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'In My Opinion' Why Royal Sydney will be a great host for the Australian Open by George Blunt
In my opinion, Royal Sydney Golf Club will make for fascinating viewing as the host to this week's Australian Open. Unlike the bloodletting that occurred at last year's monstrous set-up at Royal Adelaide (Australia's equivalent to this year's Open at Carnoustie), Royal Sydney is a course of charm and placement. In that regard, it is consistent with older style courses (it was opened at the turn of the century) where appreciating subtlety can be a telling difference between the champion and the runner-up. Royal Sydney is not a course of 'fireworks' or 'dramatics'. There are no death or glory shots, no heroic carries and practically no water on the course. Great grandfathers, grandfathers, fathers and sons enjoy playing the same course. Due to this lack of theatrics, some believe that the course lacks strategy and challenge. Readers of this website would be unlikely to make such a crass mistake. Like a links course, Royal Sydney relies on a fresh breeze as a part of its defences, and typically at this time of year it will be from the North-East. A calm day would be unusual as Royal Sydney is within a mile of two waterways - Sydney Harbour and the Pacific Ocean. Once the breeze is up, the pro must prepare to 'miss' his shots in the right places.
One of the features of Royal Sydney is the apparent continual opportunity for the professional to score. Starting from the very first tee (a drivable par four) the professional may start to press, to take advantage of these apparent birdie opportunities. The course is now one up, as patience is the key. The greens do not have the broad sweeping contours and dramatic slopes of a Royal Melbourne; nonetheless the challenge to the putter is complex. The lack of obvious slope combined with subtle and minor undulations makes them difficult to read, and are in stark contrast to the modern lines presented by The Australian's greens, another Australian Open course. Slight changes in elevation also provide subtle changes in the pace of the greens, making the elevated greens like 5, 8,13, 17, and18 slightly quicker than the rest. Again it is this subtly that causes problems for the pros. Some of the most severe penalties come from attacking the back pin placements, especially on the shorter or more birdiable holes. A less than precise approach shot will make for compelling recovery shots. Professionals will be devastated on holes like 7 and 8, where a slight error in their attempt to knock it close for birdie leaves them struggling for par. As a spectator watching the par 5 13th in the 1994 Australian Open, you could see the wind go out Greg Norman's sails after taking 6 when his long iron approach to set up eagle rolled back down the false fronted green. The resulting bogey effectively ended his chances.
The bunkering of the course always receives much comment. The sand varies throughout the course and in places balls will plug. Critics believe that the texture of the sand should be more consistent, and their arguments have merit. Below are a few of the holes that will test the mind-set of the players this week. Within any group, two shot swings can be the norm on any of theses holes listed below. 1st Hole 295 yds par 4 A tricky start where the pro will often make a 4 and feel as though he has lost half a shot to the field. In previous years the pros have tried to drive the green but recently the championship tee has been placed 25 metres further back, taking the green out of range for all but the insane. The elevated championship tee placement beside the clubhouse dining room makes it one of the most visually appealing tees on the course with a view over Rose Bay harbour. 4th Hole & 5th Hole 430 & 440 yd par 4s Peter Thompson considers them the best consecutive par fours in the country (which is going overboard) but the cross bunkering does give each hole a unique appeal. The dead space created by the bunker on the 4th means you are likely to see a number of approach shots come up a 1/2 club short this weekend. 6th Hole 150 yds par 3 A sleeper. The difficulty is in correctly reading the line of the putt, as the tilt of the green and the grain run in opposite directions - I am unfamiliar with any other hole where that is the case. 8th Hole 310 yds par 4 8 and 9 are the best back to back par 4s under 350 yards in the country. The eighth can be played driver, lob wedge or 4 iron, 9 iron with equal effect. The approach shot gets more difficult the closer you get to the green, and yet a well struck drive to the left side of the fairway offers a clear view down the green. The green sits on top of a knoll and anyone who goes over it will struggle to make bogey, let alone par. This is another example of a 'birdie' hole that will give the pros fits. 11th Hole 460 yds par 4 A new tee here has added 30 yards to the tee shot, making it the most demanding par 4 on the course. The feature of the hole is the elevated green guarded by two stunning bunkers on the right hand side and a seemingly innocent swale left. The bunkers will trick the unthinking player into hitting it left into this swale that is almost impossible to get it up and down from. Again this hole is one where you have to know where to miss it, and the best miss is actually in those ominous bunkers. 13th Hole 520 yds par 5 The large false front to this green is another old-fashioned feature that the golfer rarely sees any more. That is a great shame as this design feature again makes the potential birdie a ticklish affair when the hole is placed near this shelf. 17th hole 210 yds par 3 A very tough hole that sets up a great finish as no lead is safe. The green and the tee can be criticised as being unsuitable for one another, as the tee shot will typically require anything from a 4 iron to a driver, while the convoluted green is suited to a mid iron approach. Mike Clayton in a recent Invitational event holed his driver for an ace while playing into a strong southerly wind. 18th Hole 410 yds par 4 The most rolling green on the course is beautifully framed by the immense clubhouse standing at its back edge. The tournament marquees lining the fairway and green surrounds give it a cosy atmosphere. The back right hole location may be the single finest hole location in the country. (Note: it will be a disgrace if that is not Sunday's position due to its poor visibility from certain sponsors' vantage points.)
A constant criticism of Royal Sydney is the number of holes that run North/South, these critics fail to notice the 10 -15 degree change in line from one hole to the next, or from tee to green. For instance, even though the 4th and 5th run in the same general direction, the approach to the 4th is at 10 o'clock on your watch dial and the approach to the 5th is at 1 o'clock. One noted American critic gave Royal Sydney a 6 out of 10, along with The Australian Golf Club, naming this aspect as a glaring weakness. I would be happy to host him at our course to see if his rating of the Australian and Royal Sydney remains as equals. As a proud member of the club I believe Royal Sydney will once again be a wonderful host of my country's national championship. That said, I do not deny the course's weaknesses, but I believe that a considered and thorough examination of the subtle and strategic strengths of Royal Sydney will not find it wanting. |
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