Wollongong Golf Club

Illawarra, NSW | User Rating: Rate-3 (3.0) | Add A Review

Wollongong Golf Club is a picturesque course that runs along Wollongong’s city surf beach with views looking out over the Pacific Ocean. Looking to the western side of the course there are magnificent views of the luscious green mountains that surround Wollongong.

Online Teetimes

Hover your mouse over any period below to see the full details of the offer as each colour represents a different level of discounted teetime. Click on the price to view the availability. Search for more teetimes »

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

  • Name: Wollongong Golf Club
  • Region: Illawarra, NSW
  • Address: 151-161 Corrimal Street
    Wollongong, 2500, New South Wales, Australia
  • Directions: View Aerial Map »
    View Map »
  • Bookings:
  • Proshop: (02) 4222 3114
  • General: (02) 4222 3111
  • Holes: 18
  • Metres: 5656m
  • Par: 70
1. Retrochick | Rated | 19 Feb 2013 | Add A Review

One of the best courses I’ve ever played. The Greens and Fairways were perfect and the scenery was very good. Looking forward to playing there again.

2. Gimmethat | Rated | 04 Jan 2013 | Add A Review

Not worth the $40 green fee.
Course is up and down and very tight. Fairways are rock hard which is to be expected in Summer. If you don’t hit your drive straight, you are always on another fairway, which makes avoiding errant balls a regularity.

The ground staff seemed oblivious to the golfers. One stood watering the green on a par 3 with his back to the golfer – flag in the pin. The sprinklers were watering the fairway on the 2nd hole as well as the tee box on the 16th. This at 11am with a full playing field.

The round took just on 4.5 hours to play.

The highlight hole would have to be the Par 5 18th.

PROS

  • Pro shop staff were attentive
  • True greens

Cons

  • Ground staff have no comprehension of golfers.
  • Slow play
3. prabacisp | Rated | 04 Sep 2012 | Add A Review

very helpful staff and a good links layout. but the greens closer to the clubhouse generally all the new ones were very rough. work to be done.

4. wal | Rated | 02 Apr 2012 | Add A Review

Very friendly staff in the proshop yesterday (Sunday.
We really liked the layout and the challenge with the breeze.
A good mix of tough and easier holes.
Only criticism would be not knowing we would be playing off forward tees, would have preferred to play the full course.

5. phewimiti | Rated | 20 Sep 2011 | Add A Review

Arrived just before my tee time only to find out that they were coring the greens that day and only had nine holes open. Strangely enough the holes in play were 1,9-14,17&18, which meant alot of walking.
Speed of play has always been slow at Wollongong (blame the residence of the upmarket retirement village that overlooks the course), however when everyone is confined to playing nine holes it really does make it quite painful.
I don’t know what it is about Wollongong golf course, i have played it a few times now and it just always seems to bring out the worst in me.
With the price they are now charging i wont be back again.

Also Liked

6. uostiliri | Rated | 28 Jan 2010 | Add A Review

played at 2pm, the wind blew in from the south and was insane!
could hardly stand up straight in the wind let alone hit a golf ball straight!
fantastic course! cant wait to play there again, hopefully when its not blowing a gale!

7. NUFFIETHEGOLFMAN | Rated | 14 Oct 2009 | Add A Review

I played Wollongong a number of times last year when I worked near the course. A lot of changes were scheduled for the layout and I’m not sure if they have commenced as of yet. I found it an interesting golfing experience and much tougher than I thought it would be. You can wind up going OB on the beach playing the 2nd, 3rd and 13th holes if you go right from the tee, especially if you balloon a right -handed slice on the breeze, then may as well say goodbye PRO VIX :)

Wollongong is a very windy layout being right on the coast and with little trees to offer much resistance. Some of the coastal view remind me of The Cut that I played last month in Mandurah, WA. I found that Wollongong often needs to be tammed like a links course. Despite its moderate length, the wind makes it difficult to avoid numerous water hazards that come into play on some holes.

There are some easy holes but also tricky holes. The 1st is a par 5, 465m that can be reached in two. The par 4, 4th is a 240m hole that can be reached in one and birdied/eagled. The par 3, 5th at about 150m is the newest green and also the hardest one to stay on, with water hazard all the way down the left. The 6th is one of the hardest holes, a par 4 with rough and water in play from the tee and an approach over water which I found was always into the Southerly wind. The 7th hole is the longest par 4 on the course at about 385m, with the second shot played to a green that sits high on a hill and is into the wind more often than not, OB is in play right from the tee. The 9th is a par 5 that can be reached in two, however there is water in play to the right on the first shot, and on the left and right for the second shot. This hole seemed to catch me out always as my second shot was always a tad offline – which is enough to lose a ball. The green is a upside down dome and very difficult to hold and putt on. The 11th and 13th are both open par 4’s and about 320 and 350m long respectively. The 14th is another good par 5 with water in play for the second shot and about 450m long. The 17th is one of the trickiest par 3’s to hit in the Illawarra region, at only about 110m but with a green lying 20m below the level of the tee and club selection always dependant on the wind direction here. It’s easily the hardest green to hit on the course. But possibly my favorite hole is also a newly designed hole, the 18th – a par 5 that measures about 485m long. The water isn’t reachable from the tee for the average player unless the Southerly is with you, as the ball needs to travel about 265m to go in. Then for your second shot there is rough on the left and water all down the right, all the way to the green. This green is also very quick being very new and quite exposed to the breeze all the time.

Another challenge that I encountered here as I played there mainly in the winter/spring months was understanding the speed of the greens – the wind dries the greens out and makes them very slippery on this course. I’m not sure how they play in the warmer months but I had difficulty in getting my first putt to stop within 6ft of the hole, let along go in. Using the "texas wedge" around the greens and chip & running a lot is a smart play at Wollongong as it’s very difficult to get that ball to stop near the hole. A lob wedge is a club I seldom used here, only for short chips but not for more than 20 metres out due to the wind making the ball blow around too much.

The sewerage work near the 12th hole is an often talked about issue. To be honest I never noticed the smell all that much, however the Port Kembla Steelworks/industrial backdrop does detract from the aesthetics a bit near the southern end of the course. However it’s only noticeable for 1-2 holes.

So for those people who think they can tame Wollongong Golf Course, you must be a master of playing in windy conditions and avoiding the water hazards to do so. For those that can and are good putters in links like tracks, the greens are relatively flat and true so good scores are to be had. A few more trees would make driving trickier but to be honest, the wind here makes it hard enough for anyone to keep it on the fairway. The prices for me were a little steep at about $35 on the weekend for 18 holes. I’m only guessing its to help fund for the new renovations. It will be interesting to see the new layout one day.

PROS

  • A good challenge in the breeze, with good risk reward and accuracy paramount for all shots

Cons

  • A little expensive and easy to loose balls, so hit very straight. Try not to smell the Sewerage Plant but its not too bad in the winter.

Also Liked

8. Jesus_nazas | Rated | 26 Jan 2009 | Add A Review

A nice golf course, quite Easy. I don’t like the septic tank near the 9th hole. Layout was painfull and its hard to judge the distance. The fairways were quite dry

PROS

  • Easy

Cons

  • Layout
  • Fairways
  • Ditance Markers
  • Septic tank

Also Liked

9. SirSid | Rated | 03 Dec 2008 | Add A Review

I played on Tuesday afternoon (2nd December 2008). Tee off was at 2pm so expected that the course woudl be undergoing maintenance. Got drenched at two holes with the sprinklers though! Pretty nice course with several undulations and beautiful views. Greens play true and fairways are generally in good condition. Course is more challenging than it looks with my playing partner and I losing 7 balls combined (usually we lose 1 or 2). Staff are friendlier at other places but the course well and truly makes up for it.

10. roba | Rated | 24 Oct 2008 | Add A Review

I play Wollongong on most occasions when I visit family and thoroughly enjoy my time spent admiring the views on and around the course. Each hole on the links layout is distinctly different, several with massive bunkers and all with some of the smoothest and truest greens ive played. Fairways are kikuyu, and consistantly green although extra distance markers would help the visiting player. Some tee boxes are new, but several might benefit from some manicuring. I really enjoy the new holes near the club house and cant wait for the tinkering to continue to the rest, to get Wollongong up as a absolutely top rated golf course.

11. oneplanemachine | Rated | 27 Jul 2008 | Add A Review

Wollongong golf club is quite a nice place to spend a Sunday. They have made a very good decision to allow more social golf on the weekend. This we like (NO HUSBAND AND WIFE COMP TO FOLLOW) This course is VERY stinky down South, Why do they allow a stinky toilet treatment centre near a place like this? why can’t they build it deep in the port next to the huge steel making factory? building it so close to the town and to a pretty seaside links. what a sorry waste of public space and resources!

12. agakhan | Rated | 20 Jul 2008 | Add A Review

Agree with Mitlee, without distance marker, it becomes trial and error for visitors and advantage to members and regulars. Better courses will add even more clues eg colour of the flag to indicate if the pin is in front, middle or back. See New Brighton as an example. Overall a good course.

13. bennyhogan | Rated | 25 May 2005 | Add A Review

Great value for competition only $15 and you get $5 worth of bar vouchers.

Nice beachside course.

Best conditions if you tee off at 7am.any earlier and there is too much mist and fog.Any later and you cop a stiff breeze which can make the longer holes rather difficult.

Some nice holes,good design,flattish but with a few elevated tees and the 5th is a massive uphill shot for your second onto the green.

Does get a bit of a bad smell on holes 7,8,9,10 and 11 because of the steel works.

17th is a monster, 217 metre par 3.

Overall its a good course and it will be great with the new clubhouse.

14. Golfing God | Rated | 09 Apr 2005 | Add A Review

I enjoy playing at Wollongong. The course is in fairly good condition and there are some interesting holes. The course has a very nice location right on the beach - but unfortunatly next to the sewerage works and industry area. The large clubhouse is expected to be finished soon and will make the course an more enjoyable place to play.

15. mitlee | Rated | 02 Sep 2004 | Add A Review

Went to play the course on a weekend, it is not so crowded and staff in proshop is very friendly. Green and fairway are all right, but it is pretty hard to justify distance as there is no marking of distance to green beside the tee, making it harder for beginners like us.

Some holes in the back 9 is a bit stinky, there are long Par 3s that I think is preety challenging.

Most of my playing partners said they will not go back. It is not that bad, but others are better.

Add your Review

Already a member of iseekgolf.com? Please log in to add a review

Not A Member? Join Now - It's free!

CONTACT US

Need to contact us about anything?
Email Us »


Special Promotions

Teetimes Specials


View All Courses »

Our Sponsors