Victoria

During the early part of the 20th century the best courses in Melbourne sat close to the city. What would later become Royal Melbourne and Metropolitan were based in Caulfield, Commonwealth was in Ashburton, Yarra Yarra was in Rosanna, and Victoria played where the Bolte Bridge now stands. The relocation of each of these courses to the strip of land between Oakleigh and Black Rock, which we now know as the Sandbelt, forever changed the golfing landscape in Australia, and the region is recognised the world over.

On relocation to Cheltenham the course was designed by Billy Meader and Oscar Damman, but ultimately it was the influence of Dr Alister Mackenzie that made it famous. A number of changes were made, most significantly to the bunkering scheme, implemented by the father and son duo of Vern and Mick Morcom.

Like so many Sandbelt courses, Victoria has seen its share of change. A common misconception is that even the most highly ranked Sandbelt courses have remained static over time, but for the most part they have evolved across the past century, through shifting boundaries or loss of land, climate, grassing, construction techniques, architects and fashions in design, and of course through different management and committees.

Starting in 1995 the club embarked on a restoration, largely looking to recapture the wonderful arrangement of hazards and the openness that had disappeared by the 1970s and 1980s. Over the next 25 years work continued on tees, bunkers and vegetation (both removal and the promotion of heathland areas), plus the construction of a new opening hole.

In 2018 the club engaged OCCM to assist with its most significant work in 100 years, a greens replacement program, with Mike Cocking acting as lead architect. While the main aim was to convert the largely poa putting surfaces to a modern bentgrass, many other improvements were made, including three new green complexes (5, 12, 17), a softening of some of the more steeply contoured greens (6, 11 and 13), and the construction of new bunkers and tees.

In 2023 the club engaged OCM to prepare a new masterplan to guide the next decade. Work commenced in 2025 with new tees on the 3rd and 11th, continued work to vegetation and sandy wastes, and the restoration of a back bunker on the 2nd green. Further work is planned through 2025 and 2026.