Palmer Colonial Golf Course — Local services in Gold Coast City

I recently used the practice facility here and played 18 holes.

The practice facilities are great. A good sized and well maintained practice green for putting and a seperate larger green for chipping, short pitching and bunker practice. The practice bunker had good quality and depth of sand.

The course was in good condition. Fairways were lush with good mow height, with a subtle but effective "rough".

Greens were a reasonable pace, well maintained and very receptive to approach shots. Not too hard, not too soft.

Bunkers on course were like the practice one, great quality and quantity of sand. Only one was out of use and marked as GUR.

The course is challenging with plenty of water to avoid and OOB bordering most holes. There is no recovery from wayward tee shots.

The golf carts I had was ok, but had some moulding loose which I had to keep putting back in place as it vibrated loose after a few holes. That was a bit annoying.

Cart tracks are good, mostly concrete with the usual wear marks onto the fairway entrance at each hole. Course was well marked and easy to find the next hole with some distance between each hole, it would be a long course to walk.

The day I played here the course was really quiet with hardly anyone around. I paid $69 for 18 holes with cart which is good value for the quality of course.

I ordered food from the 8th tee (signs on course with menu and phone number) with it ready and waiting in the proshop when I finished the 9th. It was even in the food warmer.

Only problem with the food was, sitting outside the proshop to eat it and the birds trying to get my chips. The little buggers were swarming me. I moved toward the 10th tee and soon the birds had followed me. I had to eat at the end of the 10th hole, which was a bit annoying because I had to clean my hands to tee off on the 10th and then again after finishing my food before teeing off on the 11th.

Food was ok quality for its price. Basic pub food.

The only staff I saw and talked to all day was the guy in the pro shop and he was friendly and helpful.

I hope to get back to...

Unfortunately the Palmer Colonial seems to be run by someone who never sees it. The course isn't in terrible condition - fairways run nicely, greens are great - but compared to the other $80-90 courses on the coast it doesn't hold a candle to them. The tee boxes could use an overhaul (or at the very least, weeding). The 8th Par 5 (Or is it a 4) is signed as a 445m Par 4 but on the card is a Par 5.

It seems like they are trying to cut costs by employing less people, but then you look at somewhere like The Glades - where depending on the time of day you can get 18 holes with a cart for $75, with deals available on 3rd party websites, a full maintenance crew, ProShop staff that are friendly, and you quickly realise you shouldn't be spending $93.50 to play golf at the Colonial. They nailed their 6th hole complete green renovation in under a year.

Last time I played was a month ago for $83.50, and I thought "You know, the Colonial gets a bit too much flak on Google for the quality of the course - $83.50 isnt TOO over the top for what you get", but the fact that they raised their prices AGAIN during what has been the busiest few years for golf courses in general tells me they are trying to increase their revenue without increasing any of the things that make a golf course attractive to people.

If they LOWERED their prices to the $70-75 range they could pack their tee time bookings, I know it would quickly become my groups go to for a nice course.

But who knows, maybe they want less people to play...

My partner and I recently had our wedding at this venue on March 25th, 2023, and we cannot express enough how wonderful the experience was. From start to finish, the team at the venue was exceptional, and we are so grateful for everything they did to make our day perfect.

Firstly, the venue itself was stunning - the decor was beautiful, and the setting provided the perfect ambiance for our wedding. But what really stood out to us was the quality of service we received from the staff. From the moment we booked, they were attentive, responsive, and committed to making sure that everything was just right.

We would like to extend our sincere thanks to Ben, the venue manager, for his exceptional management skills and his attention to detail. He went above and beyond to ensure that everything ran smoothly and that we were completely satisfied with every aspect of our wedding. The entire staff was friendly, accommodating, and genuinely invested in making sure that our day was perfect.

The food was absolutely delicious, and our guests raved about the quality and presentation of the dishes. The team ensured that every detail was taken care of, and we felt completely at ease knowing that everything was in such capable hands.

Overall, we would highly recommend this venue to anyone looking for an exceptional wedding experience. The team at the venue truly exceeded our expectations, and we are grateful for all that they did to make our day unforgettable. Thank you again...