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Although the first ball was struck in Tasmania and the first club formed in New South Wales, Australian golf’s spiritual home is Victoria. The history of the game in this country is inextricably tied not only to the state but also the 1891 birth of our greatest golf club, Royal Melbourne. Prior to its momentous shift to the southern 'Sandbelt' the club hosted the nation’s first professional match and first men’s amateur championship and also became the first in Australia to be granted the ‘Royal’ prefix. The discovery of the club’s Sandringham site and subsequent move inspired other clubs to seek out similar sandy golfing grounds and the Melbourne 'Sandbelt' was born. By the end of the 1920’s the city’s major clubs had established themselves within the 'Sandbelt' and the area subsequently developed into arguably the finest and most recognisable golf region on earth.
The most significant episode in the development of the game within Victoria was the visit of Dr Alister MacKenzie in 1926. While in town he designed the brilliant West Course at Royal Melbourne, consulted at several other Melbourne tracks and trained the two men, Alex Russell and Mick Morcom, who would continue his legacy after he departed. The success of the entire 'Sandbelt' area is a tribute to the skills of these three incredible men.
The actual 'Sandbelt' area is located to the South East of the Melbourne CBD and is blessed with ideal golfing conditions. Its superb courses are built on a magnificent sandy base, which allows instant drainage and ideal playing surfaces year round. The majority of the courses are located within a 10-15 kilometre radius of each other.
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