A new Australian clifftop course moves towards public play
The 18-hole The Cliffs Kangaroo Island project in South Australia is approaching a public debut. In an update dated 19 October 2026, Aussie Golfer reported that public bookings are expected to begin in mid-November, drawing on Ron Chopper's video tour of all eighteen holes. There is an important qualification: the course's own website still says only “Opening 2026”. It does not publish a confirmed opening day or a live inventory of tee times.
Exact location and coastal character
The club's published address is Cathers Road, Pelican Lagoon, Kangaroo Island, SA 5222, Australia. The site lies near the narrow connection between the main island and the Dudley Peninsula, with Pelican Lagoon on one side and the Southern Ocean coastline on the other. Its appeal is not merely a view from a clubhouse: coastal landforms play a role in shaping the route and the different shots golfers are asked to make.
Darius Oliver's routing
Darius Oliver, a co-designer of Cape Wickham with Mike DeVries, is responsible for the course. Holes 2, 3, 8, 14 and 15 follow the clifftops, while 1, 7 and 13 play toward the coast. The par-three twelfth opens up a view of Pelican Lagoon. These details appear in the published design coverage and the new full-course preview.
Away from the edge, the routing passes through rolling inland dunes, existing vegetation and native grasses. Oliver's approach uses bunkers selectively and strategically rather than filling the site with hazards. The central design proposition is variety: ocean-facing holes may attract the cameras, but inland holes should make an essential contribution to the round.
Why the schedule changed
Earlier plans anticipated preview rounds from January 2026, followed by an opening in the first half of the year. Those targets slipped. Local operator Exceptional Kangaroo Island, in its updated 2026 trade briefing, says the official opening remains on track for November 2026. The operator's projection and a journalist's mid-November booking report are useful planning signals, not an official date-specific booking confirmation.
What visitors can expect
The club lists club and shoe rental, golf carts, putting and short-game practice areas, and range balls among planned services. Its official fees page still states that green fees are “coming soon.” The clubhouse and on-site accommodation are scheduled to follow the course rather than necessarily open alongside it.
Kangaroo Island can be reached by ferry from mainland South Australia or by air from Adelaide. Golfers contemplating non-refundable travel should first obtain written confirmation of a tee time, price and available facilities from hello@thecliffs.com.au. As of the checked sources, there is no basis to claim that public bookings are already live.
Sources: Aussie Golfer, 19 October 2026; The Cliffs official site; official fees and services; Exceptional Kangaroo Island trade update.
The illustration depicts the Kangaroo Island landscape near Pelican Lagoon, not The Cliffs golf course.
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