Golf in the Bayside Council area

Wrapping around part of Botany Bay a short drive south of the Sydney CBD, Bayside packs six courses into a compact patch of city, with two storied private clubs heading a public-heavy line-up. The Lakes at Eastlakes, whose course dates from 1928, is an immaculately presented championship parkland test framed by water, and it hosted the Australian Open in 2018. Bonnie Doon at Pagewood, founded in 1897, is a sand-based sandbelt-style layout carved from heath and banksia scrub, where heavy bunkering and wind keep every hole different. Public golfers have Eastlake (1930), a sprawling par 72 with true greens and city views; Bexley (1939), a short, tight par 64 where placement beats power; and Bardwell Valley (1978), a hilly par 62 of mostly short par 3s and 4s. Botany, a walk-up nine at Banksmeadow, handles the quick hit.