Above: Map showing courses played in 2024
Blue people icon = courses played for first time in 2024 (26)
Purple flag = courses played in 2024 that I have previously played (12)
Below: the map showing Australian courses I've played in my life to date.
Pre-2020: Green crescent (168 courses)
2020: Brown flag (86 new courses)
2021: Purple flag (44 new courses)
2022: Grey flag (46 new courses)
2023: Pink van (30 new courses)
2024: Blue people (26 new courses)
2024 Year in Review & Status Update
Clockwise from top left above: 1. Kooralbyn's dramatic 220m downhill par3 5th; 2. Newcastle's par4 6th, the 2nd of a trio of iconic holes on my favourite course of 2024; and 3. the in-your-face 155m par3 2nd at Palmer Coolum, which is on it's way back
2024 – The Numbers
Reflecting on the courses I played in 2024, it contained some good quality golf courses. It wasn’t high on quantity, but there were a number of courses I played that had been on my ‘wish list’ for some time. Newcastle, Narooma, Mollymook, Noosa Springs, Kooralbyn and Bright were all courses that have been recommended to me over the journey. None of them disappointed. While I had been to Royal Queensland to watch the Australian PGA and getting to play there had been a priority.
I did manage to play 38 courses for the year, of which 26 of them I played for the first time (new courses). 11 of the courses I played were in the Australian Golf Digest Top 100 (7 of the new courses were Top 100). It was a pretty mixed up year, travel-wise. The split of courses by state (below) illustrates this:
| Vic | Qld | NSW | SA | |
| Played | 14 | 9 | 9 | 6 |
| New | 11 | 9 | 4 | 2 |
Lifetime Numbers
After walking off the sodden fairways of Kooralbyn Valley on December 20, 2024, the total number of courses I have played over my entire 57 years stands at exactly 400. The split is as follows:
| Vic | NSW | SA | Qld | Tas | WA | ACT | NT | USA | UK/I | SE Asia | NZ/F |
| 105 | 99 | 69 | 41 | 47 | 2 | 4 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 3 | 2 |
In terms of ‘The Nomadic Period’, ie. since we took off in our caravan in January 2020, I have played 270 different courses, of which 232 were for the first time. Completing that equation, I had played 168 courses as at the end of 2019.
2024 Highlights
As mentioned above, I played some pretty cool courses during 2024. Here are my thoughts on where they fit:
| Favourite Course | Newcastle, NSW |
| Highest Ranked (AGD) | Royal Queensland |
| Biggest Surprise/ Hidden Gem | Bright, Vic |
| Honorable Hidden Gem Mentions | Lakes Entrance, Vic |
| Nhill, Vic | |
| Ballarat, Vic | |
| Best Setting | Narooma, NSW |
| Best Aesthetics | Mollymook Hilltop, NSW |
| Most Unique | Lonsdale Links, Vic |
| Best Comeback | Palmer Coolum, Qld |
| Best Resort Course | The Glades, Qld |
| Best high-end experience | Noosa Springs, Qld |
And here are some 2024 highlights below:
