Our History

As golf boomed in the early 20th century, a group of influential Melbourne bayside men sought to create a course they could call home. Settling on a little used parcel of land in Elsternwick, about 10km southeast of the Melbourne city, the ‘men of Elsternwick’ in 1908 resolved that “that a Golf Club shall be formed”. Securing a lease of a little under 100 acres, a roughshod course was quickly laid out by well-known golfing brothers Rowley and Dick Banks, and informal play began on the first nine holes in November of 1909. The official Opening Day, a grand affair, was 30 April 1910.

Guided by men such as Stanley Dutton Green, William Allard, Percy Oakley and Agar Wynne, the Elsternwick Golf Club formed the foundation for what would become Kingston Heath. By 1913, Elsternwick was the proud home of 149 male and 67 lady members – they invested heavily in the unremarkable boggy ground, and survived the trials of World War One, but as the Brighton Council indicated their lease may be under threat, these astute men knew greener pastures lay further to the south.

A combination of tight finances and a desire to let the course ‘settle in’ meant no bunkers were constructed when Kingston Heath officially opened for play on 4 April 1925. The Committee then made another fortuitous decision, noting the planned 1926 arrival of celebrated Scottish golf architect Dr. Alister MacKenzie, who had been tasked with designing the new layout (the West Course) at Royal Melbourne. The Club commissioned MacKenzie to provide a bunkering scheme while he was in Australia. On 29 October 1926, he inspected Kingston Heath; three weeks later, he forwarded his plans to the Club along with a £250 fee for “advice, plan and report”.

MacKenzie suggested a shortening of several holes in Soutar’s layout, which the Committee rejected. It did, however, adopt his proposed change to the 15th hole, an awkward, blind par 4 of just 222 yards. By placing the green atop the ridge that had crossed the fairway at about 150 yards from the tee – the highest point of the course – MacKenzie created the iconic par 3, 15th hole, now the signature hole on the course. It was his sole change of significance. Indeed, in his report MacKenzie conceded the brilliance of both Soutar’s layout and Morcom’s construction: “May I again repeat that I have never advised on a golf course where owing to the excellence of design and construction the problems have been simpler”.

By the 1970s, Kingston Heath had slipped to ninth in Australian course rankings. A culture of “cut grass and cold beer” had led to minimal course development. Non-native trees crowded the fairways, whilst the greens had become soft, round and largely featureless.

Enter superintendent Graeme Grant. A turf management wizard, Grant’s 16 years at Kingston Heath revitalised a course that, whilst still honouring Soutar’s routing, had lost its unique position in Australia’s golfing landscape. He transformed the playing surfaces with new grass species, rebuilt and reshaped greens, and removed hundreds of trees to restore the course’s ecology, returning the ground to firm, fast conditions.

Grant also restored bunkering and green complexes, adding strategic swales and subtle shaping to create a sparkling example of true Sandbelt golf. If Soutar and MacKenzie deserve praise for their original vision, Grant’s firm, determined hand elevated Kingston Heath to world-class status.