Chris - I was seriously impressed with the fun and challenge factor of Moonah Links- remember I played from the standard white tees, not the tiger tees. I was able to drive over a number of midfairway bunkers ( a thrill factor because they really are penal) (and I can't carry 12th at KH) and was thoroughly satified with bogey on one of the par 5s where I caught successive fairway bunkers with my second and third shots. I hit 4, 5, 6, 7 irons to the par 3s. I had two drive and pitching wedge holes. There were times I was really pissed off (like the time I caught some pathetic pot bunker at TOC) and other times I was whooping. I had a ball. Some fairways must have been 100m wide, so options galore.
Yeah- I'd stick with Doak 8 - better than Metro, Huntingdale,
not as good as Kingston Heath and RM East and nothing in Oz is as good as RM west -to me a 10. I'd also say I enjoyed it much more the second time than the first.
I havent played National Ocean or National RTJ. The only other TWP course I can recall playing was Hope Island which I'd put as about a 4, maybe 5.
Maybe the mistake others have made was playing from the back tees at ML.
Danny - It is sometimes more difficult to express a contrary view that is conceived from personal preference than to follow the crowd. As I say, everything architects like McKenzie and even Doak espouse is there - minimalist, strategic, thrills, annoyance, short grass hazards. You could argue about the grass faced bunkers, whether a different style would suit better - maybe it would. But it is the Eagle Ridges of the world that should be canned in my view.
I saw the St Andrews land from Norman's National Moonah course - looks fantastic.
Justin - Thank you for the information - I played the Eagle Ridge course some years ago and thought the design was pretty ordinary on a small piece of land - it is the renovations that are mindblowing. I'm sure we will see a quote somewhere sometime alluding to the floral arrangements as "Australia's Augusta".
![Shocked :o](http://golfclubatlas.com/forum/Smileys/classic/shocked.gif)
The 18th at Eagle ridge is surrounded by water on the left only at this stage. The short 11th (about 135m) has a "beautiful" duck pond in front of the green feeding down from a waterfall on the hill with a pretty bridge which gives access to the green. Who are Pacific Coast Design? I didnt realise they also designed Hidden Valley. What other wonderful
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contributions have they made to golf architecture?