Just under an hour from Melbourne, on the northeastern tip of King Island, Cape Wickham is one of the game’s great remote destinations. Every hole boasts an ocean view, with co-designers Mike DeVries and Darius Oliver routing the course under the watchful view of the 157-foot Cape Wickham Lighthouse that’s the tallest in Australia as well as the tallest stone lighthouse in the southern hemisphere.
Check out the article to see what other great courses are mentioned!
In their current season of Tourist Sauce, the team from No Laying Up played multiple courses throughout the state of Michigan including Pilgrim’s Run, Greywalls, Kingsley, and more! Mike got the chance to talk more in depth about his courses and his background in design with Soly.
Every year Golfweek creates many Best of Lists, but this one is an entirely new category. They’ve ranked dozens of the world’s best courses that were built in 1960 or later. And Cape Wickham takes spot #5 on this debut list! Check out the rest of the rankings here.
Greywalls was listed #65 in GOLF’s Top 100 Courses You Can Play
Some say Michigan’s Upper Peninsula is a world unto itself, and after crossing the Mackinaw Bridge, you’ll quickly see why “Yoopers” love this part of the state. From the “border” crossing, it’s a three-hour, well-worth-the-drive journey to Greywalls. Rugged beauty is an understatement on this DeVries design, where he somehow managed to carve out a memorable layout though granite outcroppings; the course’s namesake comes into play on several holes, most notably the par-3 6th. The woodsy setting has plenty of ups and downs, plus breathtaking views of nearby Lake Superior, especially from the elevated opening tee. Forget the scorecard and enjoy the ride.
Check out the rest of the list here
And Cape Wickham was mentioned in GOLF’s Best Golf Course Lighthouses by DDI’s good friend, Mike Clayton!
Golf World just curated their latest Top 100 Courses in the World featuring Cape Wickham at #10! And shout out to our Australian partner Michael Clayton’s course, Barnbougle Dunes, at #19.
Golf Australia has created the top 100 best par 3s in the country and Cape Wickham proudly has 3 of its 4 listed! Our Australian partner Michael Clayton has a number of mentions as well, including Barnbougle Dunes, Peninsula Kingswood, and Port Fairy.
Golf Australia released it’s ranking for 2020, placing Cape Wickham at #2 behind Royal Melbourne!
See the full list of rankings here.
2. CAPE WICKHAM LINKS
King Island, Tasmania
Designers: Mike DeVries & Darius Oliver (2015).
Average points: 98.89
2018, 2016, 2014, 2012 rankings: 2, 2, 2, 3.
Judge's comments: “Now fully grown in, Cape Wickham is putting a great case forward to be included in the argument as the best course in Australia. The firm fully fescue surfaces make it the best conditioned course in the country, especially around the green sites where every club in your bag is an option to play short game shots with. It has Australia’s best opening and closing holes now, and everything else in between is subtle, fun and rewarding to play – all in a spectacular setting.” – Rich Macafee.
“A very well-designed course that unfortunately doesn’t get as much recognition for its architecture as it deserves due to its spectacular setting, which is all you can talk about after a round at Cape Wickham.” – DJ Loypur.
“Cape Wickham is a bit of an enigma. On a good day it is close to the best course in the country with some of the most spectacular holes and scenery you will find anywhere in the world. The routing maximises what is a stunning backdrop. On other days when the wind really blows it is unplayable. Everyone should play Wickham at least once, hopefully when the weather contributes to the experience.” – Brian Walshe.
“Absolutely sensational course. Routing ensures scenic views and conditions come into play for most of the round. Wide fairways with a great deal of strategy throughout most of the course. Best finishing hole in Australia, although not a big fan of 9 & 10.” – Carl Murphy.
“Cape Wickham is wide, elastic, and understated in most parts. The sensible and sophisticated design accommodates the diverse and sometimes strong winds. Shot after shot is thrilling and the course is visually spectacular. The fescue surfaces are a joy to play off and have improved with age.” – Matt Mollica.
Cape Wickham was played for the first time this year by Alan Shipnuck.
Cape Wickham, King Island, Australia. Not only the best public course I played this year, but maybe the best course I’ve ever played, public or private. Absolutely epic, and it now stands as one of the game’s ultimate pilgrimages.
Cape Wickham has been mentioned a lot recently at Golf Advisor, and here’s more!
Tim Gavrich and Bradley S. Klein created a list with 24 golf courses that shaped the 2010s. Cape Wickham is mentioned in the 2014 section along with Gamble Sands in Brewster, WA.
Matt Ginella recently posted a podcast about his trip to New Zealand and Australia this summer. (Sound familiar? Alan Shipnuck was also on that trip and said Cape Wickham was his favorite among the courses! See our post about it). He talks with Tim Gavrich about standouts from the trip including Cape Wickham! Listen here, Cape Wickham discussion starts at 25:45.
Thanks for all the recent mentions Golf Advisor!
Cape Wickham has moved up 12 spots this year on GOLF’s Top 100 Courses in the World list putting it at #60!
Alan Shipnuck of GOLF wrote an article about his recent trip to Australia and New Zealand where he played 11 of the highest rated courses the area has to offer. After all said and done, Cape Wickham was his favorite.
On paper, the final hole at Cape Wickham is just an ordinary doglegged par-4. But having to carry a drive over crashing waves of the Bass Strait is what makes your heart pound.
Thanks for making Cape Wickham your #1 pick of the trip, Alan!
Golf Advisor created a list of the most beautiful golf courses in the world, including Cape Wickham!
Check out the list for other picturesque courses around the globe.
Raters at Golf voted for the best courses to walk in the world and placed Cape Wickham at #7!
Check out the others here
Rohan Clarke said, “in a nutshell, the entire Wickham experience is Australian golf’s best-kept secret.”
“Finished in late 2015, Cape Wickham has bolted to the top of the attention list for world travelers seeking an authentic links course in a remote part of the world. DeVries, in tandem with Aussie golf writer Darius Oliver, has clearly made a bold statement that his course design profile is indeed rapidly accelerating.”
46. CAPE WICKHAM LINKS | King Island, Australia | 6,725 yards, par 72
American Mike DeVries and Australian golf writer Darius Oliver collaborated on a breathtaking site along Bass Strait, a notorious stretch of Australian seacoast that once shipwrecked many voyages. The routing on this glorious collection of holes is heart-pounding, starting along rocks and crashing surf, moving inland but not out of the wind, returning to ocean edge at the downhill 10th, pitch-shot 11th and drivable par-4 12th. It then wanders into dunes before a crescendo closing hole curving along Victoria Cove beach, which is in play at low tides.
Golf course photographer, Jacob Sjoman, wrote an article about his recent trip to Cape Wickham.
"Cape Wickham Links was finished late in 2015 by American golf architect Mike DeVries and Australian golf writer Darius Oliver. It was ranked the 24th greatest golf course in the world by Golf Digest (U.S.) in 2016. As a newcomer, it’s very rare to receive a ranking that high, and the course was one of the real highlights in our golf trip."
King Island, Tasmania, Australia, Mike DeVries/Darius Oliver, 2015
Without a doubt the most spectacular-looking of our Top 100 rookies, Wickham wows with an opening stretch of seaside headland holes, three par 3s that skirt the sea and a "Cape"-style 18th that demands a bite-off-as-much-as-you-dare drive over Victoria Cove. Typically buffeted by strong breezes, Wickham compensates with wide landing areas.
Art exists in many forms; paint on canvass, sculptured marble, a majestic building. It exists as dance and music and food. Art can be ever present and fleeting. And it’s not always a thing of beauty that inspires, delights and uplifts. It can be confrontational, disturbing, emotionally challenging. So too golf for all the same reasons, is an art form...
