Australia’s Gold Coast Is a Golf

The area is filled with public and private courses, yachting, canals and offers luxury high-rises and free-standing homes

By Kirsten CrazeOriginally Published May 20, 2023

All photos care of Getty Images unless otherwise noted.

All photos care of Getty Images unless otherwise noted.

Famous for its sun, surf and sand, the Gold Coast in southeastern Queensland, Australia, is also known for its greener pastures.

With 35 registered golf courses, Australia's Gold Coast is a putter's paradise. Peppered up and down the 41 miles of the eastern seaboard stretch known as the Gold Coast, there are both public and members-only courses designed by golfing greats such as Jack Nicklaus, Peter Thomson, Greg Norman and Arnold Palmer.

Whether it's real estate right on the green, or beachfront property a stone's throw from tee off, house-hunting golf lovers can get more bang for their buck on the Gold Coast than anywhere else in the country.

Boundaries

Once a collection of small sleepy holiday towns, the Gold Coast has grown to become Australia's sixth-largest city and Queensland's second-biggest after the capital, Brisbane. With a central business district at its geographical heart of Southport, the Gold Coast stretches along the coast from Coolangatta in the south on the New South Wales state border, up to Yatala in the northwest bordering the greater Brisbane metropolitan area

Home of the Australian PGA Championship, and perhaps the Gold Coast's most high-profile course, Royal Pines near Surfers Paradise has three 18-hole, par-72 combination layouts including a championship course. There are also those courses revered for their famous creators including Links Hope Island designed by five-time British Open champion Peter Thomson; the Glades by Greg Norman; Lakelands by Jack Nicklaus, as well as Palmer and Palm Meadows both designed by Graham Marsh.

Among the popular public courses there is the Burleigh Golf Club, Surfers Paradise Golf Club and the Coolangatta & Tweed Heads Golf Club.

Jordan Navybox of Cohen Handler, an avid golfer and Queensland-based buyer's agent, said buyers are attracted to golfing communities for a number of reasons beyond just the sport.

"These are often beautifully designed neighborhoods that attract a sophisticated demographic," Mr. Navybox said. "It's not often a golf course in Queensland is on a main road, they’re often in affluent suburbs in leafy locations with wide protected streets."

Given Australia's love of golf and the caliber of its golfing alumni, he said it's no surprise local courses are coveted.

"A lot of the top professionals have come from Australia over the years; Greg Norman, Adam Scott, Cameron Smith and Jason Day," Mr. Navybox said. "Because we’ve had such a good golfing culture internally, and we’ve bred good golfers who’ve performed so well on the PGA Tour, we’ve got recognition from the rest of the world."

The Gold Coast's fairways and clubs also score well thanks to Mother Nature and southeast Queensland's annual average of 300 days of sunshine.

"We’re blessed by great weather," Mr. Navybox added. "Not just for playing, but we have the perfect climate for growing turf. In other parts of the world, it's incredibly expensive to grow and maintain the turf and that makes a big difference."

Home buyers can live and breathe golf at several master-planned resort communities such as Sanctuary Cove, one of the coast's most high-profile golfing suburbs. Housing more than 1,500 private homes, the gated estate has a marina that can accommodate superyachts, a five-star hotel, a country club, restaurants and two championship golf courses: members-only, Arnold Palmer-designed the Pines and the Palms.

Matt Gates, director of Ray White Sanctuary Cove, said the area has something for everyone.

"It's an incredible place. It was even opened by Frank Sinatra back in the 1980s. We have amazing restaurants here, a full-fledged gymnasium and rec club, and a 25-meter pool," he said.

"If you’re an avid boatie and a golfer you can live on the golf course and keep your boat in the on-site marina," he said. "You can literally come out of your garage, head to the marina to go out on your boat, then play nine holes, have some lunch and pick something up from the supermarket, all without leaving your golf cart."

He added the biggest endorsement for communities such as Sanctuary Cove is the staying power of its residents.

"When we sell one house we’re usually selling three or four in one line because people are moving around," he said. We don't often see people leave the resort once they live here, they simply stay and either upgrade or downsize."

Beyond golf, the Gold Coast offers a diversity of lifestyle options for home buyers less interested in spending their days on the green.

The region has approximately 41 miles of uninterrupted coastline ideal for surfing, swimming and snorkeling, as well as untouched rainforest hinterland, world heritage-listed national parks, the highest concentration of theme parks in the country, including Warner Bros Movie World, SeaWorld and DreamWorld plus a thriving film industry.

A hub for luxury tourism, full-time residents can also benefit from the plethora of five-star spas, deluxe hotel facilities, designer shopping at commercial centers such as Pacific Fair or the new culture venue Home of the Arts.

In 2018, the Gold Coast was home to the Commonwealth Games, so it's also flush with state-of-the-art sporting facilities and will play host to several events during the Brisbane Olympics in 2032.

The Gold Coast's skyline is known for its long stretches of high-rise apartment buildings hugging the coastline. A mix of hotels and residential condos—or developments that contain both—these towers are perhaps the most prominent part of the Gold Coast's visual landscape.

Australia's most recent population survey, Census 2021, revealed 46.4% of Gold Coast's dwellings were medium- or high-density housing. And according to the local council authority, of the 3,626 dwellings approved to be built in the current financial year, just 564 are freestanding houses.

On a handful of streets west of the beaches and the Gold Coast Highway, there are sprawling established suburbs including luxury housing estates with man-made islands and 160 miles of canals. These bespoke communities on purpose-built peninsulas encompass a high concentration of waterfront properties complete with private jetties and boat moorings.

Photo: Courtesy of Ray White

Photo: Courtesy of Ray White

Photo: Courtesy of Ray White

Photo: Courtesy of Ray White

Photo: Courtesy of Ray White

Photo: Courtesy of Ray White

Photo: Courtesy of Ray White

Photo: Courtesy of Ray White

Photo: Courtesy of Ray White

Photo: Courtesy of Ray White

Photo: Courtesy of Ray White

Photo: Courtesy of Ray White

Photo: Courtesy of Ray White

Photo: Courtesy of Ray White

Photo: Courtesy of Ray White

Photo: Courtesy of Ray White

Photo: Courtesy of Ray White

Photo: Courtesy of Ray White

Photo: Courtesy of Ray White

Photo: Courtesy of Ray White

Photo: Courtesy of Ray White

Photo: Courtesy of Ray White

Like most of regional Australia (considered by data collators as any region outside of the eight capital cities), the Gold Coast experienced a property price boom during the height of the pandemic.

However, local prices have come off the boil. According to CoreLogic data, Gold Coast's average house values fell by 4.7% over the 12 months to January to A$970,000 (US$658,000), while units were down 2.9% to A$641,239. Luxury houses priced above the A$2 million mark now make up 10.6% of the market while apartments at the price level account for 3.3%.

Diaswati Mardiasmo, chief economist with nationwide group PRD Real Estate, said although values have cooled in recent months, there is no localized slump in sight.

"The Gold Coast did have a massive boom after Covid hit, with prices going up by 30% to 35% on average, and that was mostly due to a lack of supply. The Gold Coast City Council simply did not put through enough approvals in the past five years, particularly for standalone houses and townhouses," she said.

"While there have been more apartment buildings approved, the Gold Coast has been attracting a lot of families who want houses."

She added the disconnect between what buyers want and what's on offer has created a two-speed market.

"House prices are still holding quite strong. Apartments have gone down by about 5% to 10%, depending on where you are. But houses have seen at the very most a 5% decline."

Lifestyle has been the driving force behind a domestic and international migration to the Gold Coast with the beaches and other amenities such as golf high on the agenda.

"Compare it to other places around Australia, or even the world with that golfing lifestyle element, and it becomes pretty competitive," she said.