The Sutherland Shire has more golf than most locals realise. There are established outdoor courses across the Shire, practice facilities for working on your game, and now a premium indoor golf option: The Bay in Kirrawee, serving Kirrawee, Caringbah, and the Sutherland Shire.
This guide covers every way to play golf locally, what each option does best, and how to choose between them. It is written by a Shire golfer, for Shire golfers.
The Outdoor Courses of the Sutherland Shire
The Shire is well served for traditional golf. These are the established local options every Shire golfer should know.
Woolooware Golf Club sits close to the Cronulla end of the Shire and is a popular home course for local players. Cronulla Golf Club offers coastal golf within minutes of the beach. Kareela Golf and Social Club is a long-standing Shire favourite with a strong social side. The Ridge Golf Course at Barden Ridge is a public-access course that welcomes casual players without a membership.
Each club sets its own green fees, timesheets, and visitor policies, so check directly with the club before you plan a round. What they share is the classic outdoor golf experience: real turf, real conditions, and a big time commitment for 18 holes.
That commitment is the catch. A full round at any outdoor course means most of a day, weather permitting. For many Shire golfers, that is exactly the day out they want. For plenty of others, it is the reason they play less golf than they would like.
Practice Options: Where to Work on Your Game
If you want repetitions rather than a full round, the Shire’s options split into two categories.
Outdoor practice facilities give you volume. You hit balls, you watch the flight, and you build feel. What they cannot give you is data. You see where the ball went, but not why it went there.
Data-driven practice is where indoor golf changes the equation. At The Bay, every shot is read by a ProTee VX launch monitor: ball speed, launch angle, spin, club path, and carry distance, returned after every shot. Practice with data teaches you more about your game than guessing at a range. For the full comparison, read our guide to indoor golf versus the driving range.
Indoor Golf in the Sutherland Shire: The Bay, Kirrawee
The Bay is the Sutherland Shire’s premium indoor golf and social lounge, at 102-106 Bath Road, Kirrawee.
Five full-size simulator bays plus two practice net bays, and each bay is private to your group. Every bay runs the ProTee VX launch monitor, ProTee Labs data software, and GSpro simulation with a large course library and new courses every week. Famous courses run under altered names, so Augusta National plays as Georgia Golf Club. You hit real balls with real clubs, and the course responds to your actual shot.
The format is built around modern life. A pair will finish 18 holes inside two hours. Bays hold up to six players. Food and drinks are delivered to your bench by our Hosts, so the game never stops. It is climate-controlled and open seven days, which means the round never gets rained off.
For golfers in Caringbah, Miranda, Cronulla, Sutherland, and across the Shire, The Bay is the closest thing to a home course you can play on a weeknight. No dress code, no membership required, and club hire is available, including left-handed sets. First-timers are welcome; our guide to how indoor golf works covers everything to expect on a first visit.
Which Option Suits Which Golfer?
The honest answer is that most Shire golfers are best served by a mix.
If you have a free Saturday and love the walk, book one of the Shire’s outdoor courses. Nothing replaces turf under your feet and a scorecard in your pocket. Our guide to getting a Golf Australia handicap explains how those rounds count toward an official handicap.
If you have two hours on a Tuesday night, want golf with your mates, or the forecast has turned, book a bay at The Bay. You still play a full 18, you get data on every shot, and you are home at a sensible hour.
If you are learning, start indoors. The private bay removes the audience, the ProTee VX removes the guesswork, and what you learn transfers directly to the outdoor course. Beginners who build their game at The Bay arrive at their first outdoor round knowing their distances and tendencies.
And if you are entertaining a group, a client, or a party, indoor golf is the format where every skill level plays together. Nobody gets left behind on a fairway.
Golf in the Shire Just Got Bigger
For decades, playing golf in the Sutherland Shire meant one thing: find a free day and hope for good weather. The Shire’s outdoor courses remain excellent at what they do. The Bay adds the missing option: premium golf that fits inside a weeknight, serving Kirrawee, Caringbah, and the Sutherland Shire.
For the complete picture of indoor golf across Sydney, read The Complete Guide to Indoor Golf and Golf Simulators in Sydney.
Frequently Asked Questions
What golf is available in the Sutherland Shire?
The Sutherland Shire offers established outdoor courses including Woolooware Golf Club, Cronulla Golf Club, Kareela Golf and Social Club, and the public-access Ridge Golf Course at Barden Ridge, plus indoor golf at The Bay in Kirrawee. The Bay runs five private simulator bays with ProTee VX launch monitors and a large GSpro course library. Between them, the Shire covers every format: full outdoor rounds, practice, and data-driven indoor golf year-round.
Where can I play indoor golf in Sydney?
The Bay is an indoor golf venue at 102-106 Bath Road, Kirrawee, in Southern Sydney, serving the Sutherland Shire, St George, and surrounding suburbs including Caringbah, Miranda, Cronulla, and Sutherland. Bays are private to your group, hold up to six players, and a pair will finish 18 holes inside two hours. Booking is online at thebaygolf.com.au/book.
Is there indoor golf near Caringbah?
Yes. The Bay in Kirrawee is a short drive from Caringbah and serves Kirrawee, Caringbah, and the Sutherland Shire. It offers private simulator bays with ProTee VX technology, food and drinks delivered to your bay, and 18 holes inside two hours for a pair, rain or shine.
Can you play golf in the Sutherland Shire when it rains?
Yes. The Bay in Kirrawee is fully indoors and climate-controlled, open seven days regardless of weather. You play full rounds on GSpro, with every shot measured by the ProTee VX. It is the Shire’s all-weather golf option.