Sanctuary Cove courses tee up a first

Sanctuary Cove’s two golf courses have climbed the ranks to land a place in Australia’s top 50 courses.It is the first time The Pines and The Palms have both made it into the top half of the Australian Golf Digest’s prestigious Top 100 Courses list.The Palms was the second biggest mover on the 2016 list, jumping 15 places to 48th, just three places behind sister course The Pines, which has progressed seven spots to 45.Australian Golf Digest’s biennial list is published in the magazine’s March issue. It is compiled by a large number of golf course experts who rate and rank the courses they have played over the past two years.Sanctuary Cove Golf and Country Club executive general manager Paul Sanders said the rise of The Pines and The Palms into the top 50 was gratifying and he expected it to provide further momentum to the club’s already strong membership activity.“To have our two courses move up into the top 50 is outstanding for Sanctuary Cove in general,” he said.Mr Sanders said golf club superintendent Paul McLean had been instrumental ensuring the top condition of each course since taking on the position 18 months ago.“This news is testament to his attention to detail on the courses over the past 12 months,” he said.“He has 167 hectares to look after and the crucial aspects of turf, soil and watering can get very technical.”The Pines has been open since 1990 while the Arnold Palm-designed Palms reopened in 2011 after lengthy refurbishment.The judges commented that The Palms course had “greatly improved” and noted The Pines offered “some excellent risk-reward gold and exciting heroic challenges”.Comments were also made by several judges on a renewed focus on presentation at The Pines.The Sanctuary Cove Golf Club is also home to a large driving range and practice bunkers.Sanctuary Cove is a resort-style masterplanned community, featuring two 18-hole championship golf courses, a 300-berth marina, InterContinental Sanctuary Cove Resort, and a Country Club including full fitness centre, tennis courts and 25m swimming pool.At the heart of the community is the Marine Village – Sanctuary Cove’s very own waterfront commercial, retail and dining precinct, with more than 80 tenancies.With a diverse array of golf, waterfront and hillside land offerings, Sanctuary Cove remains one of the few residential resort communities with Foreign Investment Review Board exemption status and has been a popular beacon for savvy investors for more than 20 years.