The Melbourne Sandbelt Composite Course Challenge
Dear fellow golfer,
The Melbourne Sandbelt is, to my eye, the finest concentration of golf course architecture anywhere in the world — and I feel I am in a position to be able to say this confidently, having photographed and played extensively around the world as well as walking the Sandbelt fairways for the last 25 years.
This “fun” project began with a simple question I kept asking myself out on the course: if I could take the single greatest hole from each of these courses and put them together, what would that round look like?
The Sandbelt Composite Course Builder is the answer — and now, it is available to you also.
Quite simply, you hand pick all 18 holes yourself from images I have captured of every Sandbelt hole — yes all 180 of them.
Click through to the Composite Builder section and start selecting your holes.
It is entirely up to you which holes you choose — there is no formula or recipe.
At the end of the process you have the ability to save your Sandbelt Composite course as a PDF to show your friends — or, better still, create a screensaver for your computer so you can relive the images every day.
Keen to See More of the Melbourne Sandbelt?
My soon to be released (mid August 2026) unique coffee table book Great Golf on the Melbourne Sandbelt showcases, through imagery and words, everything that is special about this amazing golf region. If you are interested in a copy then order online at www.greatgolfbooks.com. The cost of the book is AUD$105 which includes free shipping within Australia. Overseas shipping is also available.
I encourage you to tell me about your composite course and post it to social media, tagging both @garylisbongolf and @melbournesandbelt.
Let the arguments begin!
PS. A word of sincere thanks to my colleague Janet Bowman, who developed the concept of the website and — contrary to my thoughts that it was “too hard” — has created something that is fantastic (and actually quite addictive).
About the Author
Gary Lisbon is one of the world's pre-eminent golf course photographers, based in Melbourne, Australia.
Gary has spent more than 25 years capturing the game he loves — a portfolio that now spans over 720 courses across 36 countries, including 61 of the World Top 100. Having grown up in the world-famous Melbourne Sandbelt, the region that inspired this project sits quite literally on his doorstep.
In addition to photographing golf courses, Gary and his wife Maureen own GOLFSelect — dedicated to delivering world-class corporate golf events — and Great Golf Escapes, giving visiting golfers the opportunity to experience the best courses around the world, including all of the Melbourne Sandbelt courses, through tailored golf itineraries.
A long-time World Top-100 course rater for US Golf Magazine, Gary's images have graced the industry's leading publications. He has published multiple books, including Great Golf Down Under (volumes 1, 2 & 3), Great Golf Courses of the World (100 courses in 20 countries) and his soon to be released, Great Golf on the Melbourne Sandbelt.