The Moonah Course at The National Golf Club, Australia   

The expansive vista behind the eighth green.

Every armchair architect has a clear picture of the property that his dream course would reside on. For most of us, it would be by the sea and would be exposed to the elements, to change the way the course plays from day to day. The course would also have plenty of movement as it randomly tumbles across dunes.

Ah yes, that would indeed have all the ingredients for an inspiring course. But is there such a thing as too much movement in the topography? As too extreme weather? When golf becomes more a matter of survival than interest? Of course there is, and very few modern courses over dramatic terrain successfully find what MacKenzie referred to as 'pleasurable challenge.'

The Moonah Course is set amongst large rolling sand dunes some two thousand meters from the Pacific Ocean. Other than the distinctive gnarled Moonah trees, which dot the landscape, it is a pure dunesland setting. However, the large scale of the dunes means broad slopes and forced carries, never an ideal situation for any architect. Furthermore, the wind blows equally strong from the northeast in the winter and the southwest in the summer. Designing a course with both extreme terrain and weather considerations is never easy, yet everyone associated with the project felt that there was indeed an inspiring course buried somewhere amongst this 250 acres of rolling dunes. The key was just to find.

The wild 11th requires an accurate tee.

Bob Harrison, the head of the Greg Norman Design Team for Australasia, spent over 700 hours playing with countless iterations, one of which in fact allowed for a cross over. While this was another Prairie Dunes or Sand Hills situation in that numerous holes could be found, invariably any routing would yield a less than ideal hole or two, given such wild topography. (See 14 at Ballybunion, or four at The European Club or two at County Sligo as examples of holes you just have to put up with). However, the final routing that Bob and Greg Norman selected is remarkable in that there isn't a single awkward hole among the bunch.

A lot of work then went into giving each hole plenty of elasticity so that it would play equally well in each of the two season's opposite winds. Take the 15th hole for example. This 545 yard three shotter plays from an elevated tee to a 60 yard fairway some 50 yards below and has a reverse 'S' shape to it. The green itself is tucked up and around the corner past a large dune that runs down the left hand side of the fairway. Downwind, the golfer can shorten the hole by hugging the left of the fairway. He may then attempt to carry this dune and bound his ball onto the green, which is open in front to accommodate the shot from that angle.

Conversely, into the wind, the width in the fairway is required to just give the member a reasonable chance of hitting it from the exposed elevated tee. The second shot into the wind is no longer over the dune but straight ahead and once again there is ample fairway. However, there always is a preferred spot. Too far down the fairway and out to the right (where there is heaps of room), the golfer is not only making the third shot longer but he has left himself with a carry over two very deep greenside bunkers. He is best to try and stay left and reasonably close to the dune if he wants a clear shot down the green.

Downwind, the 15th hole is a great risk reward opportunity with a thrilling second over a dune to a green that was angled to receive that very shot, leaving the golfer with a potential eagle putt. Into the wind, the hole requires three well thought out and executed shots. In either wind condition, the hole is a gem. This elasticity is evident throughout the course and was a supreme achievement given the undulating topography.

Another point worth noting is the variety of backdrops behind each green site. Consider the backdrops of the one shot holes: the fifth green is uphill with only the horizon behind; the elongated eighth green is framed by the rolling sand dunes in the distant paddock; the 13th is a blind green with a dune directly behind it; and the 17th seats down in its own protected amphitheatre surrounded by Moonah trees. This appealing variety is indicative of the rest of the course.

Holes to Note:

2^nd hole, 525 yards; An unusual hole for the course in that the fairway is essentially flat. The architects wisely took advantage of the opportunity to create multiple routings by the use of cross and diagonal bunkers. Elsewhere on the property, the land was of such scale (more like Ballybunion than St. Andrews) as to preclude such multiple routings.

The approach to the second green.

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