One of the best golf courses on the NSW South Coast but often ignored for golf tours
Moruya Golf Club is situated in the small coastal town of it’s namesake between Batemans Bay and Narooma. Like so many golf courses on the NSW South Coast, it is nestled within the town with the Pacific Hwy elbowing its way around the course boundaries. As some recent clients said who did not know much about the course but looked down the tight confines of it’s first fairway, “this ain’t no goat track.” It has some idiosyncrasies and charms but with tournament level conditioning, it is the most underrated golf course on the NSW South Coast.
A course linked with the town
Moruya Golf Club was first opened in 1924 as a nine hole course with sand greens. In 2024 they are celebrating their 100th anniversary. Not many current country courses can do that.
In 1966 veteran golf course architect Al Howard (Avalon,Corowa, Tasmanian to name a few of his designs) redesigned the nine holes and incorporated grass greens. Three extra holes with added between 1982 and 1984, followed by the remaining 6 holes in 1988. It is now gone on to host the South Coast Open as well as the recent NSW PGA Associate Championships.
During the recent Black Summer where the area was ravaged by bushfires and like a number of golf clubs in the area, the clubhouse was a refuge for people trying to escape the fires. It is also considered to be a town “common” with school kids and towns folk walking a path through the property. Often they go on to become golfers too.
Now a course to include on your South Coast golf tour
The first thing that strikes you as you warm up on the putting green at Moruya is the speed of the greens. They have some of the fastest and best greens on the South Coast (probably only second in speed to Tura Beach). The practice putting green runs down a steep hill and is probably one of things I would change about the practice facilities around the club house. It’s slope is not corresponded to around the course and thus is not great for getting a feel with your long putting.
As you walk down the 1st , a 485m par 5 and if you have avoided the hazard and out of bounds on the left, you will also notice the quality of fairway conditions. Although I am not a great fan of Kikuyu as a grass for golf, the fairways are mown down to tournament level conditioning and make it easy to pick the ball off cleanly.
The 2nd hole a par 4 of 349 metres is a forerunner of things to come . A dogleg left. Those that hit the ball the right to left will feel more comfortable at Moruya as there are a number of holes that veer that way. The 3rd hole causes much consideration and debate. A long par 4 of 387m sightly uphill, it has Racecourse Creek slicing diagaonally across the fairway from 180 to 220m away from the tee. Do you try and thread the needle if you are long enough and carry the creek on the right side or lay up on the left with a long approach shot? If you have a long game, you may want to play it different ways.
The rest of the front nine is relatively flat with Racecourse Creek and it’s associated ponds making this a tight journey. The uphill par 5 8th of 468m again forces your decision making and strategy with a tight right to left tee shot and then a large gum tree which blocks you going over the corner towards the green. You are either forced to layup left of the tree or hit a fade around it to shorten the approach shot. The 9th a par 4 of 370m brings your first encounter with the huge double green that also incorporates the pin for the 18th.
The back nine starts off with a delectable par 3 of 129m with a well bunkered green followed by a par 4 of 349m where you hit it out to the corner or try a raking hook around the corner to shorten the approach. After the 12th you have the unusual experience of the long walk or ride around the Moruya Showground which is incorporated into the property. On a Saturday morning you will hear the P.A. system for the local pony club as it runs it’s events there!
The course then becomes more hillier with the uphill par 4 of 318m is a left to right hole through a narrow pass in the fairway to a downhill green. What follows is what I think is best hole of the course, the par 4 15th of 319m.
Again another right to left hole where you have options. The ground slopes down to a pond awaiting your ball on the outside of the corner. You can either lay up to in front of the pond, hit a raking hook around the corner to give yourself a short iron or I have seen some locals try to bomb it over the tall trees on the inner corner and give themselves a wedge. It is a wonderful challenge for a short hole.
The par 5 16th of 448m is also another fine hole with the showgrounds and OB waiting on the left and water and trees on the right . The green is guarded by two tributaries of Racecourse Creek and you really have to have to be able to land the ball on the green if you want an eagle putt.
The 17th is a long uphill par 4 of 385m and then you come to another shot to the double green of 9th/18th . This time on this par 4 of 338m is a lake lurking in front and right of the green to bait you in case you are going for a tucked pin. Moruya is a fascinating journey of fast putting and sharp shotmaking.
The course can become flooded if there is a combination high king tides and heavy rain. However all the greens are raised and sit as islands above the floodwaters. The course drains dry in a couple of days and play is resumed. As part of our booking to tee time level of service, we would keep you informed of such course conditions.
The club has been rejuvenated in recent years under the leadership of GM, Josh Prowse and has a new, fully stocked proshop under the stewardship of Head Pro Andrew Booth. It is also relatively easy to get a weekend game for our tour groups and we are always suggesting it for a Capital Bucketlist tour to the South Coast. Check out our itineraries at our South Coast Golf Tour page.