By David Luis 
Open the Commonwealth Golf Club website and a fee panel greets you on every page: A$80 on a weekday, A$90 on a weekend, A$50 after 3pm, A$20 for a loop after 6pm. For a Melbourne Sandbelt club that sits beside Huntingdale, those numbers look like a typo. They are not, but they do need reading carefully.
Commonwealth is a private members’ club in Oakleigh South, about 20km south-east of the CBD, and it has just been restored under Tom Doak’s Renaissance Golf Design. Here is our honest Commonwealth Golf Club review, including the part of the access story the fee panel does not explain.
GCR Score: 4.6 / 5
Verdict: Highly recommended for anyone who can get on, because a restored classic Sandbelt course at a posted weekday fee of A$80 is exceptional value.
Best For: Architecture fans, interstate and overseas visitors, reciprocal members, and Melbourne golfers lucky enough to be invited
Think Twice If: You expect to walk on as a Victorian with no member connection, or you want a hotel-style resort experience
Last Reviewed: 4 October 2026.
At a Glance
| Field | Detail |
|---|---|
| Location | Glennie Avenue, Oakleigh South VIC 3167 |
| Course Type | Sandbelt parkland, restored by Renaissance Golf Design from 2021 |
| Holes | 18 holes; the club’s hole table adds up to par 73 |
| Course Length | About 6,290m from the longest tees listed (my own sum of the club’s table) |
| Scratch / Slope | Not published on the pages I read; ask the pro shop for the current rating |
| Green Fees | Posted: A$80 weekday, A$90 weekend and public holiday, A$50 twilight (after 3pm), A$20 loop (after 6pm) |
| Visitor Access | Reciprocal, interstate and overseas visitors welcome subject to availability; Victorians must be a member’s invited guest |
| Membership | Details are behind the members’ login; not published |
| Dress Code | Smart and neat golfing attire; collared shirts; no denim |
| Buggy Hire | Limited ride-on electric carts plus MGI electric walking buggies for hire |
| Founded | April 1920 |
| Phone | +61 3 9575 0444 |
| Official Website | Commonwealth Golf Club |
All prices are Australian dollars, read from the club’s own fee panel on 4 October 2026. They can change without notice.
The Fee Panel and the Fine Print
The panel reads: weekday A$80, weekend and public holiday A$90, juniors A$40, member guest adult A$60. It also lists a twilight rate of A$50 after 3pm and a loop rate of A$20 after 6pm, with a “Book Public Golf Now” button beside it.
Then the visitor booking page adds the fine print. Reciprocal club members, international visitors and interstate visitors are welcome subject to availability, and a Victorian visitor must be the invited guest of a current member. Groups over eight need to email the club directly.
I could not reconcile those two messages from the website alone, and I would rather say so than guess. Older third-party listings quote much higher interstate and overseas rates in the A$250 to A$450 range, so the numbers have clearly moved. Ring the golf shop on +61 3 9575 0444 or email golfops@commonwealthgolf.com.au and ask which fee applies to you before you drive over.
History, in Short
The club’s own history page says it began as a six-hole course in Flatman’s Paddock, Murrumbeena, before 1914. In April 1920 the current club was constituted and bought 89 acres of what it calls scrub country near Centre and Warrigal Roads, South Oakleigh. Sam Bennett laid out the first holes and play started in February 1921.
Two later names matter. Captain Charles Lane travelled abroad in 1926, studying architecture with Harry Colt, and dug many of the bunkers himself. Secretary-manager Sloan Morpeth then ran a three-year programme finished in 1938 that rebuilt all 18 greens and the greenside bunkering.
The big tournament list is short and good. The 1967 Men’s Australian Open is the only men’s championship played here, and Peter Thomson won it on 281. The Women’s Australian Open visited in 2010 and 2011, and the Australian Amateur has come through in 1957, 1983, 2013 and 2025.
Course Design and Standout Holes
Adding the club’s hole table gives par 73 and about 6,290m, built from a very short opener, four par 5s and a run of tight par 4s. Few Sandbelt courses start like this. The 1st is a 250m par 4 to a small, sloping green, and it asks you straight away whether you want to be brave or sensible.
The 15th is the one the club itself calls the signature hole. It is a 143m par 3, the shortest on the card, and it is the sort of hole that sounds easy until the wind moves. The 16th follows with a natural lake and a perched green, and the 14th is a classic short par 4 of 327m with a narrow target.
Do not skip the 6th, a 531m par 5 the club describes as one of the Sandbelt’s most challenging. After that comes the longest par 3 on the course, the 181m 7th, which has a reputation for hiding its difficulty.
Our key takeaway: Commonwealth wins on strategy and surfaces, not on length. The scorecard is short, the thinking is long.
Conditions and the Restoration
Since 2021, guided by Tom Doak and overseen by Brian Slawnik of Renaissance Golf Design, the club has replaced every putting surface and profile and aimed to bring back the “firm and fast” feel the Sandbelt is known for. Landscape work uses local Ecological Vegetation Class plants.
The greens carry most of that change, because every putting surface was replaced. The club’s pages do not say how far the surrounds have matured, so ask the golf shop before you book.
Visitors, Buggies and Practice
The booking page lists limited ride-on electric carts, MGI electric walking buggies for hire, caddies on request and club hire on request. Complimentary practice balls are provided. The driving range, chipping area and putting green are reserved for members and invited guests.
That last point is worth knowing. A visitor does not get to hit a bucket on the range before the round, so warm up at home.
Membership
The club says membership information sits behind its members’ login, and I found no public subscription or joining fee. Treat any figure you see elsewhere as unverified until the club confirms it. Our guide to joining fee vs annual subscription: what you actually pay and how to join a private golf club explain how joining works at clubs of this type.
Pace of Play and Dress
Commonwealth aims for rounds under four hours and asks for “ready golf”, which means you hit when it is safe, even out of turn. Players should record scores at the next tee, not on the green. Phones go on silent.
Smart and neat golf attire is required. That means collared shirts, soft spikes or rubber golf shoes with socks, and no denim, cargo pants or athletic wear. In the clubhouse, hats and caps are not allowed, men’s shirts must be tucked in, and sandals are out for men. There is more on this in our private golf club dress code guide.
Best Time to Visit
March to May and September to November are best. Sandy loam drains quickly, so winter play is more reliable here than on clay-based Melbourne courses. Summer afternoons can reach the high 30s, so book an early tee time.
How to Get There
The club is on Glennie Avenue in Oakleigh South, roughly 20km from the CBD. Driving is the easiest option, and peak-hour traffic is the thing to plan around if you are heading out from the city.
Nearby Alternatives
Commonwealth is one of the eight clubs the club itself names as the Melbourne Sandbelt, alongside Huntingdale, Kingston Heath, Metropolitan, Peninsula-Kingswood, Royal Melbourne, Victoria and Yarra Yarra. Our Royal Melbourne review and Kingston Heath review cover the two best-known neighbours. For an inner-east alternative, read our Box Hill review. The Victoria golf club archive lists every Victorian club we have scored.
People Also Ask
How much does it cost to play Commonwealth Golf Club?
The club’s fee panel lists A$80 on weekdays, A$90 on weekends and public holidays, A$50 for twilight after 3pm and A$20 for a loop after 6pm. Access rules still apply, so confirm with the golf shop which rate fits your situation before booking.
Can visitors play Commonwealth Golf Club?
Reciprocal club members, international visitors and interstate visitors are welcome subject to availability. Victorian visitors must be the invited guest of a current member. Groups larger than eight players should contact the club directly at golfops@commonwealthgolf.com.au or ring the golf shop on +61 3 9575 0444.
Is Commonwealth Golf Club part of the Melbourne Sandbelt?
Yes. The club names itself as one of the eight Sandbelt courses, alongside Huntingdale, Kingston Heath, Metropolitan, Peninsula-Kingswood, Royal Melbourne, Victoria and Yarra Yarra. The sandy loam subsoil can reach 80 metres deep in places, which drains well and suits firm, fast greens.
Who restored Commonwealth Golf Club?
Renaissance Golf Design restored the course from 2021, with guidance from Tom Doak and Brian Slawnik overseeing the work. The project replaced all putting surfaces and profiles and aimed to restore firm and fast conditions, with landscaping based on local Ecological Vegetation Class plants.
What is the dress code at Commonwealth Golf Club?
Smart and neat golfing attire is required. You need a collared shirt, and metal spikes are banned on the course and in the clubhouse. Denim, cargo pants, tracksuit pants and athletic wear are not allowed. Hats and caps cannot be worn in the clubhouse.
Verdict and Score
Commonwealth Golf Club earns 4.6 out of 5. The course is a thoughtful, restored Sandbelt layout with real tournament pedigree, and the posted fees are far below what most Sandbelt names charge. We took points off because access for Victorians is murky, membership details are hidden and the restoration is still settling in.
If you are a reciprocal member or an interstate visitor, call and book it. If you are a Melbourne local with no connection, find a member before you set your heart on it. The GCR scoring method explains how access and cost affect the 4.6.
See how it stacks up against Australia’s best in our Best Golf Clubs in Australia roundup.
Author Note
This review draws on Commonwealth’s own published pages and flags each point where they disagree, chiefly the A$80 fee panel against the member-invite rule for Victorians. Ask the golf shop which rate applies to you.
Last reviewed: 4 October 2026.
