Just five minutes from Sydney’s CBD, Moore Park’s 18-hole championship public golf course offers enjoyment for golfers of all abilities — from beginners to low markers. With a full range of facilities including Driving Range, Putting/Chipping Greens, Restaurant & Bar and function rooms, it is also an ideal venue for social groups and corporate days. Here’s the skinny on this fantastic course.
Dax de Traubenberg
Having played Moore Park golf club a number of times, I always arrive at the club with a feeling of familiarity. The clubhouse and course haven’t really changed at all over the last twenty years, which I like. Hey, if it ain’t broke don’t fix it, right? The historic old clubhouse has sensational views and the service from the bar and kitchen staff is first class. Honour boards litter the clubhouse walls and as the course has played host to the annual City of Sydney amateur championships it can be quite daunting to see some of the names (Jack Newton and co.)
Once on the course it doesn’t seem to matter how many times I’ve played it, I still can’t do it well. The massive greens make putting difficult and make accurate iron shots all the more important. The lack of any water hazards doesn’t make the course any easier, but certainly makes finding your ball easier. If you struggle with the same compulsive club-throwing syndrome as Mr Sharn Hyde does, it also makes the possibility of collecting your clubs a little higher. Elevated greens and some long par three’s won’t bother you if you hit it high and long but if you don’t fall into this category have your short game working or you may get writer’s cramp when filling out the scorecard.
The location of the course couldn’t be more convenient, less than 10 minutes from the CBD. It was also quite surprising and pleasing to get around the course in a little over 4 hours. The course was a lot less populated than people perceive it to be and with a three-level driving range open from dawn till 10pm it’s a golfing complex that caters to everyone’s needs. A great golfing experience.
Scott Hogan
This was my first visit to Moore Park Golf Course despite it being the closest golf course to Sydney’s CBD .
It is not just the proximity that makes golf at Moore Park so popular, it features a 60-bay multi tier all-weather Driving Range, a beautiful historic clubhouse with modern facilities and a Group One Championship Public Golf Course that hosted the NSW Open Championship a couple of years ago.
Although close to some of the busiest roads in the city, the parkland style layout offers a respite from all noise the roads generate. Majestic views of the city skyline from the par-three 5th hole was a highlight.
The condition of Moore Park’s large multi tier greens and wide rolling fairways was superb. The par 70, 5791 metre layout is suitable for golfers of all abilities and is long enough for strong players. The lack of water hazards is made up for with challenging doglegs, slopes and variety in general.
At times I found myself gazing next door to Fox Studios and the Sydney Cricket Ground and imagining the movie stars and International Touring Cricket Teams over the years that have enjoyed a round at this historic course on a rest day.
Unfortunately I didn’t have time to utilise the world-class driving range, I did however sample the Long Apron Restaurant and Bar in the Clubhouse. The rump steak with sautéed chats, snow peas, red wine jus had my taste buds dancing on my tongue. The cold schooner was equally as good. In the clubhouse, once again, you are spoilt with views over the city skyline and golf course.
I’m sure any golfer that visits Moore Park will find the experience rewarding and very good value for money.
Brad Humphries
I’m not sure what’s harder, writing about a course or playing it. From the minute we unpacked the car there was a sense of tradition and anticipation about what lies ahead. Moore Park has an extraordinary history and one look at the clubhouse confirms this. This is prime real estate but an amazing golf course steeped in tradition.
The course proper is really picturesque, with no water hazards and reasonably playable vegetation. Playable, provided you’re on the fairway. Tongue in cheek I got to explore the fringes of most fairways given that I played terribly. I’ve never seen trees like those in Moore Park. They are huge, majestic and stand between 10 and 20 metres high. Perfectly groomed and in most cases you could walk under the tree base and still get a shot. That for me is rare as I am 2 metres tall.
It certainly pays to be accurate but I took my medicine and gently tapped an iron back onto the fairway in most cases. The greens were firm and yet playable with several challenging lines amongst them. I am an average putter but felt comfortable on the greens.
We walked the course which, was great, and the interaction of the city skyline makes it exhilarating. Dax, Scott and Sharn outplayed me, but tee to green the course doesn’t break your heart. It’s there to play and each hole is reachable in regulation — which suits a social golfer. Even though this course sits on the fringe of the CBD there are only a few holes bordering a busy road and from the tee you need to be a little mindful. It was also nice to easily grab some refreshment at the halfway point without deviating too far off track. I thoroughly enjoyed Moore Park and — most importantly — a Byron and a great lunch back at the 19th Hole. The clubhouse staff are very friendly, and sitting down and looking at the golf course was very relaxing.
Sharn Hyde
As a self confessed (and diagnosed) golf nut, I was excited to get a call up off the bench for my first course review at Moore Park GC. I took the laptop to bed the night before and found myself analysing the course layout. A great feature of their website is the online booking system, which offers generous savings off your green fees when you book online. After carefully planning every shot for the next day, I realised quickly that I’d got my expectations mixed up with my capabilities.
Accuracy is the key off the tee for the majority of the front nine holes. There are more trees than I have had baked dinners and the thick foliage gives you no option but to punch out sideways. The 4th, a monster 550m par-5 with elevated green , was described by our team captain as “the toughest par 5 in Sydney”. I had other ways of describing it.
The 5th, a 158m par-3, offers breathtaking views over the city skyline. At times it was easy to forget that we were playing golf only minutes from Sydney’s CBD.
As a lot of courses in Sydney suffered from the recent wet winter conditions, it was a relief to finally play a course that was remarkably dry and in fantastic condition. The course, for me, played tough but fair. The key to a good score at Moore Park is hitting fairways and avoiding the billion trees that line them. This will give you great opportunity to attack the very large greens.
Moore Park Golf Club is truly a first class golf destination, which offers a unique golfing experience, with the most convenient location in Sydney. The driving range has all the modern features you could poke a stick at. The historic clubhouse is a must visit at the completion of your round, with more great views of the course and city skyline. After a couple of cold beers and the first bite into a chicken schnitzel, the near 100 shots of the day were all but forgotten.
Moore Park
Designer – Carnegie Clark
Opened: May 1913
Length – 5791
Par 70
Contact details: telephone +61 2 9663 1064 or email info@mpgolf.com.auStreet address: Cnr Anzac Pde & Cleveland St, Moore Park, Sydney