Hidden gem: Bondi Beach Golf Course

If you want the single best value in Bondi, here it is: the Bondi Golf & Diggers Club is a public 9-hole course laid out along the sandstone clifftops at North Bondi, open to anyone who turns up - you don't need to be a member, and for most of the week you don't even need a booking. I've sent plenty of visitors up who came for the golf and left talking about the view - because few places forgive a wayward tee shot the instant you see the whole sweep of coast.

Where

Military Road, North Bondi NSW 2026

What

Public 9-hole clifftop golf course

Booking

Mostly walk-in - no tee time needed

Great for

Casual golfers & first-timers

Why I send people up here

This isn't a manicured championship layout, and that's exactly the charm. It's an old-style links course on the headland above the beach, with the sky, cliffs and ocean breeze all part of the challenge. The wind genuinely moves the ball and the greens keep you humble - but what you're really paying for is the setting, with Bondi Beach, the coastline and the city skyline around you the entire round.

Because it's a short 9-hole course, it suits people who'd never normally book a full round: families, beginners, and anyone who wants a local hour or two that isn't sitting on the sand. Play a quick loop and you're back on Campbell Parade in time for lunch.

How to actually play a round

The club runs a refreshingly simple format for social players: for much of the week you arrive, join the queue and tee off - no advance reservation required. The exceptions are member competition times (typically weekend mornings) and the occasional event day when the course closes to social play, City2Surf Sunday being the classic example. The golden rule: check before you commit to a specific time.

• Turn up at the clubhouse on Military Road, North Bondi.
• Confirm current social-play hours and green fees on the day - these change, so check the official website first.
• Ask at the clubhouse about club and buggy hire rather than assuming; availability varies.
• Weekend mornings are competition time, so aim for after the comp field has cleared, or a weekday, for the easiest walk-on.

The hidden gem within the hidden gem

Here's the part most visitors miss. On the sea side of the course, out on the flat headland rock, sits a panel of Aboriginal rock engravings cut by the Eora people - a site known as Murriverie, near Ben Buckler. The largest is a huge shark beside a human-like figure, and the engravings are thought to be around 2,000 years old. It's a genuinely significant cultural site, not a tourist reconstruction.

You can reach the headland on foot even without playing, but stay aware of the course - a golf ball at speed is nothing to wander into. The North Bondi end of the beach and the start of the Bondi to Bronte coastal walk are a short stroll away, so it's easy to fold the golf, the engravings and the coast into one good morning.

So that's my pitch: come for a cheap, scenic round of golf, and leave having stood beside one of Sydney's oldest artworks. Few visitors put those two together - which is exactly why the Bondi Golf Course earns its "hidden gem" reputation with me.