Woodlands

Were it not followed by the all-world 4th, the short, dogleg-right 3rd would be more widely lauded...

...But sadly for the 3rd, the 4th is right there immediately after it, so hard luck - one of the best driveable fours in the game with a confounding green that I am sure it takes dozens of plays to unravel

Some of the best flat ground  bunkering on the sandbelt, and a great challenge for the mid to long iron approach you'll have at the 10th

I love the approach to the 12th, which makes it all the more lamentable that the drive is severely lacking

More great flat land bunkering makes the second shot at the 15th a lot of fun

Course name: Woodlands
Location: Mordialloc, Melbourne, Australia
Four Word Course Review: Dotted with highlights

Magnificent par fives and short fours and a memorable closing stretch are the standouts at Woodlands, with the best moments starting with the world-class driveable 4th and coming regularly throughout the round.

The 4th, just 251 metres, is so simple and effective and shows once again why length is overrated and why greens are to a golf course as a face is to a portrait.

The hole's quality is even more pronounced when you look at the non-descript land it occupies. You just have to try not to fixate on the gigantic tin shed over the road that mars the view from the tee!

After that early highlight, the three-shotters linger strongest in my memory, the 6th and 15th with rare second-shot interest and the home hole a magnificent green and perfect terrain.

The mid-length 7th and 12th holes have remarkable greens and bunkering, but both are less than they could be due to overbearing trees that choke the drive. An hour with a chainsaw could solve the problem and lift both holes greatly.

The 10th green, approached with a long iron or more, has more special bunkering (reminiscent of the 1st at Spring Valley) that looks great and makes a heap of sense.

The short par three 17th is by far my favourite of the one-shotters, with its smart bunkering and fun greenside chipping areas.

Downsides? The Melbourne Sandbelt is, for the most part, a lesson in getting the absolute most out of a property. The courses manage vegetation perfectly and have remarkable bunkering to overcome the fact that, for the most part, the terrain isn't all that impressive.

What disappointed me about Woodlands was that despite it having a handful of the best holes on the Sandbelt, the off-piste areas of the course transitioned almost immediately from the fairway to thick, unmanaged native vegetation.

I'd love to see the maintained areas transition more into the really thick stuff to reduce the time spent searching for balls that have scarcely left the fairway.

The inconsistency of Woodlands sets it back, along with the severity of the native, but there's no doubt that the course is home to a few of the best holes in Melbourne and has an uncommon amount of potential in it compared to many of its neighbours.