After playing Royal Melbourne's West course on our first day in Melbourne, we returned to play the club's East course on our final day. Because I had played the West course with a member, the staff was kind enough to let us play the East course at a reduced rate, reflecting the general hospitality that pervades the Sandbelt experience. I will post a tour of the West course soon, as the final installment of my "Resurrecting the Melbourne Sandbelt" series, but note that, because I was playing with a member, I took many fewer pictures than normal.
Royal Melbourne Golf Club (East Course)Each of the East's holes on the club's main paddock (1-4, 16-18) is world class, and while the holes on the other paddock (5-15) generally get short shrift (largely because they aren't part of the famed Composite course), several of them are also world class (6, 10, 12-13, and 15). (The grand, sweeping playing corridors on 10, 11, and 12 are some of the best on the entire property.) The "worst" stretch of holes is 7-9 (with 7 and 8, a par-5 and par-4 running parallel in opposite directions, a poor man's version of 10 and 11 at Bethpage Black). Other than that, it's another amazing golf course, replete with the design merits, grand scale, and wild topography that defines the more-famous West course.
I find the East's par-3s to be particularly underrated; yes, the West's par-3 5th is the best par-3 on the property, but as a group, the par-3s on the East course are better, more memorable, and more varied (the 4th and 6th play uphill, although the 4th moves left and is longer than the 6th, which moves straight ahead or slightly right; the 13th is short, straight, and flat, not unlike several of Kingston Heath's par-3s; and the epic 16th, which is probably the prettiest par-3 on the entire property, is downhill). The East also has arguably better opening and closing holes than the West (the West's 18th is better from a design perspective--owing to the tee shot and topography--while the East's 18th is better visually as a closer, with the clubhouse framing the entirety of the hole on the right). Also, while the West gets lots of (well-deserved) praise for its all-world four-hole stretch (from 3-6, although 2 probably belongs in that grouping, too, as it's a great par-5), the East has its own all-world four-hole stretch, also on the front nine (1-4). Similarly, while the East gets maligned for its flat-land holes (7-9, 13-14), the West has flat-land holes as well (12-16). Where the West shines, and easily surpasses its neighbor, is in the individual quality of its par-4s (3, 6, 10, 17, and 18 are as good as you'll ever find, whereas only 1 and 2 on the East fall into that category) and its par-5s (2 and 4 are as good as you'll ever find, and none of the par-5s on East--two of which, 10 and 17, play similarly downhill from the tee then uphill and to the right to the green--fall into that category). But, on its own, the East is a great course. Play it as we did, in the afternoon, with sunset guiding you up 18, and you'll have an especially memorable time.
Two final notes about the club. Regarding the multiple electronic-gate road crossings--on both courses--that I and others have complained about, they don't detract from the courses, but they do detract slightly from the experience of playing them (just as closely grouped greens and tees enhance the experience of playing a course). Regarding the club itself, it takes its place in the game very seriously, which is oddly refreshing. And while the club feels more corporate than the other Sandbelt clubs I was fortunate enough to visit (especially Victoria and Kingston Heath, which I would be more inclined to join as a result), the staff are very nice and the food is superb. Note that while the pro shop has tons of gear to purchase, the logo on that gear is different than the “wings” logo on the gear that members, and members only, can purchase. And, yes, they enforce the members-only policy strictly.
Royal Melbourne (East), Hole 1 (right fairway bunker) [N.B.: Although this massive bunker "defines" the right of the 1st fairway and the left of the West's 8th fairway, it has a vortex-like tendency to suck tee shots into it, as if it were actually in the center of the fairway; because the fairway cants severely from right to left, the temptation is to hit a fade off the tee, but the bunker gobbles fades with abandon.]
Royal Melbourne (East), Hole 1 (green) [N.B.: The (less-interesting) green on the West's 8th hole is to the right.]
Royal Melbourne (East), Hole 2 (green, looking left out over the West's famed 6th hole)
Royal Melbourne (East), Hole 3 (rough at the left corner of the dogleg-right fairway) [N.B.: This hole, especially its elevated, dogleg-right tee shot (not pictured), shares a lot in common with Victoria's 12th hole.]
Royal Melbourne (East), Hole 3 (green)
Royal Melbourne (East), Hole 3 (green, looking backward with the 3rd fairway left and the uphill par-3 4th on the right, both following the grand sweep of the land uphill and to the left)
Royal Melbourne (East), Hole 6
Royal Melbourne (East), Hole 12 (fairway)
Royal Melbourne (East), Hole 12 (green) [N.B.: This massive bunker only appears to be beside the green--there is actually a considerable distance from the bunker to the green once you climb out of the former.]
Royal Melbourne (East), Hole 13 (green) [N.B.: This par-3 hole resembles several of the par-3s at Kingston Heath.]
Royal Melbourne (East), Hole 15 (fairway) [N.B.: I was reminded of this climbing, dogleg-right par-4 and its narrow green when playing Streamsong Red's 3rd hole.]
Royal Melbourne (East), Hole 16 (tee) [N.B.: The 11th at Streamsong Blue, as I noted in my review of that course, resembles this world-class par-3 in many ways, especially visually from the tee.]
Royal Melbourne (East), Hole 16 (green)
Royal Melbourne (East), Hole 18 (tee)
Royal Melbourne (East), Hole 18 (fairway)
Royal Melbourne (East), Hole 18 (green)
