The Long way round: Australia major 2026
Eight days through the Sandbelt and along the Mornington Peninsula, from the park where the first meetup happened to the courses people across the world want to play. Kingston Heath, Victoria, The National, Peninsula Kingswood, the names that show up on every list of the best golf on earth, played back to back over a week, finished off with 36 holes of matchplay for the Random Cup.
You don't get to this ground by accident, and once you've walked it you understand why people spend years trying to.
This Major is limited to 14 players.
WHY AUSTRALIA
Australia is where golf gets out of its own way. The Sandbelt is some of the best ground the game was ever built on, MacKenzie bunkering and fast running turf and greens that ask questions, and yet nobody down here treats it like a cathedral.
You play hard, you have a drink after, you go for a swim if the day's warm enough, and the golf is somehow better for not being precious about it. The courses sit among the finest anywhere and the place wears it lightly, which is the whole appeal. Serious golf, unserious about itself.
The Shape
We've built this one small on purpose, Al and Erik doing the driving and a group kept tight enough to move on a whim. The shape runs city then coast then city, three nights in Melbourne to start with the sandbelt on the doorstep, three down on the Mornington Peninsula based at Portsea, a last night back in Melbourne once the Cup's been settled. Kingston Heath, Victoria, The National and Peninsula Kingswood through the week, 36 holes of matchplay to finish. No fixed leash and nothing to chase but the next round. Not a tour with stops, but a trip with a shape.
australia major 2026:
THE LONG WAY ROUND
This Major is limited to 14 players. Once you register, our Events Director, Al, will contact you directly to walk through the booking process and answer any questions.
Every Major is built with personal touch and white glove service from start to finish.
Arrival on October 31st, golf starts the same day, departure on November 7th.
THE SCHEDULE
October 31| Arrival
Land in Melbourne, where we'll collect you around midday. Drop your bags at the hotel, shake off the flight, and then we go straight to Royal Park, which is where all of this started. The first RGC meetup happened on this ground, a few strangers who answered an open invitation and played without knowing what it would become. A decade and a long way round later, we open the trip exactly where it opened.
November 01 | Point Lonsdale
Before the famed Sandbelt hosts us for the week, we head down to Point Lonsdale to see the renovation everyone's talking about. A true test of links golf, with some of the most wildly shaped greens you'll ever read, the kind that reward the ground game and punish the lazy line. A good place to find your feet before the famous names begin.
November 02 | Kingston Heath
A showcase of Soutar's routing and MacKenzie's bunkering, more than a hundred of them, each placed with craft and intent. Kingston Heath sits among the finest courses in the world, and every serious account of Melbourne golf keeps returning to it. A trip here without it isn't really a trip to Melbourne at all.
November 03 | Victoria & Portsea
We check out of Melbourne and play Victoria Golf Club, another Sandbelt classic with MacKenzie's signature imprint. After the round we point the cars down the Mornington Peninsula to Portsea, where we'll be based for the days that follow.
November 04 | The National
Our first 36 hole day, and a rare one. Greg Norman and Tom Doak both built courses at The National, so we play both. Doak's Gunamatta in the morning, a long and entirely earned lunch in the clubhouse, then Norman's Moonah in the afternoon. Two of the modern game's most distinctive designers, back to back, on the same stretch of stunning coastline.
November 05 | PENINSULA KINGSWOOD
The North course, and for a lot of people the prettiest place the Sandbelt has to offer. After the round we dine in the storied private boardroom, where we hold the awards and settle the matter of team captains, which sounds ceremonial until you remember everything tomorrow hangs on it. By the time we leave, the teams are real and the needle is in.
November 06 | THE RANDOM CUP
36 of matchplay for The Random Cup across two of the best, Portsea in the morning and St Andrews Beach in the afternoon. We head back to the View in Melbourne afterward for the final night together.
November 07 | Departure
Head to the airport whenever suits you.
Unless, of course, you're not leaving at all, and you're carrying on to Japan with us...
TRIP OVERVIEW
Dates: October 31, 2026 - November 7, 2026
Shared Occupancy Rate: $6,195 per person
Single Supplement Rate: $7,395 per person
*Shared occupancy rate is based on two golfers per room with twin beds. Single supplement is for private rooms.
Travel: Arrival is into Melbourne, with one airport pick up, around midday.
Airport drop off - please make own arrangements.
Deposit: 50% Due Upon Registration - remaining balance due October 1, 2026.
WHAT'S INCLUDED
GOLF COURSES
Royal Park - 9 holes (Mad Scramble)
Lonsdale Links - 18 holes
Kingston Heath - 18 holes
Victoria Golf Club - 18 holes
The National - Gunnamatta - 18 holes
The National - Moonah - 18 holes
Peninsula Kingswood North - 18 holes
Portsea - 18 holes
St Andrews Beach - 18 holes
ACCOMMODATIONS
View Hotel, Melbourne
(Nights 1, 2, 3 & 7)
Mercure at Portsea Golf Club
(Nights 4, 5 & 6)
Two homes for the week, each one where it needs to be. The View in Melbourne for the front and back of the trip, a base in the city with the Sandbelt on the doorstep, close to everything and easy to come back to after a long day's golf.
Then down to the Mercure at Portsea, on the golf club itself, for the peninsula stretch, where the courses are minutes away and the evenings slow right down. We'll finish the week where it started, back at View.
EXTRAS
Al and Erik are our drivers this time, with a smaller group and no fixed leash, so if someone fancies a dip in the sea after golf... we go and have one.
A proper taste of both sides of the country, the Melbourne that earned its reputation for food and coffee, and the unhurried beach life down the peninsula.
36 holes of matchplay for the Random Cup to close it out, captains drawn and bragging rights on the line.
Need help?
Frequently Asked Questions
Each Member can request up to eight spots. Planning to come with a group? Let us know, and we’ll do our best to keep you together on and off the course.
Absolutely. Many of our participants sign up solo. You’ll be paired with fellow RGC Members, and by the end of the trip, you’ll have a whole new crew.
Nope. All skill levels are welcome. We just ask that you keep a good pace, play respectfully, and embrace the game. We use a double-bogey max scoring system to keep things moving and fun for everyone.
A 50% deposit is required to lock in your spot. The remaining balance is due by September 30, 2026.
If you need to cancel after that, refunds are only available as credit transfer to another event.
We highly recommend travel insurance to protect your trip in case of emergencies or unexpected changes.
- Airfare
- Caddie and trolley fees
- Meals outside of those specified (breakfast is included daily)
MADE POSSIBLE BY
OUR PARTNERS IN PLAY
collaboration with
The Classics & Majors
Bucket List Golf. Legendary Courses. Full-Day & International Experiences.
ALL PRODUCTS
THE PRO-SHOP
