We’ve welcomed a few golf groups to Vale 194 now, and it’s a style of getaway that seems to work particularly well in McLaren Vale.
With five self-contained houses, 15 king bedrooms and room for up to 30 guests, Vale 194 works particularly well for groups who want to stay together without everyone sharing the same house. Groups can book the number of houses they need, giving everyone their own king bedroom and a little privacy, while still staying together in the one complex. At the end of the day, it’s easy to come together for a drink, dinner or to compare scores.
And the golf is only part of the trip. Staying in McLaren Vale means a round can be followed by a long lunch, a cellar door visit, a local brewery or distillery, or dinner within walking distance of your accommodation.
If you’re thinking about organising a golf getaway with friends, here’s one way you could spend three days.
Day 1 – Willunga Golf Club + McLaren Vale
Start locally with a round at Willunga Golf Club, around 15 minutes from Vale 194.
Willunga is an 18-hole, par-70 public course surrounded by mature gum trees, creeks, vineyards and rolling hills. It’s a great introduction to golf on the Fleurieu and close enough to McLaren Vale that you still have most of the afternoon to enjoy the region.
After golf, head back towards McLaren Vale for a long lunch (link to our long list of lunch spots) or choose a cellar door, brewery or distillery for the afternoon.
In the evening, leave the cars behind and walk from Vale 194 to one of the restaurants the Mclaren Vale Hotel or drive to one of the 3 pubs in the Willunga township.
Day 2 – Mount Compass + a Fleurieu drive
On your second day, head further into the Fleurieu Peninsula for Mount Compass Golf Course, approximately 30–35 minutes from Vale 194.
Mount Compass was voted among Australia’s Top 100 Golf Courses in 2022 and offers a very different golfing experience from Willunga.
After your round, you could make the return journey part of the day. Mount Compass sits in an important food-producing area of the Fleurieu, so there are opportunities to discover local produce and country experiences before returning to McLaren Vale.
Finish the day with dinner and perhaps a bottle of McLaren Vale wine you’ve collected along the way.
Day 3 – Links Lady Bay + the western Fleurieu
For the final round, make a day of it and head south towards Links Lady Bay at Normanville.
This championship links-style course was also voted among Australia’s Top 100 Golf Courses in 2022 and offers something quite different again, with the coastal landscape of the western Fleurieu Peninsula as the backdrop.
Allow time after your round to explore Normanville Beach and Carrickalinga and the surrounding coast before making your way back to McLaren Vale.
Staying longer?
Three rounds are only one option.
The Fleurieu Peninsula has a surprisingly good collection of public golf courses, so groups staying four or five nights could add Victor Harbor Golf Club, McCracken Country Club, South Lakes Golf Club at Goolwa or New Terry Wirrina Cove to their itinerary.
That means you can build your trip around the style of golf you enjoy, while using McLaren Vale as your base for the food, wine and other experiences between rounds.
Players Series South Australia – Willunga Golf Course – 22 October, 2026
The 2026 Players Series South Australia returns to Willunga Golf Course in the McLaren Vale wine region!
This highly anticipated event kicks off the 2026/27 Players Series and promises a thrilling showcase of top male and female professionals, elite amateurs, and exciting junior and All Abilities competitions.
The field will feature a talented lineup of up-and-coming players from Australia, New Zealand, and overseas.
Entry is free for spectators across the tournament and bring the whole family with Family Activities across both Saturday and Sunday, between 11am to 3pm. Enjoy activities such as face painting, golf activations, and more!
Accessible parking will also be provided in the Willunga Golf Course car park, with ample street parking also available.
Golf group accommodation in McLaren Vale
Vale 194 has five self-contained holiday houses within one secure complex in the heart of McLaren Vale. Each house has three full king bedrooms and sleeps up to six guests, with up to 30 guests able to stay when all five houses are booked together.
For golf groups, that means you can book the number of houses that suits your group, give everyone their own bedroom, and still have everyone staying together.
Add some great golf, a couple of long lunches and a few McLaren Vale wineries, breweries or distilleries, and you’ve got the makings of a very good few days away.
The groups we have had have commented that our entrance and under stair area are a great place to store golf bags in between rounds.
Yes. McLaren Vale makes a particularly useful base for a golf trip combining courses on the Fleurieu Peninsula with South Australia’s food and wine experiences. Golf groups can play different courses during the day and return to McLaren Vale for restaurants, cellar doors, breweries and distilleries. The Fleurieu Peninsula has a range of public courses, including Willunga, Mount Compass, Links Lady Bay, Victor Harbor, McCracken, South Lakes and Wirrina Cove.
Three or four nights works well if you want to play several courses without making the trip entirely about golf. A three-day itinerary could combine Willunga Golf Club, Mount Compass Golf Course and Links Lady Bay, leaving time after each round for lunch, wine tasting or exploring another part of the Fleurieu Peninsula.
Willunga is a convenient local option, while Mount Compass is further south and Links Lady Bay is at Normanville on the western Fleurieu Peninsula. Longer stays can also include Victor Harbor Golf Club, McCracken Country Club, South Lakes Golf Club at Goolwa and Wirrina Cove. Mount Compass and Links Lady Bay were both voted among Australia’s Top 100 Golf Courses in 2022
Several Fleurieu Peninsula courses welcome public and visiting golfers. Willunga is a public course, while McCracken’s 18-hole course is open to both resort guests and the public. Individual clubs have their own tee-time availability, competition days and booking requirements, so golfers should check directly with each course when planning their itinerary.
Absolutely. This is one of the advantages of basing a golf getaway in McLaren Vale. Rather than moving accommodation between courses, groups can return to the wine region each day and combine golf with cellar doors, winery lunches, restaurants, breweries and distilleries. The wider Fleurieu also lends itself to self-drive itineraries combining its wine country, coast and townships.
Vale 194 is designed particularly well for groups travelling together. There are five self-contained holiday houses within the one secure complex in central McLaren Vale. Each house has three full king bedrooms and sleeps up to six guests, allowing up to 30 guests to stay across all five houses. Groups can book the number of houses they need, giving everyone their own space while keeping the group together.
Yes. Each Vale 194 house has an undercover carport as well as driveway parking. As the Fleurieu Peninsula golf courses are spread across the region, having a car is the most practical way to build a multi-course itinerary.
There is plenty to do around McLaren Vale for partners or friends who don’t want to play every round. Options include cellar doors, restaurants and long lunches, the Shiraz Trail, local galleries, Willunga and its Farmers Market, or a trip to nearby beaches. This can make a golf getaway work particularly well for mixed-interest groups.
One option is to play Willunga Golf Club on the first day and spend the remainder of the day in McLaren Vale; Mount Compass Golf Course on day two; and Links Lady Bay at Normanville on day three, allowing time to explore the western Fleurieu coast. Golfers staying longer can add courses around Victor Harbor or Goolwa. Fleurieu Peninsula Tourism identifies all of these areas as part of the region’s broader golf offering
McLaren Vale is a useful base if you want your golf holiday to include more than golf. Staying in the wine region puts restaurants, cellar doors and other experiences close to your accommodation, while courses at Willunga, Mount Compass and further south on the Fleurieu can be incorporated into day trips. For a group, staying in one base also means you don’t need to pack up and change accommodation between rounds.
Vale 194 can accommodate up to 30 guests across five self-contained houses, with 15 king bedrooms in total. Each house has three king bedrooms and sleeps up to six guests. The king beds are full kings and cannot be split into singles, so up to 15 guests can each have their own bedroom, while couples sharing can increase the group size up to 30. Golf groups can book the number of houses that suits them while still staying together in the one secure complex.
Yes, depending on your group size. Vale 194 has 15 king bedrooms across five houses, so groups of up to 15 people can each have their own bedroom. The king beds cannot be split into singles, but couples are of course welcome to share, allowing larger groups to stay across the five houses.
About the Author
Jodie Sheldrick is the owner of Vale 194, a family-owned collection of luxury self-contained holiday homes in the heart of McLaren Vale on South Australia’s Fleurieu Peninsula. Born and raised in the region, she is a member of the McLaren Vale Grape Wine & Tourism Association and the McLaren Vale Business & Tourism Association, and enjoys supporting local tourism while encouraging visitors to explore everything McLaren Vale and the Fleurieu Peninsula have to offer.