Best Golf Courses for Kids on Melbourne's Sandbelt

Royal Melbourne and Kingston Heath are private and out of reach - here's where families can actually play on and around Melbourne's famous Sandbelt, from Sandringham to Mulgrave.

The "Sandbelt" is the strip of golf courses through Melbourne's bayside south-eastern suburbs - Brighton, Sandringham, Cheltenham, Black Rock, Beaumaris, Oakleigh, Moorabbin - regarded as one of the best concentrations of golf courses on earth. It's also almost entirely private: Royal Melbourne, Kingston Heath, Metropolitan, Victoria, Yarra Yarra, Commonwealth, Huntingdale, Woodlands and Peninsula Kingswood are all members-only, with no public access for a casual family round. The good news is there are genuine public options in and around the same strip - here's what families can actually book.

Sandringham Golf Links - Cheltenham

Sandringham Golf Links (also known as Sandy Golf Links) is the Sandbelt's flagship public course - a full 18-hole layout on genuine Sandbelt sandy soil, built up in stages from a 9-hole public course in 1946 to its current form by the mid-1950s, and still council-linked and open to all.

Cheltenham Golf Club - Cheltenham

Cheltenham Golf Club is a separate public 9-hole course in the same suburb, leased from Bayside City Council, letting golfers of all ages experience the Sandbelt's sandy, tree-lined fairways without needing to join one of the exclusive clubs nearby.

Green-fee bookings are open to the public and junior membership categories exist, though we'd suggest calling the club directly to confirm current junior coaching options before booking a course of lessons.

Waverley Pitch & Putt Golf Course - Mulgrave

Waverley Pitch & Putt Golf Course sits a little further east of the core Sandbelt strip in Mulgrave, and is purpose-built to be low-pressure for beginners: 18 holes, par 54, no club membership or handicap required to play.

This is genuinely the strongest junior-specific pick on this list - it's a regular host venue for Golf Australia's TeeMates Rookie Series, run four times a year with age divisions from under-8 through to under-16, and no golf club membership needed to enter.

Spring Park Golf Course - Dingley Village

Spring Park Golf Course is a public 9-hole course and driving range in Dingley Village, adjoining the Sandbelt, with a chipping area, pro shop and clubhouse - membership is available but never required to play.

Lessons are offered for beginners through to seasoned players, making it a relaxed, family-friendly practice environment close to the more famous Sandbelt courses, though we couldn't confirm a named junior-specific coaching program.

Can kids play any of the famous Sandbelt courses?

Not casually. Royal Melbourne, Kingston Heath, Metropolitan and the other well-known Sandbelt clubs are private members' clubs - visitor access generally requires an introduction from a member or a reciprocal arrangement through another club, not something available to the public. The courses above are the genuine public-access alternative in the same part of Melbourne.

Which Sandbelt-area course is best for a child's first tournament experience?

Waverley Pitch & Putt in Mulgrave is the clearest answer - its regular TeeMates Rookie Series events are specifically designed as a first competitive experience for kids from under-8 to under-16, run on a forgiving par-3 layout with no membership or handicap required.

At a glance

The 4 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. 3 of the 4 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 4 venues have a junior program, clinic or junior membership pathway recorded in our directory: Cheltenham Golf Club, Waverley Pitch & Putt Golf Course, Spring Park Golf Course. Those are the ones most likely to have coaching, junior competition or a structured pathway rather than only green-fee access.

All the venues listed here are recorded as public access, so a parent can normally book without a member connection. Tee-time availability still varies, especially on weekend mornings.

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.