Cooktown Open

Cooktown Country Golf Club

Queensland, Australia

Cooktown Golf Club is a nine-hole course with dual tees, constructed on coastal dunes in tropical bushland bordering Walker Bay and the Annan River, located beside Monkhouse Point with Mount Cook as a backdrop. The holes follow natural contours of the dunes with minimal earthmoving, creating a sand-based course that follows nature's lead, resulting in undulating lies rather than flat stances. The course features blind tee shots and second shots, including a blind par-3 6th/15th measuring 206 and 175 metres from the tips with a left-to-right two-tiered narrow green where birdies are extremely rare. The unique links-style layout includes trees lining the fairways but no water hazards. As the most northern golf course on the East Coast, Cooktown experiences consistent wind conditions blowing from the southeast at around 20 knots most days. The 18-hole course (playing two rounds of nine holes) has course ratings of 63.0 with slope ratings of 102 for men from white tees. Links-style golf skills and the ability to handle wind conditions are essential advantages on the course. Billabong-fed irrigation systems augment natural wet season rainfall, with tee boxes, greens and fairways well-maintained year round. The club hosts regular competitions including a Prawn Run event, a Ryder Cup style Matchplay event held in early August, and a Monthly Medal competition. The course was established in 1985.