The golf course at Victoria is certainly one of the very best in Australia. Only a single road separates Victoria from Royal Melbourne and the public course at Sandringham. Together they represent the largest contiguous belt of golfing land in metropolitan Melbourne.

Victoria Golf Club has benefited from a dedicated programme of renewal and refurbishment. The elegant green and white pavilion that sits handsomely at the end of a tree-lined drive is a well-designed, comfortable facility much in demand with the club’s 2,000 members. Mike Clayton’s recent course enhancements have focused on the restoration of bunkers that had been grassed over and the regeneration of trees.

The front nine runs along the north and west extent of the property, while the back nine fills the central part and extends to the southern and easternmost limit of the land. Several of the holes are laid out in pairs alongside one another so the golfer is reversed.The sixth is one of the most difficult holes on the course and the prevailing breeze makes ball-striking imperative. It will take two of your best to be up there. Most players should treat this as a three-shot hole. The challenge continues on the green, which slopes dramatically from back to front. You must be below the hole unless the challenge of a testing downhill putt with the breeze is your idea of fun.The 15th is considered one of the best holes among Melbourne’s renowned, sand belt courses. At just 289 metres (317 yards) from the men’s tips, it might seem like another short four. Club member and US Open Champion Geoff Ogilvy suggests you ‘be as aggressive as you dare’ on this hole.