Queensland Golf on a Jandal Budget

July 26 and it's our first full day in Australia.

Our mission, and we've chosen to accept it, is to have a really, really cheap golfing holiday, and to give you tips on how to do the same. All prices are in Australian dollars.
After a shocking flight yesterday from Wellington (the flight was smooth but the chin reflected in the airplane toilet mirror was not), we arrived in Brisbane to a warm 20 degrees day.
I'm trying to figure out what it is about me that means every time I fly, I get pulled aside and patted down for explosives. It usually only happens on the Aussie side but this time it happened in Wellington.
"It's because my surname's Irish, isn't it?" I asked the patter-down. She assured me it was completely random. Now, I'm not great at maths but 3 out of 4 flights is not completely random.
It was the first time we'd flown with Virgin and I'd give them full marks (apart from the lighting over the toilet mirror) for an excellent flight.
My definition of an excellent flight is a flight that takes off and lands without killing me.
We picked up our rental car, a 2011 Hyundai Elantra ($976 for 36 days, 100 kms per day, Apex Rental) and went with the $1 per day for tolls option. By doing that, you don't have to worry about ringing the toll authorities, or trying to pick out alternative routes to miss the toll roads. (Not always the best option, especially if you're the navigator and the driver doesn't react well to being told, "Whoops, we should have turned back there" several times per trip.)
Nice car with heaps of room in the boot for two sets of golf clubs in carry bags. However, if you have all your music on your Ipod, you'll need to bring your own Ipod car cable to connect to the car system. Not a problem for us as we own a Hyundai i45.
Of course, once you've connected the Ipod, there could be a problem agreeing on the music. I'd advise anyone keen on their own music to adopt the navigator role as it's easier to control the Ipod when you don't have a steering wheel in the way. Just remember the phrase, "Whoops, we should have turned back there" any time the driver gets uppity. Especially if you're into Siouxsie and the Banshees and the driver's refusing to sing along.
We're having our first five nights in Coolangatta/Tweed Heads because we're keen to play Ocean Shores Golf Course, in northern New South Wales, again. It was our favourite golf course in this area, last year, and they do good deals on green fees.
We found a good deal on the Internet, staying at the Greenmount Beach Resort for $90 per night, which includes a cooked breakfast. The Resort doesn't realise it, but a cooked breakfast also means a packed lunch. Just take a bag or a sweatshirt with you to the restaurant and you'll be able to smuggle out enough bacon for a couple of bacon butties for lunch.
Five free lunches for 2 people (@ a conservative $10 per person) = $100, which equals 2 green fees at a reasonable golf course.
The Greenmount is a bit tired but passes my test as an acceptable place to stay, ie, I arrive and leave without the place killing me.
Whoops, no, that's the airline test.
It passes most of my accommodation tests, which are:
1. It's clean.
2. There's enough room to do my back stretching exercises on the floor and, when I get up from the floor, there's nothing yukky stuck to my back.
3. Central location within walking distance of a supermarket.
4. Quiet room with comfortable bed.
I've struck number 5 off my list because so few hotels/motels pass it.
Thickness of toilet paper.
It's a good idea to look at the brochure stands in the motels as you can find some good golf deals there. We found a flyer for a round of golf at Gainsborough Greens for $39.50, including a cart. Gainsborough Greens is featured in the Golf Australia magazine we bought and they say it's one of the Gold Coast's best-value-for-money courses.
We're playing it today, so I'll let you know.