The National Golf Club, Moonah Course, AUSTRALIA

by

Matthew Mollica

The National Golf Club is situated in Cape Schanck, on the Mornington Peninsula, around one hour’s car trip south of Melbourne. With 54 holes, it is Australia’s largest private golf club.

The National’s facilities include the Moonah Course, designed by Greg Norman and Bob Harrison, which opened for play in October 2000. The club’s first course, (now referred to as The National Old) opened for play in the late 1980’s, and was designed by Robert Trent Jones Jnr. It sits comfortably in the top 25 courses in Australia. The National’s Ocean Course is the product of design firm Thomson, Wolveridge and Perrett, and was opened for play in late December 2000.

The Mornington Peninsula is a long stretch of undulating sandy soil, ideally suited to golf.  The topography boasts small undulations and corrugations close to the beaches, and more dramatic rises and falls, further from the shore. Locals refer to the region in which The National is situated, as ‘Cups Country’, by virtue of the hollows and peaks of the land. The winds that blow across the course can be very strong, and quite changeable. Prevailing winds are strong and from the south, but the breeze can easily blow from the north, with equal voracity, in the blink of an eye.

To the south, Bass Strait breaks upon the shores of Gunamatta beach and the Mornington Peninsula National Park, while Port Phillip Bay and the city of Melbourne are to the north. The Peninsula is rapidly turning into a golfing haven, with three courses at The National, and more than a dozen other private and public courses, all in close proximity. A nearby course on the Peninsula will host the 2003 Australian Open.

The Moonah course opened in October 2000 to rave reviews from members, visitors, and the Australian golfing public at large.  Some proclaimed the course as the best built in this nation, in the last fifty years. Despite its infancy, The National Moonah has been positioned among Australia’s top ten courses, in many golf publications. The course takes its name from Moonah trees, which are indigenous to the Mornington Peninsula, and can often reach an age of more than 1000 years!

The National Moonah provides a stern yet enjoyable test of golf.  Black markers measure 6567m, (7224 yards) with an Australian Course Rating (ACR) of 76 (4 above its par). Blue measures 6192m (6811 yards) with an ACR of 73 (one more than par). This review is provided with measures from the blue tees, as they are most frequently used.  

The windswept, rolling terrain, upon which the Moonah Course is built..

Given the strength and variability of winds affecting the Peninsula, the need for the golf courses to be elastic cannot be understated. A good example is the Moonah’s 10th (356m / 391yd Par 4) which runs south to north. One may hit Driver, long-iron, and not reach the green in some winds, while other days may see a player hit through the green with mid-iron, short-iron.

The course routing takes the player out to the north, swerves around, and arrives at the eleventh (the farthest point on the property), prior to turning and making the trip home. A southerly is at your back on holes 1,2,4,6,7,10. It acts as a headwind and provides strong scoring resistance on 12,14,15,16,17. Some may feel that the course is simply ‘out and back’ a little too much, and lacks some imagination. Others would disagree, as there are times when holes are played with good crosswinds, and other occasions where the routing doubles back upon itself.  The possibility of feeling tired and defeated is ever present on blustery days, when battling a headwind much of the way home, especially with some of the hardest holes on the course found in the last six.

A short par 4 (340m) starts proceedings, and usually requires a long iron, followed by short iron / wedge. It may be tackled with driver by the adventurous, or those with faith in their swing early in a round.  The first is a good hole on which to get away without any difficulties, until reaching the green, which is guarded by traps short left and back right.

Perhaps the only real criticism of Moonah lies in relation to its short holes.  It’s felt by some golfers that the par 3’s on the course are a weakness, and this may be true.  Most if not all other courses rated in Australia’s top 10, boast a better collection of one-shot holes, and at least one great short par 4, which if another asset some may deem lacking from Norman’s course.

Of Moonah’s par threes, the fifth (145m) is arguably the best.  It is played with a short iron, to a semi-blind green, perched at the highest point of the property, with prevailing winds acting as true crosswinds. The tee shot is a tough one. Plenty of different options exist, from chips to lobs, bump and run, putts over fringe grass and bunker shots are on offer for the next, if you miss the green.

The National Moonah, Par 3 8th hole, looking from blue tee to green.

The 13th plays to a flagstick that often has its bottom half obscured, either by a bunker or rising ground short of the green.  The golfer is usually faced with the site of a flag affected by strong breezes, and only the top half of the pin visible. The green’s backdrop is a large solitary rise, which seems to meet the horizon beyond.  Some see the hole as comparable in some ways to the 8th at St. Andrew’s Old, with the pin so often located behind the solitary facing bunker, posing depth perception / pin location problems, on a par 3 of similar length, and striking backdrop.

Moonah’s par 3’s are sufficiently variable in direction and length. No two run the same direction, and they vary from 135 to 175m from the blue markers.

The ninth is one of several short par four holes.  It stemmed from an initial hope to plan a crossover between the ninth (as a much longer par four), and the nearby par 3 13th. The resultant 9th hole is much shorter, terminating prior to the 13th hole’s line of play. The 9th is good, without being great. It measures 289m, and plays directly into a southerly. It is a long iron / wedge on most days, but can be tackled with a driver by aggressive golfers. The second shot, is easier when played from the right side of the fairway, is played down the length of a long, slender green.  The further the drive is played left, the safer it is, with more landing area, yet this leaves a more difficult approach. Shots from the left side must be well judged to find the narrow putting surface. Driving the green is possible, but exceptionally hard.

The eleventh is a beautiful hole (334m), with a 200foot tall sand dune within the neighbouring National Park, as a backdrop to the punch-bowl green. Options from the tee range from driver to 4iron, to a saddle-shaped plateau.  A crosswind usually influences play.

Holes 3 and 4 (365m and 375m par 4’s) run parallel. The third features a diagonal ridge in the landing zone, which aids a draw, and repels a fade. The fourth is a great hole, but has been weakened with the removal of the rough. It was a very demanding driving proposition in times past. The fairway curves like a chicane, round to the right, down a slope, and then straightens towards an elevated green. In times past, the decision to jump the rough and drive beyond the bend in the fairway meant one took on lots of long grass, risking either a bad lie or a lost ball. Nowadays, the rough has been mown and balls driven right of target, may still roll to a flat area of ‘first cut’ rough, leaving only a short iron / wedge, when the hole plays downwind.

View down the 16th fairway, towards the green.

Approach to the 18th green, with a Moonah tree standing guard, providing depth perception
dilemmas, for golfers further back, on the right edge of the fairway. The north elevation
of the clubhouse is seen in the background.

A solid collection of par 5 holes is seen at Moonah. The second and seventh are reachable in two with southerly winds, while the twelfth and fifteenth play hard when coming home, against the same breeze.  The par 5’s measure 459m, 482m, 510m and 495m respectively.  The twelfth hole features a blind tee shot, over a steep facing ridge, to an expansive fairway. The fifteenth boasts a wonderfully elevated tee, above a fairway that twists and turns between mounds, down into a valley, then winds sharp left, back towards a treacherous, elevated green.  All par 5’s feature interesting and challenging second shots, not just mere bumps to position. Lay-up or go for it ? Jump the diagonal, or hang back ? How far to hit down the bottleneck ? Greens are well guarded, and provide a variety of approaches, and challenges at the edges of the putting surfaces.

Bob Harrison, an integral member of Greg Norman’s design firm, spent a prodigious amount of time on site, refining all aspects of the course, with good results. The incorporation of natural sand blowouts, undulations, beautiful backdrops, natural valleys and green sites, old trees and other design facets has given rise to a beautiful, and very challenging course. Views of Bass Strait are appreciated from many points on the course.

As one may expect of a course bearing Greg Norman’s touch, one must drive the ball well, if any sort of score is to be posted.  Indeed, long straight drives are handsomely rewarded, with proportionate ease in playing approach shots.

Different strategic problems are presented during the 18 holes, and most players would use most clubs in the bag on the trip around the Moonah course.  Well-struck shots, and well thought out approaches are rewarded all along the journey. Green complexes are sufficiently variable, and boast good natural undulations and slopes, which when paired with local knowledge, can often be used to advantage on approaching the cup. The flag is often not the best target for irons played to the green. Rather, banks adjacent to the greens may be well used to leave a short putt.

One repetitive flavor is a seemingly high number of shots played into greens, with the base of the flagstick partially obscured.  On at least five occasions (sometimes more depending upon pin positions of the day), greens may be approached either from the tee, or a desirable landing area, with the base of the flagstick unable to be sighted.  The routing does not lend itself to walking past greens which are to be played later in the day, and so, locating pins can be tough.  This facet of the course can get tiresome, and makes play a little more difficult. Perhaps this is somewhat unavoidable on undulating ‘Cups Country’….

The effects of prevailing winds on a young, indigenous Moonah tree.

The bunkers have been left to look rugged and they certainly do, much like those of many old, rugged coastal Irish courses. They blend with the natural landscape better than they do on the other two National courses, and better than any other course on the Peninsula. They are still a bit too unkempt in parts, and as such, occasionally provide more of a challenge (with respect to lie etc.) than one may feel they are due. Having said that, sound navigation around the course sees the chance of entering a bunker as unlikely. Moonah’s bunkers are not as voracious as they are on many Melbourne sandbelt courses.

The National Moonah Course, 18th Hole greenside bunker.Note the raw, natural edges,
giving the bunker a similar appearance to natural sandy cavities
found within farmland near the course.

The fairway grasses are Norman’s own, and appear better suited to slightly warmer climates. The fine leaf grass provides good lies, but appears dormant for much of the year. Some like the browned appearance of the fairways during this time, citing similarities with traditional British links. However, fairway grasses are a touch susceptible to disease, and lengthy divot-repair periods during winter. Rumour has it the fairways might be over-sewn in years ahead.  This would see the fairways a little more durable, and a little livelier for more of the calendar year. The putting surfaces are true and consistent, and quite quick. Very few courses in Australia can lay claim to possessing similarly delightful, true, and consistently well-presented putting surfaces, through the twelve months of the calendar year.

Moonah is a long course from the black markers, a point that cannot be denied at a measure of 6567 metres (7224 yards). It is also true that the wind can really blow in this part of the world, further enhancing the difficulty of the course. Black markers should really only be played regularly by golfers boasting very low handicaps. Club members already in possession of handicaps earned on a difficult, windswept course (The National Old), frequently see Saturday competitions with a current course rating three or more shots above par, from the blue markers.

The brief given to Dan Soutar when designing Kingston Heath in the 1920’s was to deliver a course that would stand the test of time. The same was asked of Tillinghast when he designed ‘a man-sized course’ at Winged Foot.  These designers and courses are cited not to compare Moonah to other layouts, rather, to suggest that many great courses were considered too difficult and too long in their infancy.

Moonah is a difficult course.  It does not however, achieve its difficulty by virtue of length alone. When played from the blue markers by most club golfers, the course is surprisingly manageable in terms of length.  The complexity of shots demanded around the green, approaches played to elusive targets, the need for exacting iron play, frequently uneven stance on undulating fairways, and the effects of wind on the golf ball, all combine to provide one of the most enjoyable yet stiffest examinations of golf available in Australia. 

The skeleton of the course looks unlikely to require much modification in times ahead, which must count for a considerable amount, in an age where we question the playability / relevance of many courses, and the influence of modern equipment on their strategic value. The course is not dependant upon jumping fairway bunkers placed a certain distance from the tee. Driver accuracy, trajectory control, a developed ground game, short-iron distance control, a robust short-game, and an astute tactical approach are all required to score well.