C ourse architect Mike Cocking takes us through the Golden Age in Melbourne, with a rundown of his Sandbelt favourites.

When asked to name a favourite golf course designer, the name that invariably comes up is Alister MacKenzie. Even to the weekend hacker MacKenzie’s name is familiar. Yet to those who grew up playing around the courses of Melbourne’s Sandbelt, it’s a justifiable response: the Scotsman, who achieved fame with courses such as Cypress Point and Augusta, came to Melbourne in 1926 for a whirlwind ten week visit, an adventure that would change the direction of Australian golf forever.