Golf in Australia (con't)

5. National - Moonah (not the AGU’s Moonah Links!)

A very good modern par-3, #8 at the Moonah Course.

The first modern course on my list takes a lot of cues from Melbourne’s classic courses, and uses them in completely new ways. The Moonah course does well for strategy, variety, continuing interest, and some really fun green sites with a lot of character. My frustration with the course is its par-3’s; #5 is somewhat joyless to me, #8 is good, #13 is blind, and #17 has a tree where one wants to land the ball. I found the par-4’s and 5’s to be very fun and dynamic. I’m not sure about world-class holes, but there are very good holes at 2 and 11 in particular. Overall, I enjoyed the course a great deal.

6. Peninsula - North

Well done to Mike Clayton on this one. When I played, five holes hadn’t been redone, and the changes to the rest were just starting to grow in. The course looked fantastic, and really has a Sandbelt-type look. Peninsula has an ideal, rolling site with some beautiful trees that Mike has kept happily in-sight and out-of-play. In particular, he’s done some very good bunkering that’s resulted in some engaging holes. With all 18 holes completed and grown-in, Peninsula North might jump over the Moonah course on my list.

7. Portsea

The 17^th (L) and 13^th holes at Portsea.

This is a wonderful, really old style course, and another one that Mike Clayton has helped out. Everything around Melbourne gets compared to the Sandbelt, but I think Portsea has more in common with New South Wales. The site here is hilly and somewhat open, a bit reminiscent of a southern California canyon, and similar to the inland parts of NSW. Also, the way the holes really take on the land - going over and around hills and across valleys - is similar to the feel of NSW. Finally, like NSW, the holes can be quirky, strange, or just unusual - but all are quality tests of a complete golf game.

8. Spring Valley

The third consecutive Mike Clayton redesign on this list. I enjoyed the course, and Mike’s done very well I think. Spring Valley is a fine design but it just lacks a great site. It’s basically flat. The course is very comparable to Peninsula North, except that PN has a fantastic rolling site, and SV doesn’t. That aside, there are some top holes here and a lot of potential for Mike to work with.

9. National - Old

The dramatic par-3 #7 at the Old Course.

The course is fun, and it’s good, but architecturally it’s surely weaker than the more classic designs. It’s an RJT, Jr. design that has 1980’s written all over it, with forced carries, big bunkers, and large, multi-tiered greens. But there are some enjoyable holes, in particular 1, 7, 8, and 17. My favorite is #3, a long par-4. I love the view from that tee! - across a canyon to the fairway, then sharply left to a green perched waaay up at the top of a hill above a jungle. The greatest asset the Old Course has is its big, dramatic site. By the way, I don’t mind the finish with the new hole sequence, but facing the two hardest holes on #2 and #3 is a bit severe.

10. Thirteenth Beach

The 16^th green and 13^th fairway at Thirteenth Beach.

This is one of the new daily-fee courses around Melbourne, and this one is alright. There are only a couple of strange holes here; most of them are quite good. Most of the holes sit easily on the land, and there are a couple of standout holes, especially the tiny, dangerous, and controversial par-3 16th. Overall, a fun and well done course.

11. Newcastle

The par-3 #7 at Newcastle from behind the green with the tee on the distant sand dune.

I feel like I’ve missed something here. It’s not bad, and there are some excellent holes from 4 most of the way through 12. But Newcastle just didn’t thrill me. The first 3 and 13-18 were…maybe just not as sophisticated, particularly around the greens, as some other courses. Newcastle is wonderful as a simple, enjoyable course, but to me, it just wasn’t on the same level as some of the courses around Melbourne.

12. The Dunes

Teeing off on 14 at The Dunes.

Like Thirteenth Beach, this is another Cashmore design. It’s also good, but the holes just don’t sit quite as well on the land, and there are a couple more strange holes. I liked it, though - there are some fun holes, and the land is open, so there are some nice panoramas across the course.

13. Southern

The 18^th green, 17^th fairway (L) and 16^th fairway are three of the original holes at Southern Golf Club.

The original holes remaining at Southern are as good as Spring Valley or Peninsula North. However, the course lost many of its original holes to city development and had to build new ones. The old holes are treelined, beautiful, and stylish; the new ones (by TWP I think), unfortunately, are open and undistinguished.

14. Gisbourne

Wildlife on the par-3 #13 at Gisbourne.

This is a little country course with a big family of kangaroos, some simple and wonderful holes, and shockingly good greens. For US$9, players get perfectly smooth greens that run at about 12, and a fun collection of thoughtfully designed holes. Some of the holes are a little too simple, and the bunkers are hilarious, but Gisbourne is more fun than one would ever expect from such place.

15. Goonawarra

Another Cashmore design, Goonawarra is another fairly low-key country course. There are some good holes, but also less consistency, more discontinuity, and more holes that dogleg too early than one would really want in a golf course. Goonawarra is just a golf course. That’s all.

16. Albert Park

Albert Park advertises itself as the best-located course in the world, and located on a lake, in the middle of a park, 5km from the CBD, it’s probably right. It has the standard trappings - nets, internal OB, a couple of downright bad holes - but it’s golf in the city, and it’s OK. And the greens are still better than at heaps of American private clubs.

t17. National - Ocean and Sanctuary Lakes

There’s no reason to choose the very worst course I saw in Australia. And I should say, I played a wonderful collection of courses, so these are certainly not the two worst courses in the country. But anyway…

Sanctuary Lakes is built on a dead-flat salt plain. They moved a lot of dirt, but the place just can’t help but look artificial and wide-open, and it doesn’t help that it’s surrounded by houses. It’s a bit of a strange-looking course anyway. Also, it seems to be designed for a north wind exclusively, but the wind usually comes from the south. I felt like I was fighting every dogleg and every shot, rather than the holes fitting the prevailing winds.

The Ocean Course at the National is simply not a good job of designing a golf course. On even better land than the Moonah Course, TWP have designed a golf course that looks intensely awkward and plays even more poorly. The strategy is anti-strategy, there are bunkers in meaningless or just dumb places, and there are more blind or semi-blind shots than 'sighted' shots. The holes are just weird, they’re not visually appealing, the challenges are difficult but not engaging, and overall it’s just not especially fun. The whole thing is quite unenjoyable, and considering the site and the resources TWP had, it’s by far the worst design job I saw in Australia, and maybe the worst course of the lot.

Now just for fun, a few more rankings! These are the Top 5, not in any order:

Hardest Holes:

Kingston Heath #1 - Long and no good places to miss.

The long, par-4 #16 at the Moonah Course.

National - Moonah #16 - Really long and deep bunkers on both sides of the fairway.

National - Old #2 - 425 metres, jungle on both sides, into the wind, elevated green…

National - Old #3 - Over a canyon and up to the top of a hill!

The scary and awkward #15 tee shot at New South Wales.

New South Wales #15 - A blind drive to uphill to a 30-yard gap between bushes.

Worst Holes:

The Dunes #6 - Blind downhill par-3 with a blind lake over the green?

National - Ocean #1 - Seven options, all of which are bad.

National - Ocean #2 - Like #1 only uphill and without the options, and not pretty.

National - Ocean #10 - Bunker in the middle of the fairway, but nowhere else to go.

Thirteenth Beach #6 - Layup, layup, blind wedge over an artificial mound to a shallow green.

Top Par-3’s:

Commonwealth #9 - No more description necessary!

The rightfully famous #15 at Kingston Heath.

Kingston Heath #15 - Brilliant. More demanding and frightening each time one plays it.

New South Wales #17 - Windy, exacting par-3 along a narrow ridge.

Royal Melbourne - West #5 - As perfect as it looks in the pictures.

Victoria #16 - A rolling, hilltop green that was fun to watch during the Aussie Open.

(note: C9, KH15, and V16 are all uphill!)

Top Par-4’s:

Water is a rarity on the Sandbelt but #16 at Commonwealth utilizes it brilliantly.

Commonwealth #16 - One of Doak’s favorites.

The 9^th at Kingston Heath.

Kingston Heath #9 - Tight teeshot and exacting second shot for a short hole.

Royal Melbourne - West #3 - Unusual strategy and a vexing green.

The 6^th at Royal Melbourne West plays from one natural hill to another.

Royal Melbourne - West #6 - Difficult, exciting, and risk-reward at its best.

Royal Melbourne - West #10 - Totally unique and fun to play!

Top Par-5’s:

Few sights on any golf course compare to #5 at New South Wales.

New South Wales #5 - Maybe played better 50 years ago…but sooooo beautiful…

New South Wales #12 - As described above.

Peninsula - North #16 - A true three-shotter, with good strategy to boot.

Royal Melbourne - West #2 - Also compromised by new equipment, but a superlative design.

Classic Mackenzie bunkering guards #4 at Royal Melbourne West.

Royal Melbourne - West #4 - Big and bold like the rest of RM.

In conclusion, it must be said that what makes the top golf courses of Australia so ideal is that they satisfy players at every level, round after round. They offer high markers a beautiful, fun experience that is playable and friendly. At the same time, they offer good players demanding tests of all aspects of golf. Most importantly, they make players of all levels want to return again and again, with an anticipation and excitement that is not easily matched anywhere in the world of golf.

Certainly, a trip to Australia is a major commitment for an American, particularly one from the eastern seaboard looking at 28-30 hours of

travel time door-to-door to reach Melbourne. With destinations ranging from Palm Springs to St. Andrews being substantially closer, it is easy to understand why Australia has not been a top destination for even serious American golf travelers.

I would say that those travelers are missing out a great deal, for at least three reasons. First, the golf in Australia is unique and worth traveling for – and it is relatively accessible. I hope after what I've put together here, you all have an urge to see it in person! Second, Melbourne and Sydney are fantastic international cities that are more cosmopolitan and cultural that people would ever imagine. The weather is great and the activities are incredibly varied. A golf vacation would certainly not be a golf-only vacation.

Third, perhaps surprisingly, is that the whole thing isn't overly expensive compared to American and European destinations. The

plane flight is expensive - around US$1,500 is typical. Beyond that, the exchange rate is very favorable to Americans - usually around

AU$1.75 to US$1.00. A traveler who typically spends, say, $150 on his hotel room and has $75 in daily expenses would pay $225 per day in

American, but only around US$125 per day in Australia - a savings of $700 over a one-week vacation. Further, the greens fees in Australia mean that an American could play three top courses for around US$75 per round, compared to $150 or more in destinations like Scottsdale and Palm Springs. Again, an American traveller would save several hundred dollars in fees over the course of a week's vacation.

The classic and immensely memorable image of Australia.