After 20 years of planning, consultation and construction employing volunteer labour and nous, Maleny’s 18-hole golf course is now open, offering a unique links-style playing experience inspired by a much lauded Scottish design. Nestled within the verdant hills of the Sunshine Coast Hinterland, the Maleny Golf Club’s quality course provides visitors with a picturesque, ‘golf-as-it-began’ playing experience. From the elevated first tee, players are presented with a panoramic view of the links-style course and an ideal vantage point from which to assess the golfing challenge ahead. The Par 69 course is comprised of three Par 5s, nine Par 4s and six Par 3s featuring unique revetted greenside bunkering, Tiffdwarf Bermuda Grass greens and Kikuyu fairways within a peaceful, scenic hinterland setting. Maleny’s innovative design takes full advantage of some excellent natural assets – gentle rolling hills, well-drained volcanic soil, existing pastures, surrounding rainforest and some wetland. The course has been built to a high standard under the direction of course superintendent Mick McCombe using the latest agronomic technology and know-how. Supported by a band of dedicated volunteers, Mr McCombe has transformed what was once a weed-ridden old dairy farm into a quality golf course praised by all who play it. The club, which opened in 2015, has cleverly combined two shipping containers to establish a rustic HQ incorporating a deck and marquee where players can enjoy a post-round beverage or two. President Jeff Kruse said Maleny Golf Club’s Par 69 layout had, for both economic and ecological reasons, drawn inspiration from the award-winning Machrihanish Dunes course on Scotland’s west coast and its motto “golf the way it began”. Visitors are always welcome on the course located just a few minutes from Maleny. The golf club also has clubs, pull buggies and motorised carts for hire.