FORMER international golf professional Mike Clayton says Portsea Golf Club rates among his top 10 courses in Australia to play.

Now a golf course designer, golf writer and occasional caddie to emerging young players, Clayton credits his friend, the late Bruce Grant, with much of the work done in bringing Portsea out of its slumber.

“Bruce had the maintenance contract there and did great work with the greens and the bunkering and most importantly, the re-routing of the course,” Clayton said.

Under Grant, the original second fourth and fifth holes became 15, 17 and 18. “It made it a really great back nine,” Clayton said.

“It’s maybe top 25 to 30 in Australia but in my top 10 of all time. It is always such fun to play and the slopes really help you.

“The back nine is one of the best. It’s fantastic.  Bruce (Grant) had the maintenance contract there and did a fantastic job. He transformed the place.”

(New Zealander) Sloan Morpeth did the big renovation in the mid 1960’s when he extended the course from 12 to 18 holes, with Portsea always presented in great condition and still perfect to play even though the fairways appear a brownish colour over summer. 

Clayton praised Grant’s re-routing work. “He turned a good layout into a great layout. He did amazing work.”

It would seem Grant breathed new life into the club long before the momentous decision some years ago to sell off land for housing and move the clubhouse to a new site.

Things took off from there for Portsea, albeit slowly.

Going forward, Portsea are investigating irrigation, potentially to go in this year, and the development of a practice facility.

RICH HISTORY

Portsea was opened as a course to the public in late 1924, with the club founded two years later, with plans to celebrate its centenary in style in 2026. 

Portsea’s century long journey has included a number of the game’s architectural luminaries – Alex Russell, the Australian business partner to world-renowned Dr Alister Mackenzie; New Zealander Sloan Morpeth and the current course architects Ogilvy, Cocking and Mead, who have made a number of small changes to enhance the course.

Portsea started life as a nine-hole layout and over time blossomed into 18-holes with a legion of followers who love the old-school charm it exudes.

The golf course is a classic case of good things coming in small packages. Located amid the region’s much longer and more difficult courses, the 5,747-metre delight is a test that even modern technology cannot dilute. Firm and bouncy with rugged, natural bunkering, Portsea is as fun as it is fickle. It’s also a golf course that offers endless challenges. With Bass Strait on one side and Port Phillip Bay on the other, the superb links-style layout rarely plays the same way twice.

Playing golf at Portsea is a duel with the elements, the coastal breeze and exceptional natural landforms uniting to give golfers all they can handle. One minute a downwind avenue beckons a daring shot and an opportunity to score, the next sees a ball flying into a gnarled Moonah tree or being swallowed by a craggy bunker or hungry sand dune.

The course is blessed with beautiful topography. Some say it’s one of the most natural courses ever created. 

The course winds its way through, over and around rolling sand dunes with lush Santa Ana couch fairways bordered by native vegetation of old Moonah trees and coastal grasses. Along with the sea breezes, it creates a place where golfers are pitched against the elements, a strategic golf course where a balance of length and precision iron play are required to take on the challenge it offers.

With such a seductive course, its little wonder golfers keep returning. However, 18 years ago Portsea was feeling the pinch. In a bold move, the club elected to sell a parcel of its land to fund a new clubhouse that also includes a boutique hotel. The plan paid off, the result not only improving its offerings and ensuring a sustainable financial future but also guaranteeing Portsea’s place in the excellent but competitive Mornington Peninsula golf scene.

The golf course required only two minor changes as a direct result of the land sale and construction of the current clubhouse. What was previously the first tee (today the ninth) had to be realigned to the left of its previous position. The other alteration to make way for the new clubhouse and car park was a shortening of the former sixth hole (now the first), from a short par 5 to a par 4 of 308 metres. At the same time Portsea’s holes began to be played in a different order, although it’s arguably a better routing, placing the most strategic holes at more appropriate points in the round.

The club also took the opportunity to design a spare hole, although in Portsea’s case it involved returning a hole rather than building a brand new one. What was once the old 15th, which under the current routing falls after the par-5 11th, was revived by course architects Ogilvy Cocking Mead (OCM) to become the club’s 19th for use when required. The old hole dropped out of the rotation when a new par-three was added in the north-eastern corner of the property in 2013 and now remains as the 13th hole. Reinstating the old par three gave the club flexibility when it came to maintenance and had a direct and positive impact on playing conditions.

DESTINATION CLUB

Portsea Golf Club is an amazing golf destination at the end of Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula. The on-site Mercure Portsea accommodation at the club is a boutique, 24-room hotel and the clubhouse has breathtaking views across the course and Port Phillip Bay making Portsea Golf Club a fantastic stay-and-play location.

Set in rolling sand dunes and coastal vegetation, with spectacular views across Port Phillip Bay, the fast-draining fairways allow perfect playing conditions all year. The naturally undulating fairways and links style course is as much fun as it is challenging and captivating.

ACCOMMODATION

Portsea Golf Club has its own 24-room boutique accommodation. Each room contains a private balcony or terrace, ensuite, large LCD television and modern hotel conveniences. It’s just moments away from Portsea and Sorrento villages and a scenic drive to many other features on the peninsula – wineries, Red Hill Market, Peninsula
Hot Springs and other championship golf courses. 

CLUBHOUSE

Providing spectacular sweeping views over the golf course and Port Philip Bay, the clubhouse contains flexible event spaces for functions of all types and sizes. With a wide array of options for all occasions, coupled with high quality modern cuisine and exceptional service, the club prides itself on having professional and friendly event staff who accommodate your individual needs. The club’s aim is to make your event a successful and memorable occasion.

MEMBERSHIP

The Portsea Golf Club is a modern, vibrant and progressive club with a genuine ‘local’ friendly environment. Members enjoy a beautiful clubhouse with expansive bay views and a golf course that is the envy of the peninsula. New members are always welcome and enquiries encouraged.

Portsea also relaunched their Celebrity Pro-Am in 2023, have a professional Board with their fingers on the pulse and staff working in the same direction, allowing the investment and reintroduction of the Pro-Am to take place.

CORPORATE GOLF

Whether you’re looking to entertain, impress or reward, a Corporate Golf Day at The Portsea Golf Club can be the ideal forum. The club can customise your corporate day to guarantee a memorable experience for up to 120 of your valued guests. The club’s attentive staff can take care of the finer details including catering, prizes, signage and the calculation of all competition results to ensure your day runs smoothly.

PRO SHOP

The Pro Shop stocks latest fashions for men and women from the leading brands. All your golfing needs are here – from golf balls to golf shoes, gift vouchers or a memento of your time at The Portsea Golf Club. 

PLAY GOLF

Green fee players are welcome at Portsea. Phone or book online. There are rental clubs, pull buggies and motorised carts available, while Portsea also offers modern locker room facilities for use by members, their guests and visitors.