The Metropolitan Golf Club

Oakleigh South, Victoria

About

Course Architect: J.B MacKenzie
Number of Holes: 19
Par: 72
Distances: 7,032 Yards / 6,430 Metres
Course Type: Parkland
Club Type: Golf Club
Address: Golf Rd, Oakleigh South VIC 3167
Contact Us: [email protected]

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J.B MacKenzie designed the course in 1908 after the club relocated further from the city during an interesting downtime for golf development in Melbourne. MacKenzie’s transformation of the sandy land into a golf course also aided the magnificent plantations of Australian native trees and shrubs, the most notable being the red flowering gum (Corymbia ficifolia), which is now well over 130 years old and serves as the centrepiece of The Metropolitan Golf Club’s logo. The Metropolitan Golf Club has hosted many international tournaments and challenged some of the best talent in the World. Tournaments include seven Australian Opens, five Australian PGA’s, the 2001 World Match Play Championship, and the 2009 Women’s Australian Open. Recently, the Club has hosted the Australian Masters, Australian Amateur Championship, and the World Cup of Golf. Various images supplied by Gary Lisbon.

Nearby golf attractions include Royal Melbourne, Victoria Golf Club, the Commonwealth Golf Club and Peninsula Kingswood North Course. The Sandbelt Region is just over 30 minutes’ drive from Melbourne city, so we recommend staying in Victoria’s capital and renting a vehicle for accessing the famous Sandbelt golf courses.

Golf Course Information

The main difference of the Metropolitan Golf Club from the other Sandbelt golf clubs lies in its bunker style. Whilst the high abundance of sand at Royal Melbourne, combined with the jaggedness of the bunkers at Kingston Heath are renowned, and though The Metropolitan Golf Club was built on the same sandy soil, its bunkers’ edges are trimmed and flow into the green surfaces around them. This notable difference gives The Metropolitan Golf Club a refined look and despite having many commonalities, the feel of the golf club is set apart from the other surrounding Sandbelt golf courses.

There are almost 100 bunkers on the course and almost every hole is flanked by huge swathes of Australian native trees which provide sanctuary to many species of native birds and fauna. The course enjoys the reputation as being one of the most beautiful in the country, its pure couch grass fairways with bent-grass greens that are lightning-fast and as true as they come. The course is the flattest of the Sandbelt golf courses, so what it lacks in contoured fairways, it makes up for in complex greens that demands accurate approach shots from the fairways. The centre of the fairway isn’t always the best place to be when approaching greens at The Metropolitan Golf Club; it is this principle that makes the Club stand out amongst its contemporaries.

The 19th hole is a much-admired Par 3 amongst the members. The design brief was to create a hole of similar look and feel as the rest of the layout, rather than simply creating an ‘extra hole’. Players are faced with a challenging uphill tee shot to a green that is one of the most undulating on the course. Hitting this green in regulation provides no guarantee of making par, it plays from 142 metres from the Men’s tees and 113 metres from the Women’s.

Venue Information

Clubhouse

The Golf Club has undergone a $16 million rebuild of its clubhouse facility, which includes a fully stocked restaurant with a liquor license. The restaurant serves breakfast, lunch and dinner and offers amazing views over the golf course. The clubhouse is modern and has space to fit every golfer and member alike.

Pro Shop

The golf shop at the Metropolitan has a great range of merchandise from basic ball markers through to logoed golf bags. They have apparel from leading brands including Peter Millar, Glenmuir and Daily Sports for Women. The footwear they have on offer is the latest from Adidas, Ecco and Footjoy.

Rental Equipment

The Metropolitan allows golfers to hire equipment from the Pro shop which includes Footjoy shoe hire, Titleist & Callaway premium hire sets, and motorised trolleys. The Metropolitan Golf Club has been deemed a walking-only course and those who wish to rent an electric golf cart must be in possession of a current medical certificate which much be presented to the Golf Shop either prior to, or on the day of play; they must also be booked in advance, subject to availability.

Lessons

The Metropolitan Golf Club has two PGA certified coaches who can offer personalised programs or small group lessons. The Club also has a club fitting department whose primary golf club specialist has over ten years working in the industry’s big brands and uses the latest technology to determine the right gear for each golfer. We recommend getting a club fitting and then a lesson with one of the PGA certified teaching professionals before or after your round.