Gardens Park Golf Links in Darwin, Australia, is a fun place to work on your skills without going far from the city center. (Seth Robson/Stars and Stripes)
Gardens Park Golf Links isn’t on par with St. Andrews or Pebble Beach, but it’s a fun place to work on your skills without going far from central Darwin, Australia.
The nine-hole course near George Brown Darwin Botanic Gardens bills itself as a golf oasis in this northern Australian port town.
The course is close enough to reach on foot from downtown. It’s also within range of the electric scooters and bicycles available to rent throughout the city.
The 55-acre facility, flanked by some high-rise apartments and hotels, includes plenty of shady trees, a few streams and drains and a small pond near the clubhouse.
You can rent a golf cart or walk, with or without a trundler.
A nine-hole course near George Brown Darwin Botanic Gardens bills itself as a golf oasis in Darwin, Australia. (Seth Robson/Stars and Stripes)
The fairways were a little rough during a round in late July (dry season in the Northern Territory). But if you bend the rules and allow generous placing, you can find plenty of grassy spots to hit from.
The greens are about half the size of what you’ll find at a fancy course, and they’re shaped like upside down desert bowls. However, the putting surfaces are reasonably paced and consistent.
The round starts and ends with par 3s. The eighth hole is also a par 3, but you can hit the rental set’s driver on the other holes as long as you’re not Bryson DeChambeau or John Daly.
Holes four and five feature elevated tee boxes. The fairway is quite narrow on hole four and there’s a good chance your drive ends up in a concrete drain.
Holes five and seven are relatively short par 4s and a solid tee shot on either might reach the green.
Gardens Park Golf Links includes a minigolf course next to the clubhouse. (Seth Robson/Stars and Stripes)
There’s a minigolf course next to the clubhouse, which has a pro shop and licensed bar. There’s a shady area with tables and chairs next to the building where you can cool off with a beer or a soda.
If you’d like a more challenging round at a nearby course, head to Darwin Golf Club, close to Darwin International airport, or Palmerston Golf and Country Club, another 20 minutes’ drive away, but make sure you book a tee time.
On the QT
Directions: Address: 1 Chin Quan Rd, The Gardens NT 0820
Times: Open daily, 6:30 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Costs: Nine holes for $15, or about $10; 18 holes are $25; rent clubs for $15 and a cart for $30; a minigolf round is $8.
Food: Drinks and snacks are available at the pro shop.
Information: Online: gardensparkgolflinks.com.au
