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".
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
contributions have they made to golf architecture?