328 Tapleys Hill Rd,
Seaton, Adelaide, South Australia 5023
Office
+61 (0)8 8356 5511Pro shop
+61 (0)8 8151 2380Fax
+61 (0)8 8235 1064Website
Visit websiteGolf pro
Chris Crocker (PGA, Director of Golf).The Course:
18 holes. Tree-lined & open parkland. Gently undulating terrain - a few slopes to climb
Surroundings:
Residential setting.
Designer:
Original design by H.L. "Cargie" Rymill and C.L. Gardiner (1904). Substantially redesigned by Dr Alister MacKenzie (1926). Later improvements by Peter Thomson & Mike Wolveridge (1979, 1997), and Tom Doak (2020s).
-34.895601
138.513691
9 km NW of Adelaide centre
Royal Adelaide
Royal Adelaide Golf Club: Also commonly known as Seaton, the present Royal Adelaide course was substantially redesigned by Dr. Alister MacKenzie in the mid-1920s. Here is an open, undulating inland links course, built on the Adelaide sandbelt, which presents a wonderfully testing challenge to all golfers.
The understated simplicity of the course design, based on nicely undulating terrain, rolling mounds and a scattering of pine trees, masks some tough challenges ahead. With plenty of sand available, its no surprise to find a wealth of excellent fairway and greenside bunkering; the fiery ring of eight bunkers guarding the par-3 7th's domed green, makes for a classic MacKenzie-inspired hole.
Don't be surprised to see an occasional commuter train trundling along the single-track railway that diagonally bisects the course. The track passes within a few feet of the clubhouse (one imagines it was originally a halt for the trains).
A few precise tee-shots are required, not least at the short, blind and tight par-4 3rd, played up and over a small ridge. Your tee-shot back across the ridge at the par-4 4th is also blind, but this time played to a doglegging fairway. The highest part of the course is home to the 8th and 12th tees, alongside a rotunda look-out. The flatter closing stretch starts at the par-4 13th.
Although following an out-and-back design, the course never strays too far from the clubhouse which is positioned squarely in the centre of this excellently maintained layout. There is no housing on the course, nor too close beside it, just this splendid old links, the subtleties of which will certainly grow on you the more you play it.
Private club, with restricted outside visitor play. Overseas and interstate visitors should contact the Club to determine playing possibilities.
Contact club for full details. [Last updated: 2024].
Non-metal spike facility. Walking permitted at all times. Golf carts available for hire only with a medical certificate.
Good
The always highly-rated Royal Adelaide, has hosted many top level competitions including nine Australian Opens and numerous Australian Amateur Championships. In 2008 the Eisenhower Trophy was staged here.
Royal Adelaide is one of eight golf clubs in Australia honoured by exercise of the Sovereign's royal prerogative. George V conferred the Royal title on the club in 1923. The eight Australian 'Royals' are (in order of gaining Royal status): Melbourne, Sydney, Queensland, Adelaide, Hobart, Fremantle, Canberra and Perth.
Australia's 9th best course (Australian Golf Digest, 2024/25).
World's 92nd best public access course (Golf World, 2025). Formerly ranked world's 99th best course (GOLF Magazine, 2013; not in subsequent editions of this ranking).
141 Brebner Drive, West Lakes, SA 5021.
+61 (0)8 8356 4444
Visit websiteOn the banks of the popular West Lakes boating lake, this all-suites resort hotel offers well-appointed guest rooms and private balconies overlooking the water. A free breakfast buffet is served in the lakefront bistro. Other amenities include a fine-dining restaurant, three bars and a beer garden, a gym and a pool.
No
Grange; Royal Adelaide; West Lakes; Kooyonga.
Glenelg.
Sony Open in Hawaii: played at Waialae Country Club near Honolulu, the Sony Open takes over the spotlight from The Sentry as the PGA Tour’s calendar-year opening event (Jan 15-18). The Sentry (not being played in 2026) was formerly known as the Tournament of Champions, with a field typically restricted to golfers who won a PGA Tour event in the previous calendar year.
Dubai Desert Classic: the DP World Tour’s first Rolex Series event of 2026, is contested for the 37th time (Jan 22-25). First won by Englishman Mark James in 1989, it now boasts a four-time winner, Rory McIlroy. Played on the Emirates Golf Club’s Majlis course, this once desert-surrounded course is the long-time flagship for Golf in Dubai.
Our visit last month included two rounds at Golf de Chantilly, one of France’s most prestigious clubs.
It offers two superb layouts: Le Vineuil, a five-star championship course with a rich history, and Longères, an excellent four-star course that provides a strong and enjoyable test.
The wider Paris region offers plenty more. Courses such as Fontainebleau, Golf de Saint-Germain, and several other top-rated layouts make this area one of Europe’s most rewarding golf destinations, offering a mix of woodland, heathland, and parkland designs.
The Dutch: "It's no' just a game", as they say in Scotland, and that's certainly true at The Dutch. With 5-star services throughout, a lavishly comfortable Loch Lomond-inspired clubhouse, and a superbly designed and presented golf course, one could not ask for more from this top-end private club.
Join us at The Dutch from August 21–24 for the Festival of Golf, featuring the HotelPlanner Tour. Experience four days of top-tier sport, live music, incredible food, and unexpected surprises. Explore the grounds, connect with others, embrace new challenges, and dive into an unforgettable celebration. Click here to buy tickets.
Here at Prince’s Golf Club you'll find 27 excellent holes of links golf. Just over the fence and sharing similar terrain is Royal St George’s; but Prince’s is far from overshadowed by its venerable neighbour. The three nine-hole loops at Prince's, laid out over gently undulating terrain, are sure to bring a smile of satisfaction to all lovers of links golf.
Stay&Play at Prince's: excellent onsite Lodge accommodation available
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