Best Golf Courses for Kids in Canberra

Canberra International Golf Centre, Gold Creek Country Club and Gungahlin Lakes compared — three public courses across the ACT with genuine junior coaching.

Canberra's public golf options cluster around Narrabundah and the Gungahlin/Nicholls district, with three genuinely public courses offering junior coaching and family-friendly facilities.

Canberra International Golf Centre — Narrabundah

Canberra International Golf Centre is a public golf and leisure centre open 7 days a week, 9am-9pm, with a two-storey, 64-bay undercover driving range, an 18-hole mini golf course and an 18-hole pitch & putt course.

It's genuinely low-pressure and family-oriented — casual, dog-friendly and built around families and fun-seekers as much as serious golfers, making it a good first stop for a young beginner.

Gold Creek Country Club — Nicholls

Gold Creek Country Club is the ACT's leading public-access golf course, with a 300m driving range fitted with Trackman technology alongside its other practice facilities.

The club runs junior lessons focused on full swing, chipping, bunker play, pitching and putting fundamentals in short, engaging sessions, plus a junior membership option for committed young golfers.

Gungahlin Lakes Golf & Community Club — Nicholls

Gungahlin Lakes Golf & Community Club is a public-access course where golfers can register as a public player online to book tee times — green fees run around $22 for 9 holes and $30 for 18.

It runs a junior membership program with a junior pennant team, giving young players a genuine competitive pathway alongside casual family rounds.

Which is best for an absolute beginner?

Canberra International Golf Centre's mini-golf and pitch & putt setup is the most forgiving starting point before stepping up to a full round at Gold Creek or Gungahlin Lakes, which sit right next to each other in Nicholls.

At a glance

The 3 venues covered in this guide, side by side. "Junior program on file" means our directory holds specific evidence of a junior program, clinic or membership pathway at that club - not simply that children are permitted to play.

How to read this

Public access is the column most worth checking first. "Public" means anyone can book a tee time. "Limited / conditional" means visitor access exists but comes with conditions - a member introduction, restricted days, or a booking window. "Private members' club" means casual visitor play generally is not available, and a junior would usually need a member connection or a place in a club program.

Course length matters more than parents expect for a first outing. 1 of the 3 venues here are a shorter format - a par-3, short course, pitch and putt, practice facility or 9-hole layout - which usually means a faster round, less walking and less pressure from groups behind. For a child who has never played a full round, that is normally the better starting point than a championship-length course.

Before you book

3 of these 3 venues have a junior program, clinic or junior membership pathway recorded in our directory: Canberra International Golf Centre, Gold Creek Country Club, Gungahlin Lakes Golf & Community Club. Those are the ones most likely to have coaching, junior competition or a structured pathway rather than only green-fee access.

1 of them are private or limited-access (Gold Creek Country Club). Call ahead before making the trip: conditions vary between clubs and change with the season. The remaining 2 are listed as public access.

Two questions are worth asking on the phone that club websites rarely answer clearly: whether juniors pay a discounted green fee when playing with a paying adult, and whether the club hires out junior clubs. Both make a first visit considerably cheaper, and both are common even at clubs that don't advertise them.