The two host venues for the ISPS HANDA Australian Open are located in the heart of the world-famous Melbourne Sandbelt in Cheltenham, Victoria and are regarded as two of the finest golf courses in the country.

Kingston Heath and Victoria have a rich history of hosting prominent events on the Australian golfing calendar including multiple Australian Opens, including the world-first combined men's, women's and all-abilities event in 2022:

• Kingston Heath:

  • 8 x Men’s Australian Opens (1948, 1957, 1970, 1983, 1989, 1995, 2000, 2022) and;

  • 2 x Women’s Australian Open (2008, 2022)

• Victoria:

  • 4 x Men’s Australian Opens (1961, 1981, 2002, 2022) and;

  • 4 x Women’s Australian Opens (1974, 1976, 2014, 2022)

The superbly crafted greens and bunkers of both venues bring out the best in the world’s top players and that is why many of the game’s greatest have triumphed at Kingston Heath and Victoria in the past.

Seven-time major champion Karrie Webb is the only player to have won the Australian Open at both courses (2008 at Kingston Heath and 2014 at Victoria), while men’s major champions Tiger Woods (2009 Australian Masters), Peter Thomson (1958 Vic Open), Greg Norman (1995 Australian Open), Adam Scott (2012 Australian Masters) and Ian Baker-Finch (1987 Australian Match Play Championship) have all won at Kingston Heath.

Upgrades to both venues in recent times are set to showcase the talents of golf’s current crop of stars too.

Kingston Heath has made important changes this century with the introduction of a 19th hole in 2002 – a par 3 located between the first green and second tee – allowing the club to produce different layouts for tournaments from the 1925 Dan Soutar design and Mick Marcom build. Adding to their championship layout, The Furrows, a short course consisting of 9 holes ranging from 50m-140m, opened for play in April 2023.

Victoria has also changed considerably in the last 15 years under the guidance of revered course architects Geoff Ogilvy, Mike Clayton, Mike Cocking and Ashley Mead who have brought out all the best Sandbelt features in Oscar Damman and Bill Meader’s original 1927 design. The renovations have included the replacement of all greens with Pure Distinction bent grass in 2018.

Legendary course architect Dr Alister Mackenzie – who designed Augusta National and Royal Melbourne among more than 50 other courses around the world – assisted in Victoria’s initial design and he also devised a bunkering scheme, refined a handful of holes and designed the 15th hole at Kingston Heath.

Course records

• Victoria Golf Club

  • Male (par 72): Jonathon Wade, Geoff Ogilvy and Ryan Ruffels – 63

  • Female (par 74): Alison Whitaker – 67

• Kingston Heath Golf Club

  • Male (par 72): Mark Brown – 62

  • Female (par 74): Stephanie Kyriacou – 66