13th Beach Golf Links

13th Beach occupies 250 acres near Barwon Heads that used to grow asparagus. The Beach Course, by Tony Cashmore with Ben Davey, opened in December 2001 along 2.1 kilometres of surf frontage. The Creek Course, by Cashmore with Nick Faldo, followed in January 2004.

Both play to a par 72. The Vic Open has been held here every year since 2013, with men and women playing the same courses at the same time for the same prize money, which was the first format of its kind.

What it asks of you

The two courses do not ask the same thing, and that is the point of having both. The Beach Course is the exposed one, running along the frontage where the wind off Bass Strait is the primary hazard and the ground is genuine links sand.

The Creek Course sits further back, with more shaping and more water, and it is the one that rewards a player who can shape a ball rather than one who can flight it low.

Playing the two in a day is the standard visit, and the sequence matters: the Beach in the morning before the sea breeze builds, the Creek in the afternoon when it has.

What players say about it

The resort takes visitors and has hosted a professional tournament for more than a decade, so coverage is extensive. The points below summarise what recurs. These are other people’s opinions, not ours: we have not played the courses, and we name and quote no one.

What comes up in its favor

• Having two courses of this quality on one site is the argument reviewers make most often.
• The Beach Course’s links character, on real sand with real wind, is consistently well rated.
• Conditioning is described as tournament standard, which the Vic Open supports.
• The Vic Open’s equal prize money format is repeatedly cited as a reason to respect the place.
• Access is open, which on this coast is not always the case.

What comes up against

• Green fees are high by Australian public-course standards.
• The wind on the Beach Course can be punishing for a high handicap.
• Opinion divides on the Creek Course, which some find less distinctive than the Beach.
• Tournament weeks restrict access.

Getting there and when to go

The links are at Barwon Heads on the Bellarine Peninsula, about twenty-five minutes from Geelong and an hour and a half from Melbourne.

The courses play all year. October to April gives the firmest ground; the Vic Open is usually in February. Tee times are booked in advance.

Green fees

Rates are set by the venue. See the venue’s own site.

How this page was made

The factual frame comes from public sources: OpenStreetMap for the location, the venue’s published information for the former asparagus farm, the 250 acres, the 2.1 kilometres of frontage and the opening dates, course records for the architects and par, and tournament records for the Vic Open. Published lengths for the two courses are inconsistent between sources, including between yards and metres, so we give none. The address OpenStreetMap holds for the venue no longer resolves; the link here is to the site that is live. The opinion section summarises public reviews read in September 2026; we report recurring themes rather than individual voices, and we reproduce no quotations.

We have not played these courses, and this page is no substitute for a round. The venue has not paid for this page, has not seen it before publication and has no say over its content. If you know the courses and something here is wrong or out of date, write to us and we will correct it.