You maybe bunkered down for the winter and can’t stop thinking of warm days and your next golf tour. It is going to be sooner rather later. You are thinking of early spring.
However early spring can be difficult to predict in some golf locations. The weather may not have decided what it wants to do yet and course conditions may not yet be at a premium. Here are some ideas on locations that we do tours for where early spring is actually optimum for enjoyable golf.
The Murray River
The Murray River warms up quickly in early spring and the weather becomes drier the further you move away from Albury. However the greens remain firm and true.
Some courses will do green renovations during this time but if you have some date flexibility we can advise you of these maintenance issues, if it is a problems for your group. Also there are plenty of other good course options to choose from in case we can’t you around cored and sanded greens. The Murray is that great!
Going in early spring also can enable you to get better tee times as the volume of golfers coming up from Melbourne has not reached it’s peak. Once the AFL season or the Melbourne Cup Carnival is over, they are there in force!
One way to enjoy the early spring is to book at least a two week period and do the “Murray River Safari”. A few groups are doing that this spring and are playing the golf courses they want to play as they travel from Albury to Swan Hill. Some great golf but also some time off to enjoy the sights, sounds and tastes of the region.
This is a region that visiting golfers from southern climes could almost play in shorts all year round. The Coffs Coast is a beacon for golfers and the main target is Bonville Golf Resort. Rated in Australian Golf Digest’s Top 100 and voted Australia’s most popular golf course.
With us you could either stay at the resort and play another course in the area as well or stay in Coffs Harbour in four star apartments and enjoy all that the coast has to offer in golf. Staying at Bonville you get the 5 star golf resort experience.
Another alternative for an early spring tour is the Mid-North Coast from Port Macquarie to Forster and even beyond to Hawks Nest. Many fine golf courses on this coastline and some surprising hidden gems.
The pick is Tuncurry golf course which was recently readmitted into Australian Golf Digest’s Top 100. This Nagle/Cooper design is famed for it’s punishment once the first cut of rough is missed but please don’t be too concerned. Options are given from the tee, you can take it all on with a “Tiger line” or hit for the safety-first landing zone and keep your lost ball count low.
Hunter Valley and Port Stephens
The Hunter and Port Stephens is a great golf location to visit in early spring. The Hunter can be particularly hot in summer and early spring can be still cool in the mornings but have wonderful warm days. The courses tend to do their green maintenance in the same week and we can coordinate this with you if you trying to avoid it.
The resort courses in the Hunter are some of the best in NSW and on our tours you can have a choice of either on-course houses or apartments. We will vet this accommodation so that is within walking distance of some of the first class hospitality venues that that are on offer.
Another alternative is to also stay and play in Port Stephens. There is the grand dame of Hunter sandbelt to play in the form of Newcastle Golf Club and other top 100 courses like Pacific Dunes and Horizons. We can find you great accommodation in Nelson Bay which is one of the great locations for a golf group to enjoy on the NSW coast.
