golf program. Again, we don’t need a town that grows tour pros, but a regular crop of state-representative golfers or Division 1 pennant players would indicate a strong golf community. Maybe, just maybe, there’s a town where golf dominates the conversation on the streets and in the local pub or is home to a golf museum or legendary folklore.

“This place only exists in Scotland,” says former tour pro Wayne Perske via our Facebook page. To that we say, you’re not looking hard enough, Wayne!

“Rye, Victoria,” adds Paul Zennaro. “Seven of the nation’s top 50 [courses] within 10 minutes of each other.”

Fellow Facebooker Salli Fox disagrees. “Mildura! Five courses within 30 minutes. State-of-the-art driving range and retail golf shop. Perfect golf weather all year round. What more could you want?”

Wherever golf utopia has sprung up, it’s certain to be a symbiotic combination of many forces.

To start our search, we’re kicking off a new series in this issue where we travel far and wide to every state in a bid to find a town like no other. Starting with New South Wales, we’ll narrow down the places that tick the most boxes. We’ll speak with locals in the know and get a feel for the golf culture that abounds.

Dear reader, we’re also asking for your help. If you live in or close to a town (not a city or region) where all the levels of golf are thrumming, let us know. Send an e-mail to stevek@cmma.com.au and tell us all about it. It’s Australian Golf Digest’s mission to recognise and celebrate places “where golf works” so that other communities might borrow best practices. Together, let’s spread the love.