You don’t need a free afternoon, a perfect swing or years of experience to play a round at West Beach. That approach has helped The Pat GC earn a national award, just as it prepares to open a new 18-hole short course.
The West Beach venue has received a Golf Australia Excellence Award as the country’s most outstanding metropolitan golf club, facility or place to play. The recognition reflects its work to make golf more welcoming for beginners, families, juniors and players of different abilities.
Its next step is The Short 18, due to open in November. Expanding the existing 15-hole Short Course, it will offer holes ranging from 95 to 175 metres. Players short on time will be able to tackle nine holes, while those playing the full 18 will be able to record an official handicap.
For someone curious about golf but unsure where to start, the shorter holes offer a way to try the game without committing to a round on a traditional course. Regular players, meanwhile, will have another option when they want to fit golf into a busy day.
West Beach Parks CEO Kate Anderson said the aim was to give people more ways to enjoy the game, whatever their experience.
“We want people to see golf as something they can enjoy whatever their age, ability, experience or background, from primary school putters to 80-year-old beginners, pro golfers, first-timers and families,” she said.
That invitation extends beyond the course. The Pat GC runs Come & Try and Buckets & Bubbles clinics for women, with more than 110 women taking part in 2024–25. It has partnerships with schools, veterans and community groups, hosts blind golf events and has introduced an all-terrain powered wheelchair to improve access across its courses and driving range.
The interest is showing in the numbers. Junior public rounds grew by 80 percent in 2024–25, while rounds on the short course rose 24 percent to 35,600. Across the venue, 94,700 rounds were played that year, up 23 percent from 2022.
There’s more on the way for visitors who would rather meet friends over a meal than pick up a club. The Pat GC Bar & Eatery is set to open in October, adding a new place to eat and spend time at the precinct.
The national award follows The Pat GC’s win for Club, Venue or Facility of the Year at the 2025 SA Golf Industry Awards. For Adelaideans who have always thought golf might be for someone else, its new short course could be a good place to test that idea.
For more information, visit https://www.thepatgc.com.au/
