⛳️Gary Lisbon

Well I continue to be gobsmacked… There is a lot happening in the world of new golf course development in Australia at the moment. It is an exciting time and the last few days I have been absolutely blessed to be on site at a course you may not have heard about yet but most certainly will in the coming months. The Cliffs Kangaroo Island is the latest addition in world class golf and has been designed by Aussie golf course architect Darius Oliver (noted for his co-design of Cape Wickham Links). Where is Kangaroo Island you may ask? Well it sits off the South Australian coast, a short 25 minute flight from Adelaide. There are an abundance of kangaroos and the island itself stretches over 200km from end to end - in fact it is Australia’s third largest island. Oliver has spent over 300 days on site and yesterday took Maureen and myself, along with owner Sam Atkins, on a full 18 hole walking tour. The course is set out over a sprawling property offering both water and clifftop views as well as inland rolling hills similar to the famous “Cups Country” on the Mornington Peninsula. Interestingly, no two consecutive holes play in the same direction and holes weave in and out of the dunes and along the clifftop providing interest (and challenge) at every stage. In short it is great. Opening in October, the course is sure to rival the best that this country has to offer. Start planning a trip and in the meantime enjoy some of my images - plenty more to come. Let me know your thoughts in the comments.

ROTATE YOUR PHONE…and be prepared to be amazed. What can I say? I marvel at the raw beauty of Lofoten Links in Norway and every new photo I see gets me even more excited about going back. However my first mandate is to tell the world about this hidden World Top 100 gem. It is THE most beautiful setting for a golf course anywhere in the world. Now that is saying something but I figure I have some street cred having visited and photographed over 850 courses in 26 countries around the world. I have just completed a compilation video for Frode and the team and want you to take a look. Afterwards I am sure you will agree Lofoten Links is a must visit golf destination. My new book Great Golf Courses of the World features 8 pages of glorious imagery of Lofoten. Link in the bio and shipping immediately. Have a great day and book those plane tickets to Norway. #Golftravelhasreturned #LofotenLinks #GreatGolfCoursesoftheWorld

Big announcement - 15 years in the making…. Sounds like the trailer for a new Hollywood movie right? Well it isn’t but is something SO much better… As many of you know I have been travelling the world for the last 15 years capturing images of golf course in different countries, seasons, weather conditions and you have seen me live out this journey online. Over that time I have released a few books, been featured in many golf magazines and adorn the walls of golfers around the world. It has been an absolute pleasure. Well today I am very excited to announce the launch of my latest book (and my best by far…). Great Golf Courses of the World showcases in a unique book form many of my favourite images taken around the world on some of the best courses outside the USA. 100 courses, 20 countries, 288 pages, 400 images 20 countries are featured - Australia, New Zealand, Scotland, Ireland, Northern Ireland, England, Spain, Norway, Netherlands, France, Portugal, South Korea, China, Fiji, Sweden, Thailand, Vietnam, South Africa, Mauritius and Denmark - phew a big list… The book is unique in that it has a panoramic shape and opens upwards unlike a traditional book. In my opinion the images jump off the screen and showcase the courses in the best possible light. Open Champion @ianbakerfinch has kindly written the insightful foreword and thank you to Ian for his support of this self funded project. The book is available for purchase now with delivery expected in mid September. Use the link in my profile to order online or visit I will be featuring courses and images over the coming month featured in the book so stay tuned. #GreatGolfCourseoftheWorld #WorldsBestGolf #GaryLisbon

A look across the newly renovated @huntingdalegolfclub , captured by the talented @garylisbongolf .

I grew up playing golf here - but it was nothing like it is today! My first @melbournesandbelt experience was as a member of @peninsulakingswood for a number of years back in the 90’s. I loved the place and would get down there whenever I could. Having said that, I did always think it could be so much more. The land was great and the North and South courses satisfied the members. However, it took great vision from the golf club board at the time to engage the services of @ocmgolf to completely change the look and feel of the courses and realise the full potential that many members knew was there. The end result is two courses, both rated in the top 15 in the country (North at 5, South at 15). I have played the courses a few times and been greatly impressed with the work here. I have also photographed for the club and last night headed back again to capture new images for a project I am working on (stay tuned). It continues to impress and as you will see from the images, both courses just pop. Kudos to Glenn Stuart and his team for always presenting the courses in immaculate condition - making my job a whole lot easier. It is the middle of May and in Melbourne terms the courses generally lose color and firmness but PK is looking fantastic. If you get the chance to play PK then go for it. Staying in house is also a nice addition to a golf trip. Oh and it was a pretty nice sunset as you can see from the last image. Have a great day.

Another gem of a course that you may not have heard of. Just down the road From the wonderful Rye Golf Club in the south of England lies another course that sits relatively unknown to all but locals and golf aficionados. @littlestonegolfclub is a classic out and back links course lid out over relatively flat land yet often a great deal of variety with the hole routing and green structures. The esteemed golf course architect Dr. Alistair Mackenzie had influence here on a number of holes but particularly the 6th and 17th holes - both par 3’s. Subtle contouring on green looks perfect natural and the flat land makes the course an easy walk. A distinctive water tower sits alongside the 18th hole and is a great framing reference for photos. Swipe left to see a number of photos I captured when I was here and let me know your thoughts about Littlestone. The course was in great condition and well worth playing if you can get a game. #GolfTravelHasReturned #GreatGolfCourses #GreatGolfEscapes #EnglandGolf #LittlestoneGolf

I lost 89 followers on IG yesterday… Ordinarily, this would be a concerning situation, as I tend to gain new followers on a regular daily basis (thank you). However, reading the news, it is all part of Instagram’s regular cleanup of fake or bogus accounts. Suits me just fine. I want people who follow me to be engaged with what I post. Engagement certainly happened when I last posted about the wonderfully understated Harry Colt gem @ryegolfclub in the South of England. I absolutely loved the course - both to photograph and play when we were here last August. The course is a par 68 yet can pack a punch when the prevailing winds kick in. The main topographical feature of the course is a tall sand ridge that runs the full extent of the property. Holes have been laid out on both sides of the ridge and a couple of them traverse this landform.. Standing atop the ridge affords you views of most of the course and it is a great place to stand (or sit) and watch the world go by. One of my photos today is a perfectly positioned bench sitting alongside the 5th tee. If you get the chance to visit and play Rye go for it. The lunch is a must do and rivals the best in the game…

Sanctuary Cove has never looked better… A return to the Gold Coast where the weather has been challenging over the past few weeks had me a little bit uncertain about how the Palms course would photograph. However, it was as if it had not rained at all! Congratulations to Cam Smith and his hardworking team for prepping the course in the usual immaculate condition, allowing me to capture some very nice photos. Wearing my other hat (corporate golf event management) saw myself and the team (thanks Janet and Chloe) up here running the HINO Australia Tenkaichi Trophy National Final. It was a great event played over the Pines course, with countless comments from participants about how good the course was. The new work on the Palms course, beautifully crafted (pardon the pun) by @craftermogford is really looking good and I thought you might like to see a few images I captured. Stay tuned as I head back in a few weeks for the finalisation of the shoot.

The defining stretch of the back nine at Sandwich - where composure is tested and championships have so often been won and lost..

It just fits…. In this day and age when golf course are often “manufactured” it is so refreshing to look back on some of the “Golden Age Design” courses and see that sometimes less is more. Making a golf course fit into the land it is on rather than attempting to create something is one of the hallmarks, I feel, of a world class design. I just can’t get enough of Royal Melbourne Golf Club on the famous @melbournesandbelt - my backyard and a course I have been privileged to have photographed for over 25 years. It just keeps getting better and a visit this week helped to reinforce the absolute beauty, strategy, challenge and fairness of the course - with the West Course just rated Number 1 in Australia and the East number 9. Combined the Composite course used for tournaments is even better! Enjoy today’s images, starting with 5 West, 16 East, Clubhouse and city skyline with the course and finally 2 West. Special place in world golf. Enjoy the images.

Well worth the wait… The 2028 Open Championship is returning to the English Golf Coast and one of my favourite Open venues - Royal Lytham & St Annes. Last held in 2012, when Ernie Els jumped over Aussie Adam Scott to claim victory, Royal Lytham is a course that does not rely on length to defend par. Rather, the many bunkers (167 at last count) that scatter the course provide the defence because finding a bunker is not a guaranteed up and down - in fact sometimes you need to play out sideways (as I found when I played it last). Accuracy rather than length is a key requirement to score well around here. The club has done some great work over the last few years with tree removal, the restoration of sandy waste, establishment of a great practice fairway and it is more than a fitting host. As a prelude to the 2028 Open Championship, the Ladies’ British Open will be held at Royal Lytham at the end of July this year. Today I am featuring a series of shots I captured for the club on my visit last year. I love everything about this place - from the warm welcome of the staff, to the very cool Dormy house which sits alongside the putting green to the challenging yet fair golf course. Further to that, the town of Lytham is a vibrant happening place with some great restaurants and a cool ambience. Enjoy the images.

100 courses in 20 countries, 17 of which are “Royal” designated. When I started on my quest to publish a book showcasing some of the world’s best golf courses, I really did not know how it was going to end. It started slowly with courses in my hometown of Melbourne, Australia then gradually spread around the rest of the country before embarking overseas to far-flung places. During this journey I visited 17 royal-designated golf clubs and all of these are featured in my panoramic coffee table book “Great Golf Courses of the World”. These Royal courses span different countries - Australia, New Zealand, England, Scotland, Northern Ireland, Ireland, The Netherlands and Denmark and all showcase this wonderful game we love (and loathe…) in different ways. Keen to get a copy of the book? Well, we have a limited supply available (getting to the point of becoming scarce) so check it out and order online for immediate shipping. We can ship around the world. Link in my profile. Oh why don’t you try and guess all the courses featured in today’s post. I will be impressed if you can get everyone of them…