An old and storied club on the popular Mornington Peninsula, the Mornington Golf Club was established in 1904 and moved to its current home atop the cliffs of Beleura Hill back in 1946, when Sir George Tallis leased part of his vast estate to the homeless golfers. Their first 9 holes were opened in 1950, with the second nine following shortly after. With unrivalled views across Port Phillip Bay toward Mornington Harbour and the Melbourne CBD, this is one of the most scenic golf courses in all of Victoria.

While the views at Mornington are spectacular, the property itself is compact and, in places, quite hilly. The original layout included several holes built across steep slopes that are angled against the line of play. They were especially cruel on shorter hitters. Fortunately, a masterplan of course improvements has helped the club to address many of its shortcomings and start to improve the overall design and enjoyment of the golf course. More change is on the way in coming years.

One of the more notable alterations made recently was to the strong par four 9th, which was an awkward and unattractive hole that bent to the right but lent aggressively away to the left. Several trees on the corner of the dogleg here were removed and both the tees and the green relocated to straighten the hole and have it play more up the slope, rather than across it.

At the same time as improvements were made to the 9th, the adjacent 18th green was shifted away from the clubhouse and enlarged to create a fun, strategic reachable par five for golfers to end their rounds with.

Even more impressive alterations were unveiled when the new 6th hole was opened in 2023, along with a series of rebuilt tees on the iconic par three 7th. The par four 6th occupies charming undulating ground with a tier through its fairway and an elevated green nestled behind a gentle ridge, and offering some of the best views in Melbourne. Golfers experience a tremendous reveal of both Port Phillip Bay and the City skyline as they approach this green. Stepping onto the new 7th tees is then an exhilaration, as the Mount Eliza coastline serves as backdrop to the club’s signature par three.

Mornington’s other celebrity short hole is the ‘19th’, which opened in 2017 and was built almost entirely by the course superintendent and club volunteers. Pressed against the Mornington cliffs, the 19th is probably the closest hole in Melbourne to Port Phillip Bay and enjoys stunning views of the CBD from both the tee and the green site. With the left third of the putting surface partly obscured, the hole presents a thrilling mid-to-short iron challenge, depending on the wind.

The building of the 19th hole was the first part of the club’s masterplan, and has allowed additional works to be completed whilst a full 18 hole loop remains in play. There are more exciting changes on the cards for the Mornington Golf Club, thanks to an ambitious board and management team who have spent several years investigating ways to elevate the golf and better utilise the beautiful site. Over time, more of the steeper slopes will be minimised and a number of the marginal holes improved dramatically.

Despite room for future enhancement works, the current Mornington layout is a fun test for green fee golfers and an affordable club to join for those interested in good golf, beautiful views and a great social membership. Plus, as more of the masterplan is enacted the course will only get better. Importantly, in early 2020 the club connected to a recycled water pipeline to enable them to present the course is great shape during Melbourne's often dry summers.

There has never been a better time to play Mornington, or to join the golf club.