tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50066355092510134432024-03-06T02:30:41.488+11:00The Global Golfer<b>Have clubs, will travel</b>TGGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00376867115463056393noreply@blogger.comBlogger87125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5006635509251013443.post-15278310634583111682013-07-22T18:54:00.000+10:002015-01-01T12:26:35.984+11:00Morfontaine<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<i>This picture of the 3rd hole from Darius Oliver's <a href="http://www.planetgolfusa.com/index.php?id=571">PlanetGolf.com</a> website (pic by David Scaletti) sums up the many qualities of Morfontaine. None of my own pictures this time around, sorry.</i></div>
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Course name: <b>Morfontaine</b><br />
Location: <b>Mortefontaine, Picardy, France</b><br />
Four Word Course Review: <b>A masterclass in restraint</b><br />
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I had the pleasure of spending a day at Morfontaine while revisiting my favourite country in the world, and it was as wonderful an experience as you might imagine.<br />
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I arrived about 9.30am to the same empty car park that others have experienced, played the main course, took refuge from the sun (36C and fairly humid that day) for lunch on the patio - during which a delightful older French lady endured my poor French for longer than she needed to to discuss how underrated French golf is and her grievances with President Hollande - before I excused myself to tackle the Vallaire course.<br />
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Playing alone, I had soon ripped through 27 holes and lunch in quick time, so I decided to play the main course again, despite being out on my feet from the heat.<br />
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It was great to play those remarkable holes again with an idea of the challenges that awaited and where everything was. I ditched the camera and range-finder for that second round and just played by feel with the occasional glance at a sprinkler head.<br />
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Hard to imagine a more perfect afternoon than playing that course in ideal condition - burnt and brown, firm and fast, the greens not too quick - without another noise than club on ball and ball on ground.<br />
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The Vallaire was one of the wildest courses I've played, and so much fun at every turn. The land and greens reminded me a good deal of what Ogilvy Clayton Design is doing at my home club, Bonnie Doon, in Sydney. As far as inspiration, it's hard to do better. Crucially, the greens don't just have a mass of bold shapes, they present a massive variety of pin positions that change greatly the way each hole plays.<br />
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The main course combines everything I love and respect about Tom Simpson's design work from New Zealand GC, County Louth and Hardelot (Les Pins) and takes it to another level. The green sites are perfectly selected, draped over the high ground more often than not, allowing the land to create the interest without too much intervention.<br />
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If I had to sum the course up in a word, it would be "restraint".<br />
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Simpson didn't build bunkers where they weren't needed - either on the drive or at the green. With such perfect land to work with at Morfontaine, there are countless examples where the land did the job without assistance and the course is all the better for it: the 3rd green, the 7th and 8th fairways, the lay-up at the 12th, the drive at 16.<br />
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Likewise, the greens are restrained. Where the Vallaire course is over dramatic land and suits the dramatic greens, the main course is for the most par on less heaving terrain. The greens still have enough to interest you and reward a perfectly-placed approach, but their virtues are less evident from a distance than on the Vallaire.<br />
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A perfect example of both the above factors is the first hole. The drive bends slowly right, off-camber around a heathery corner, with a drive on the inside rewarded by a clear run to the green. The land short of the green cants significantly toward the LHS greenfront bunker, making any shot from the outside of the dogleg progressively challenging - but also providing land that can be used by a skilled ballstriker to run a ball onto the front-to-back green.<br />
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So perfect is the balance of the course and detail of the features, it comes as no surprise that this is a course Simpson continually tinkered with throughout his life.<br />
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I envy those who get a lifetime to discover Morfontaine's secrets and delights, but feel fortunate to have had a day to play 45 holes and see just a little of what makes these two courses so highly regarded.TGGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00376867115463056393noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5006635509251013443.post-71481895381369032912013-03-22T21:55:00.000+11:002014-06-04T16:50:46.092+10:00Healesville<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<i>The fantastic par three 4th, which required a punched 18* hybrid for me, the ridge running lengthways through the green demanding accuracy and creating some interesting recovery shots</i><br />
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<i>The long two-shotter at the 8th (labelled a par five, but driver, 6i from the tips for me) was the perfect length for the approach you need to hit. The green is cut in two distinct portions by a central ridge (reminded me a bit of the 5th green at The Lakes in that sense), with the hillside allowing you to work the ball in from the left to a front pin. The first great use of this creek, with it also utilised really well at the 15th and 16th</i><br />
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<i>Gorgeous bunkering and a treacherous green on the par three 10th</i><br />
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<i>One creek, three great uses: This meandering stream plays a strong role along the length of the 15th, before snaking over to spoon with the 16th green</i><br />
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Course name: <b>Healesville</b><br />
Location: <b>Yarra Valley, Victoria, Australia</b><br />
Four Word Course Review: <b>No automatic two-putts</b><br />
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Healesville is just far enough out of Melbourne to feel like you've gone somewhere, but near enough that Melbournians can make a day-trip to enjoy one of the most brilliant new courses in Australia.<br />
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The course is really different to anything else I have played and has a strong character of its own.<br />
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It's owned by the Royal Automobile Club of Victoria and part of the club's Yarra Valley resort, but don't expect resort conditioning. It is unashamedly a country course, the rustic bunkering matching well with the "this is a playing field, not a formal lawn" conditioning.<br />
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The thought-provoking nature of such good golf at such modest length needs to be experienced.<br />
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Like the value of immense width, the fact that such a short course can be THIS good has to be experienced to be genuinely understood.<br />
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I couldn't help but think of so many cramped Sydney courses on similarly steep land and heavy soil whose members would be far better off with a 4800m (5300-yard) course like Healesville - full of shots and greens that put a smile on your face and which take a lot less time to play.<br />
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It's the greens that set Healesville apart: a set full of variety that regularly tiptoes up to the line of too zany, but never jumps over. They not only make approach shots, recoveries and putting all the more fun, they provide the teeth necessary to make the course challenging for all standards of golfer.<br />
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On the front side, I loved the long par three 4th, its green intersected by a steep ridge running from front to back, and the par-five-but-really-a-long-par-four 8th, which uses water and sand spectacularly and has a wild two-tier green.<br />
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The back side starts with an outstanding mid-iron par three with artistic bunkering that drips down the hillside on top of which the green is set, while the short par four 12th uses more brilliant terrain to create a puzzle to which the answer off the tee depends on the positioning of the hole.<br />
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Another angled creek adds value to the second-and-final par five on the course, where approaching the creekside green is made much easier by hugging the same narrow stream off the tee. The same waterway then cuts across to make your short iron to the 16th green one where distance control is at a premium.<br />
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The 17th's blindness from the tee is another case of the quirkiness that makes Healesville so beguiling, before the split fairway and ski-run green on the 18th finish this wild ride in appropriate style.<br />
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I can't recommend Healesville enough for anyone who wants to see something unique and doesn't view a tw-putt green as a birthright.TGGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00376867115463056393noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5006635509251013443.post-47486597280426957952013-03-21T21:13:00.000+11:002014-02-06T20:53:15.038+11:00Woodlands<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<i>Were it not followed by the all-world 4th, the short, dogleg-right 3rd would be more widely lauded...</i><br />
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<i>...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</i><br />
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<i>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><br />
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<i>I love the approach to the 12th, which makes it all the more lamentable that the drive is severely lacking</i><br />
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<i>More great flat land bunkering makes the second shot at the 15th a lot of fun</i><br />
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Course name: <b>Woodlands</b><br />
Location: <b>Mordialloc, Melbourne, Australia</b><br />
Four Word Course Review: <b>Dotted with highlights</b><br />
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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.<br />
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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.<br />
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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!<br />
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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.<br />
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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.<br />
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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.<br />
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The short par three 17th is by far my favourite of the one-shotters, with its smart bunkering and fun greenside chipping areas.<br />
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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.<br />
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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.<br />
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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.<br />
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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.TGGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00376867115463056393noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5006635509251013443.post-19235456673110852062012-12-09T09:30:00.000+11:002014-02-09T20:57:06.502+11:00Spring Valley<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<i>A good example of the course's fine presentation - the par three 5th</i><br />
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<i>The attractive uphill closing hole</i><br />
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Course name: <b>Spring Valley</b><br />
Location: <b>Clayton South, Victoria, Australia</b><br />
Four Word Course Review:<b> Gets the details right</b><br />
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Everyone should be so lucky as to call a course like Spring Valley their home and play it every weekend.<br />
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It has everything that makes golf fun - a comfortably walkable routing, interesting greens, ample variety and well-placed and sparingly-used bunkering.<br />
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It's the par fours that really stand out here, from the deceptively steep 1st green making a drive inside the dogleg a must, to the pushed-up green and great bunker pattern of the short 4th, smart centreline lay-up/foreshortening bunker at the lengthy 9th, awkwardly doglegging and off-camber 11th, tempting diagonal drive at the 16th and the visually stunning uphill approach to the 18th.<br />
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The attraction of wide open vistas is exhibited well at the 10th, 11th and 18th, which all sit in the same open plain, a few trees dotting the landscape for effect. Standing on the 10th tee (a tricky little drop shot par three to a green in a a sea of sand), it's hard to think of a more pleasant way to present a golf course (similar to the great vista over the 1st, 6th, 5th and 18th from the clubhouse at Kingston Heath).<br />
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The 10th mentioned above was my favourite of the one-shotters, but the long iron or hybrid required at the uphill 14th is another shot that lingers in my memory and I'll look forward to having another crack at someday.<br />
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Of course continuity is an important part of creating the best course you can, and some old features from previous architects around the course could be removed to make Spring Valley even better. Most notable to me where the rough-covered moguls right of the 12th fairway and overly-fancy shape of the bunker guarding the 6th green.<br />
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I love the way the course is presented, especially the fairway-height transitions from green surrounds to tees that blends the holes together and avoids an overly-busy look.<br />
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The lack of a handful of genuinely great holes is probably what keeps Spring Valley behind its most fancied neighbours, but by the same token it's also devoid of any real horrors.<br />
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Spring Valley might not get included in many visitors' Melbourne Sandbelt itineraries, but the powers that be at similar clubs elsewhere in Melbourne and around Australia would do well to pay a visit and see how doing the inexpensive little things right can make such a great difference to a course.TGGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00376867115463056393noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5006635509251013443.post-86793225760790936002012-10-19T16:35:00.000+11:002013-06-01T20:56:31.647+10:00Durban<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<i>Expansive views from the 2nd tee and the dramatic rise and fall of the land around the green hides the reality of how steep the green is</i><br />
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<i>One of the bst long shots I have seen is the 200m or so in to the green on this short par five. The massive foreground bunker dominates the eye and obscures the safe ground between it and the green</i><br />
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<i>There's nothing else quite like the 12th hole at Durban</i><br />
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<i>The simple but challenging green of the driveable 18th</i><br />
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<i>Viewed from behind (upstairs in the clubhouse!), the challenge and interest of the 18th is obvious</i><br />
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Course name: <b>Durban</b><br />
Location: <b>Durban, Kwa-Zulu Natal, South Africa</b><br />
Four Word Course Review: <b>Stratospheric highs, subterranean lows</b><br />
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Playing Durban Country Club was always a goal of mine, so I made sure to set a couple of days aside during a recent trip to check it out.<br />
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Royal Melbourne (East) was always my barometer for hot and cold courses, but Durban CC leaves it in the shade in that regard.<br />
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It follows almost without exception at Durban CC that the good holes are on the good land and the poor on the flat land.<br />
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The best of the land is on the seaside east of the course and the southern area near the clubhouse (much of the front nine and the last two holes), while north and west, where the lion's share of the back nine sits, is plain and poorly used.<br />
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The undulations on the good land are extreme, with greens largely built on the high ground, maximising those landforms and ensuring you can't miss them.<br />
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The standout in that regard is the mid-length par four 17th, which plunges from a highpoint in the fairway to a series of ocean swell rolls before climbing up high again at the green. It's as dramatic as natural, traditional golf can get.<br />
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Two par fives on the front side - the 3rd and 8th - both occupy fantastic ground for golf, the former dropping from a high tee and the latter playing flat before rising to a well-elevated green. Both possess yawning fairway bunkers that both draw the eye and obscure what lies in the distance.<br />
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On the back nine, the unique short par three 12th - the famed Prince of Wales Hole - plays from one tall dune to another with the narrow green reaching all the way to the edges of the raised platform, meaning plenty of balls that land on the short stuff end up rolling down one of the flanks 25ft below the putting surface. If that's not tough enough, bunkers sit at the front and back of the green. I always thought the 17th at NSWGC was a severe short iron test in a high wind zone, but this is something else.<br />
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The last of the notables, the 18th is an extremely short four over some really fun land. Easily driveable, but if you take a straight line to the green you have to traverse a deep valley that kicks the ball right towards a steep falloff down to the driving range. The ideal shot is either a fade that lands on the higher ground and runs down to the green or a bold draw that flirts with the right before landing into the slope and running up the hill to the green. The putting surface is made by the flow of the central valley that runs naturally to a great right-hand side chipping area.<br />
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The vegetation management is a disappointment, with jungle so thick just off the fairways that going in to look for a ball is the definition of futile. Another let-down on the back nine is the removal of two epic fairway bunkers that would previously have made the par five 10th and 14th standouts on plain land, where now they lack something exciting.<br />
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With some judicious work, Durban CC could be a good two tiers better than it is and a worthy inclusion in the World Top 100, within which it nonetheless sits. Not many courses have as many breathtaking holes or such incredible land.<br />
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I highly recommend a visit despite the drawbacks. There's a lot to see that you won't see elsewhere and - my favourite thing about golf travel - you get to enjoy the game played a different way in a different culture.TGGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00376867115463056393noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5006635509251013443.post-2280421055472724232012-10-15T14:14:00.000+11:002013-06-01T21:36:50.543+10:00Prince's Grant<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<i>Approaching the 4th is a delicate balance between getting over the false front and staying below the hole</i><br />
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<i>Viewed from the back left, the 7th green's great flow is clear. While you can get home in two here, it's important not to leave too long a putt</i><br />
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<i>A narrow ridge is used brilliantly at the 9th, where your drive has to tightrope walk down the right to leave you with a view of the green on approach</i><br />
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<i>The climate north of Durban is extremely un-linkslike, yet the 10th hole is one of a few on the course that evokes thoughts of the British seaside</i><br />
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<i>It's one hell of a good view from the 15th tee, but unfortunately the hole doesn't offer too much interest</i><br />
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<i>A meandering creek creates tremendous interest to the second and third shots at the par five 18th</i><br />
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Course name: <b>Prince's Grant</b><br />
Location: <b>Stanger, Kwa-Zulu Natal, South Africa</b><br />
Four Word Course Review: <b>Surprisingly engaging, memorable greens</b><br />
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In this internet age, it's rare to be completely caught by surprise when visiting a new course. There's just so much information and discussion out there.<br />
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But I had never planned to play at Prince's Grant, so anything I might have seen about it in passing didn't register. I set out early on a Monday morning with the intention of playing at Umhlali Country Club, but it was busy and there wasn't availability until later in the morning, so I drove across to Zimbali - a course within a residential and resort development - but they insisted that I had to take a cart and could not walk the course.<br />
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Returning home frustrated, a non-golfer relative said he had heard Prince's Grant was good, and at the very least that it was picturesque. I drove the half-hour to the course not knowing what to expect, but interested to see it.<br />
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Three hours later, I was stunned by what a fun set of greens the course had - making approach shots, greenside recoveries and putting a real highlight. Smart contouring that tied in with the design of the hole at large made placement crucial and there was immense variety from hole to hole.<br />
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Though the course is set within a residential development, the routing was for the most part extremely walkable - the only exceptions coming from the 2nd green to 3rd tee and 3rd green to 4th tee, both of which involved trekking along residential streets, through a cookie-cutter neighbourhood that looked like The Truman Show could have been filmed there.<br />
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Accepting that those sorts of compromises are part and parcel of this kind of golf course, it was good at least to get that out of the way early in the round.<br />
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The front nine offers some early highlights - a drop shot par three at the 3rd with a wild "speedbump" green, the uphill approach to the 4th green with its false-front staring back at you and the par five, three, four stretch of the 7th, 8th and 9th each using some dramatic land in different ways: a Biarritz inspired green, a tough benched one-shotter and a rollicking fairway.<br />
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The back starts and finishes strong with the linksy par four 10th and exposed ridge-top par three 11th, intimidating long par three 17th and par five finishing hole that makes great use of a creek beginning in the fairway before wrapping around the green.<br />
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Width is generous throughout - a must for such a windy site - which ensured even when the breeze reached three clubs in strength late in the round every hole was comfortably playable.TGGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00376867115463056393noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5006635509251013443.post-46606362409790442972012-08-19T17:42:00.000+10:002013-05-29T13:37:29.860+10:00Pasatiempo<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<i>The short bunker at the 4th creates a partially blind approach against the angle of the hill for anyone who fails to drive down the more risky right-hand side</i><br />
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<i>From the tee, you can't imagine how steep and treacherous the 5th green is</i><br />
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<i>The approach to the 11th</i><br />
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<i>14th fairway is like nothing I've seen ever before. The best bet is to drive your ball as close to the valley as possible without trickling down</i><br />
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<i>Awesome 16th - note how the bloke in the bunker provides some idea of just how deep it is in there!</i><br />
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<i>I'd love to see more courses break with convention and present an out-of-the-box 18th hole</i><br />
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Course name: <b>Pasatiempo</b><br />
Location: <b>Santa Cruz, California</b><br />
Four Word Course Review: <b>Deserves much more adulation</b><br />
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Having waited seven years to get to Pasatiempo, I arrived early enough to walk around the famous closing holes before my round - not knowing when, if ever, I might return and wanting to make the most of the experience.<br />
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It was early enough that no golfers had reached the turn, so it was just me and a couple of grounds staff on the back nine. I walked out past the 18th green, stopping to get my head around such a unique closing hole, and then headed off down the path that separates the 10th and 17th fairways.<br />
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From beyond the 10th green, I turned to get the panorama of the incredible three-tiered 16th green (a gentleman raking the front trap providing welcome scale as to just how cavernous it is) and 11th fairway flanking, then crossing, the barranca and ultimately reaching the hilltop green.<br />
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Much like when I first visited <a href="http://theglobalgolfer.blogspot.com.au/2010/06/royal-dornoch-championship.html" target="_blank">Royal Dornoch</a> and felt a strange spirituality sitting on a bench by the 1st tee overlooking the deserted links in the late evening light, there was something about the moment unlike what I usually experience on even the best golf courses. I sat for a while on a bench near the 11th tee to take in what I was finally laying eyes on and try to make sense of what caused such a rare feeling.<br />
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In hindsight, both Pasatiempo and Dornoch were places I dreamed about and imagined at great length before ever visiting and my first encounter with both was in that magic time within an hour or so of sunrise or sunset. Perhaps not surprising, then, that the elation of being there combined with the beauty of the time of day combined to create such a special moment.<br />
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While Dr Alister MacKenzie created a handful of courses more famous than Pasatiempo, it is said there was no course more dear to him than Pasatiempo, which he lived alongside from its conception until his death. In that moment, I could easily understand why.<br />
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As well as the legendary 11th, 16th and 18th - I was stunned by the unique fairway of the 14th hole dissected by a Y-shaped depression, the artful bunkering of the barranca-flanked 15th green and the simplicity of the downhill two-shot 12th - another hole to make use of the barranca.<br />
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Back to my car to grab my clubs and begin the round, I had to pinch myself setting out onto the front nine - blink on the first few holes and your card could be wrecked and some great holes could be glossed over.<br />
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The 2nd green uses a hillside brilliantly and the long par three 3rd is a beautiful brute.<br />
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The clever 4th hole sums up that beyond the obvious drama of the land and beautiful bunkering, Pasatiempo hides preferred lines beside and beyond hazards as smartly as any course of MacKenzie's and utilises the more subtle rises and drops in land to create some partial blindness when you misdirect a drive.<br />
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Green speeds must be something the superintendent keeps a daily, if not hourly, eye on. Many are so steep and boldly contoured that at too great a speed they'd become un-puttable. The 16th is a poster child for that, but the par threes 5th and 8th are just as "on the edge" - and at the speed I encountered them, a heap of fun to chip to and putt on.<br />
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Passing MacKenzie's home near the 6th green was fantastic, it's just a shame the adjoining holes - the short par four 7th especially - have been hamstrung by the tree plantings necessary to improve safety on that tight area of the course.<br />
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Pasatiempo doesn't get the attention or love it deserves. Few courses have as many great holes, few courses have so many unique and special features, few courses are as beautiful without relying on external views and few courses possess as many shots that put a smile on your face. What more could you want? Get there immediately.TGGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00376867115463056393noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5006635509251013443.post-69766903659668435312012-08-17T15:35:00.000+10:002013-05-28T15:50:10.769+10:00Pine Valley (Short)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<i>The opening hole on the Short Course replicated the famous 10th at Pine Valley, complete with mini Devil's Asshole!</i><br />
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<i>The approach to the main course's 13th hole is recreated as the 7th hole of the Short Course</i><br />
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<i>The best is saved for last - it's uncanny how similar this recreation is to the actual approach to the 2nd green </i><br />
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Course name: <b>Pine Valley (Short)</b><br />
Location: <b>Clementon, New Jersey</b><br />
<strike>Four</strike> Three Word Course Review: <b>Perfection's little brother</b><br />
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What does a club do when it already has the best greatest golf course in the world and a hundred acres to spare? Build a few of the best holes again!<br />
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There was never any point in Pine Valley Golf Club supplementing its World #1 course with another 18-holer, but this 10-hole course is the perfect way to prepare for, or relax after, your lap around the main course.<br />
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<a href="http://theglobalgolfer.blogspot.com.au/2010/10/pine-valley.html" target="_blank">Pine Valley</a>'s Short Course is a genius concept - take some of the best shots from the finest golf course in the world and replicate in a condensed series.<br />
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It gives you one more chance to tackle the approach shots to the 2nd, 13th ,16th, 17th, three of the par threes (3, 10, 14) and the final two-thirds of the most difficult hole I've ever come across: the par five 15th.<br />
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What's more, approaching the greens that replicate par fours and fives is done from the same awkward lies you find on the big course and without the use of a tee.</div>
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As well as those facsimile holes, the 4th and 9th holes are originals by course creators Ernie Ransome and Tom Fazio.</div>
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As a further benefit to the club, the Short Course provides an opportunity for new or different greenkeeping practices to be carried out on "in play" holes within the same environment without taking risks on Crump and Colt's masterpiece.</div>
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TGGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00376867115463056393noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5006635509251013443.post-73963115442256989972012-08-14T21:00:00.000+10:002013-05-28T21:19:05.085+10:00Lancaster<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<i>The 2nd green takes advantage of a commanding position</i><br />
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<i>The 8th hole is reminiscent of the 14th at Rolling Green, but boasts a more spacious location</i><br />
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<i>A deceptively steep back-to-front slope makes the 17th tougher to par than it might immediately appear</i><br />
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Course name: <b>Lancaster</b><br />
Location: <b>Lancaster, Pennsylvania</b><br />
Four Word Course Review:<b> Amish golf (simple & traditional!)</b><br />
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Ninety minutes out of Philadelphia, Lancaster CC has one significant advantage over the courses in the city - an expansive site in rolling hills with longer views.<br />
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That more generous setting creates a real feeling of expansive scale to the land over which William Flynn routed a course that twists and turns on itself with surprises around every corner.<br />
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Like at Philadelphia’s Rolling Green, Flynn showed himself at Lancaster to be a master of using steep land - creating holes that encounter the hillsides from all angles and taking advantage of the really steep stuff to set up dramatic shots like the drive across the river at the par four 3rd and the ridge-to-ridge par three 8th.<br />
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Lengths vary greatly, but short par fours such as the 4th, 5th and 16th are full of challenge thanks to the great use of land and smart hazard placement.<br />
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And where the land hasn’t got its own magic, smart green placement makes the likes of the skyline 2nd and riverside 7th genuine highlights.<br />
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The result is a course that peppers you with a series of new challenges while retaining a collective character that ties the holes together. The warm, welcoming club is an added reason to make the drive to Lancaster - the post-round drinks and meal overlooking the course as afternoon slipped into night remains a lasting highlight of my time spent travelling in America.TGGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00376867115463056393noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5006635509251013443.post-6785240418496181822012-08-14T15:04:00.000+10:002013-05-28T21:47:06.535+10:00Rolling Green<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<i>No time wasted up front, the opening tee shot is one of the most thrilling on the course, the fairway increasingly deflecting your ball sideways the further right you go</i><br />
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<i>Old photos show a vastly different LHS bunker - the larger renovated bunker creates much better scale and draws your eye away from the green</i><br />
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<i>The creek adds interest to your drive at the par five 7th and the approach is well-bunkered to make you question going for the green in two</i><br />
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<i>Who says uphill par threes can't be great holes? The defense presents the 10th at Rolling Green</i><br />
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<i>Playing from ridge to ridge over a steep valley, the 14th is a monster. Next time I'll probably lay up</i><br />
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Course name: <b>Rolling Green</b><br />
Location: <b>Philadelphia, Pennsylvania</b><br />
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My home town of Sydney has a heap of steep terrain, particulalr in its northern suburbs. Sadly none of the courses in that area had William Flynn involved in their creation, or they'd be a hell of a lot better than they are!<br />
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That thought returned to the front of my mind time and time again as I toured Rolling Green and saw the innovative ways Flynn got the best out of steep terrain by finding smart greensites and avoiding some genuinely unusable land by siting par threes from ridge to ridge.<br />
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Despite the limited ways to use such land, the course is loaded with variety and the putting surfaces work with the natural fall of the land, creating a set of greens where contour is only used where the green is on flatter ground, such as at the par five 7th.<br />
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The par threes were the highlight for me, with a recent bunkler renovation adding to the drama of the mid iron 3rd, natural drapery of the uphill 10th and the drama of the cross-canyon 14th.<br />
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The par fives also stand out in my memory: a well-placed creek and fun greensite at the 7th, the challenge of the marathon 9th climbing a steady hill for more than 600 yards and the tumbling downhill-then-uphill 18th.<br />
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There’s nothing flashy about Rolling Green, just smart use of steep land to create a course that keeps you entertained and engaged the whole way around.<br />
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<br /></div>TGGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00376867115463056393noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5006635509251013443.post-46562531517889818332012-08-13T20:55:00.000+10:002013-02-21T11:09:31.415+11:00Glen Mills<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<i>A centreline bunker at the 2nd hole rewards a drive that hugs the more challenging left-hand side</i><br />
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<i>A man-made quarry that comes into play whether laying up or going for the green makes the par five 4th such a standout</i><br />
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<i>Though shorter than most Redans, the 14th retains many of the features that make the original hole and its imitators so fun and interesting</i><br />
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Course name: <b>The Golf Course at Glen Mills</b><br />
Location: <b>Glen Mills, Pennsylvania</b><br />
Four Word Course Review: <b>Worth seeing for highlights</b><br />
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I generally pay little attention to the particulars of a club attached to a course when considering its merits, but in this case Glen Mills' standing as part of a reform school giving troubled teens a final chance before prison gave me an extra good feeling in paying my green fee and heading to the first tee.<br />
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Golfers often celebrate the game's ability to build character and networks and I can't help but feel the game's lessons are the sort of thing an off-the-rails teenager could use in their life.<br />
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The course opens with a pair of strong dogleg left par fours, the 1st with a fun downhill approach to a bold green and the second using a smart centreline bunker that obscures the green to encourage a brave drive down the left.<br />
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The 4th, ending a fine opening stretch, is a clever par five utilising a faux quarry to build excitement and interest into the second shot.<br />
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That run of holes is set in an open parkland that, along with the surrounding countryside and building architecture, had me feeling like I was back in southern England.<br />
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The second half of the front nine can't match those early heights, but the long iron or wood shots at the par three 7th and into the par four 9th green are highlights.<br />
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After an extreme drop shot par three at the 10th that is probably too extreme, the back nine has standout moments at the short par four 12th, Redan 14th and par five 15th with its Biarritz green.<br />
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The testing final hole is another example of how this course at its best is a thrill, but when it gets too tight - as it does in stages on both nines - it's a joyless slog.<br />
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Glen Mills is definitely worth playing, it's just a shame the tightrope 6th, 11th and 17th holes couldn't have some greater width and the par three 5th, 10th and 16th lack the feeling that they do more than connect longer, better holes.TGGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00376867115463056393noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5006635509251013443.post-69574999365152674892012-08-11T23:05:00.000+10:002012-12-24T23:41:40.483+11:00Sand Hills<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<i>The view from the 1st tee sets the tone for the great golf and breathtaking landscape that awaits around every turn</i><br />
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<i>The 2nd green slides off a hillside at one boundary of the course, overlooking a few hundred more acres of ideal golf land that explains how Coore and Crenshaw were able to discover a good few hundred possible holes here before settling on the 18 they built</i><br />
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<i>The 4th hole proves just as interesting and fun to play down gale as into a howling wind, true elasticity</i><br />
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<i>At the 5th green, a small ridge creates plenty of putting interest and rewards the most accurate of approach shots</i><br />
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<i>The 7th green's slope away from the bunker makes any recovery from the sand exponentially more difficult</i><br />
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<i>The 8th hole is a standout, largely because of the greenfront bunker that changes the preferred side of the fairway depending on the pin position and also adds some extra framing to the amphitheatre green</i><br />
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<i>This bunker at the 16th is an example of the bold drive bunkers at Sand Hills</i><br />
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<i>The majestic 17th hole</i><br />
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<i>A long par four closing hole is most fun played from the back tee, tucked way to the left so the massive drive bunker must be encountered rather than bypassed</i><br />
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Course name: <b>Sand Hills</b><br />
Location: <b>Mullen, Nebraska</b><br />
Four Word Course Review: <b>Post hoc, propter hoc</b><br />
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It only takes one walk around Sand Hills to understand why it inspired a new generation of golf architects and developers to build great courses free of unimportant excesses.<br />
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The way the land, bunkers and greens combine to create a series of intriguing holes is evident as you play, but looking across the course from Ben's Porch (behind the 9th green) or from one of the property's high points, you see how the small features that make the holes flow into the large landforms that give the site its interest.<br />
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The story goes that Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw discovered all bar one of the course's bunkers (that short of the 8th green, which makes the hole such a highlight), before shaping the rough expanses of sand into bunkers that evolve daily as the sand is blown around and out of them. Even if that's a slight embellishment, the way those bunkers snuggle into dunes and ridges gives the impression they were crafted by the wind, as the bunkers of the very first golf courses were.<br />
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The bunker that generates the most discussion is the cavern short left of the 4th green that's deeper than a drunk poet and bigger than Rhode Island, but fondest in my memory is the diagonal sea of sand at the 15th, inviting you to steer as far to the right as possible for a better shot into the domed, false-fronted green.<br />
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A similar bunker makes the finishing hole so much fun to play (especially off the back tee that maximises the dogleg), while a large bunker that hugs the front left of the short par four 7th's green, with the putting surface sloping away, creates wildly divergent strategies depending on wind and pin position.<br />
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Equally significant in the course's quality and feeling of simplicity are the greens - most of them using natural slopes and simple features to create interest.<br />
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The subtle tilt of the 7th green is an example, as are the false front and side-by-side tiers of the 2nd green, lengthways ridge in the 5th green, domed 9th and skyline 11th putting surfaces and sidehill 16th green.<br />
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Most impressive having played the course in strong winds that saw the 4th require a four iron approach one day and half a gap wedge the next is that every hole was just as playable in one wind as it was in the other, and where consecutive driveable par fours at the 7th and 8th might seem odd, by playing in opposite directions you'll always have a good chance of driving the green on one and will have to formulate a smart drive-and-pitch strategy on the other.<br />
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The routing, taking advantage of a large bowl surrounded by high dunes, gives a feeling of spaciousness all the way around with only a few instances where the walking golfer has to go the long way along a formed path or trek through difficult terrain to travel direct to the fairway (1 and 9 come to mind immediately).<br />
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The par fives are as much of a star here as on the other Coore courses I've played, from the rollicking opener than winds its way to a benched green, to the 14th and its small well-bunkered putting surface and the standout 16th, driving over a fantastic bunker before a well-defended lay-up and sterling green (mentioned above) that takes great skill to negotiate successfully.<br />
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The flipside of the above is that I've tended to find Coore's par threes the weak point of his courses and I'm inclined to say the same is the case here. The 3rd and 13th do little more than link much finer longer holes and the 6th lacks the aesthetic flow of the rest of the course, though has an interesting green. The 17th, however, plays even better than it photographs - and lord knows a lot of rounds have slowed down and just as many SD cards filled up at the penultimate tee. The green is tiny and offset, and set just high enough above the tee that you might not realise that it plays uphill until you're caught in the front left bunker.<br />
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Even without what is a fantastically rustic experience off the course (and one of the best star-filled night skies I have seen), Sand Hills is a unique and thrilling experience and one that golfers should be immensely thankful for given it led directly to so many other modern masterpieces being built.TGGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00376867115463056393noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5006635509251013443.post-15324924709226332042012-08-09T19:56:00.000+10:002013-06-02T22:53:55.182+10:00Ballyneal<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<i>The 3rd is a striking hole visually, but it looks more exciting than it plays</i>
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<i>Not only is the view from the 4th tee breathtaking, the hole begins a rollicking run of engaging holes laid out over thrilling land</i><br />
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<i>The multi-tiered 8th green makes the hole, its angle to the direction of approach creating questions on the lay-up and approach</i><br />
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<i>The 15th green is both beautiful and fun to play, but calling for a hybrid or wood shot for most, over a high front bank, there's too much chance at play for my taste</i><br />
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Course name: <b>Ballyneal</b><br />
Location: <b>Holyoke, Colorado</b><br />
Four Word Course Review: <b>Links golf's American cousin</b><br />
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Ballyneal - as well as other prairieland courses in the central US - is often referred to as inland links, and being a lover of links golf, visiting was always a high priority.<br />
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The changes in elevation set this apart from traditional links golf, the course retaining much of the links shotmaking interest while having a strong character of its own.<br />
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The land, holes and environment are relentlessly bold, giving the course an extreme, unbridled and exciting (if slightly unpredictable the first time around) personality.<br />
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The extreme drop from the 4th tee to fairway is not something you'd expect to see on a traditional links and the land around the middle of the back nine is wilder and steeper than linksland tends to be, allowing the concepts of traditional golf to be suited to a foreign (but still entirely conducive) setting.<br />
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Width off the tee is the order of the day, making it easy to find short grass but less so to identify and play to the ideal line to the pin - with those lines changing markedly when the flag is moved.<br />
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The greens are on par with the best of what I have seen from Renaissance Golf Design, highlighted by the strongly segmented 6th green, E-shaped duneside putting surface of the driveable 7th, three-tiered 8th, Sitwellesque 12th, punchbowl 15th and sweeping 17th.<br />
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There's significant enjoyment to be had from the other 12 greens, too. Several make use of striking locations rather than internal contours (3, 11 and 14 come to mind), while tiny greenfront bunkers add plenty of approach (and recovery) interest at the 5th and 16th.<br />
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The bunkering elsewhere also warrants particular mention, some of it adding to the rustic aesthetic (at the 3rd, for instance) without coming much into play, but the likes of the cavernous 8th hole fairway trap, hillside bunker inside the dogleg at 12 and tiny centreline drive bunker at the 14th dominate the way you look to play those holes.<br />
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If something limits the momentum that could be gained by so many strengths working in unison, for me it might be the par threes. The 3rd is gorgeous but looks more interesting than it plays, 11 is tough but lacking charm and the long 15th has a great greensite but is too much of a crapshoot for my taste. That leaves the 5th as a standout - its fronting bunker a highlight and the green, dropping low at the back, providing all the putting and recovery interest and variety you could ask for.<br />
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With towering dunes blocking most long views on the course (though the view from the 4th tee goes for maybe 40 miles!), there's a real feeling of isolation and solitude at Ballyneal - aided of course by the fact that you're in the very definition of the middle of nowhere, 1500 miles from any coastline.<br />
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Above all, Ballyneal is home to all that makes golf fun: undulating land, interesting and varied shotmaking (with conditioning that encourages imaginative use of the ground), challenging putting surfaces, a wonderful walk and the most important factor of all - the wind, which is maximised by a routing that constantly shifts the direction of play.TGGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00376867115463056393noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5006635509251013443.post-88219996876035144092012-08-07T18:54:00.000+10:002012-12-14T22:47:57.805+11:00Prairie Dunes<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<i>Looking back up the opening hole, with the 3rd green in the distance</i><br />
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<i>The brilliant par three second is a standout thanks to the tiny and steep green, demanding precision distance control</i><br />
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<i>The unique hybrid links/heath/park character of Prairie Dunes is evident in this picture of the 6th</i><br />
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<i>The 8th green is an imposing target with the wind howling and a long iron in your hand</i><br />
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<i>Perhaps the toughest drive of the day is saved for last - and the approach shot to a deceptively narrow putting surface isn't much easier</i><br />
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Course name:<b> Prairie Dunes</b><br />
Location: <b>Hutchinson, Kansas</b><br />
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When you spend 21.5 consecutive hours on three plane flights to get somewhere, you expect to be rewarded for your effort.<br />
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The best Wichita offered was a kindly innkeeper who answered the age-old question of what Newt Gingrich would look like were he morbidly obese and an amusing 13-year-old Eminem clone who was intent on fighting me to impress his girlfriend (though the Old Town area is beautiful and the microbrewery does a great IPA).<br />
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But an hour north, Prairie Dunes really is something special.<br />
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Not many golf courses are genuinely unique, but Prairie Dunes unquestionably is. The dunes are heaving and the land wonderfully rippled, but it's certainly not a links.<br />
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The gunch is unlike anything else I have seen, a native and unkempt combination of thick grasses and heathland-esque small plants as well as Yucca (which I soon discovered I am allergic to).<br />
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As a result, the course echoes many genres, but defies being pigeonholed.<br />
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Perry Maxwell used the best land to build the 1st, 2nd, 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th, 17th and 18th, but his son Press, who much later added the other holes to make an 18-hole course, is also responsible for some of the course's absolute highlights. I'd defy someone not clued in beforehand to tell the difference between the design and character of the two sets.<br />
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The greens are maybe the best set I have encountered - bold internal contours that tie in perfectly to the strategy of the holes, and as draped on the ground as you could wish for.<br />
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A tiny knob in the front of the 11th green may not dominate the eye, but controls much of the strategy of the hole, while false fronts and flanks play a strong role in wonderful greens at the 6th and 18th.<br />
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Above all, it possesses a lengthy list of outstanding and varied holes, a wonderful routing that makes expert use of the landforms and ever-present wind and a handful of the best greensites I have seen - the benched 2nd and 18th and dunetop 8th and 17th standouts among them.<br />
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The gunch gets a lot of talk and more than its fair share of criticism, but the corridors are generally very wide to accommodate the wind and a golfer who knows his limitations and plays within them shouldn't lose too many balls.<br />
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The journey to get to Prairie Dunes might be a lengthy one, even from within the US, but the course rewards you handsomely for making the effort.TGGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00376867115463056393noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5006635509251013443.post-19074550875499024792012-04-29T14:53:00.000+10:002012-05-01T22:02:43.491+10:00Federal<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<i>Unfortunate that the club looked within for the redesign of the 6th green, which requires a long iron approach and bizarrely aims at about 60 degrees off centre, into an area of rough and thick trees</i></div>
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<i>Worth the visit alone is the par five 7th, which offers up this approach shot to a gorgeous green cascading out of the hillside</i></div>
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<i>Not arresting visually, but presenting all the ingredients of a great golf hole, the 8th rises slightly from tee to green, making a recovery shot from the fronting bunkers more likely</i></div>
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<i>Is there a dodgier tree in the game of golf than this gum dominating the left side of the 9th fairway, where a diagonal string of bunkers would both look wonderful and add tremendous interest to the drive?</i><br />
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<i>A steep ridge in the left side of the fairway guards the prime driving line at the 11th hole
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<i>The rise and fall of the land is well utilised at the 15th, where a drive over the fairway trap will catch the hill and kick within wedge distance of the fierce two-tier green, its back deck shallow and domed</i><br />
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<i>A majestic view of the Brindabella Ranges from the 17th tee is unfortunately restricted by a few dozen of the surplus trees that choke the course in places</i><br />
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Course name: <b>Federal</b><br />
Location: <b>Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia</b><br />
Four Word Course Review: <b>Bolstered by ideal land</b><br />
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Nowhere is it more apparent that good land makes for quality golf than at Federal GC in Canberra.<br />
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Subtle but treacherous greens, smart bunkering and thoughtful use of the landforms make for constant fun, interest and challenge. The design isn't genius, but its application on such a property elevates the course above similar efforts on flatter tracts.<br />
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The significant difference in elevation between the 9th green and 11th tee is managed smartly, meaning few holes rise or fall dramatically and most of them use slope in interesting ways.<br />
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Ironically, the hole where change of elevation plays the greatest role might be the 8th -- a mid-length par three on maybe the flattest area of the course. Imperceptible from the tee is that the green -- narrow and severely bunkered at the front before climbing to a wider back section -- is higher than the green, leading to the likelihood of underclubbing and ending up in the sand.<br />
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It's just one of four quality par threes, the others all playing downhill, with the 3rd and 12th calling for a long iron or wood for most, with steep slopes fronting the green. The 16th's green is not entirely unklike that of the 8th, but the shot is played significantly downhill.<br />
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Most notable among the par fours are the side-hill 2nd; uphill, dogleg left 9th that screams out for an obnoxious tree on the left of the drive to be replaced with diagonal bunkering to introduce temptation; the short 11th with its prime driving line defended by a steep, angled ridge and the beautiful 14th with its downhill drive through a valley and uphill approach to a benched green.<br />
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The par fives occupy fine land but lack interest in their second shots, save for the 7th, where a large bunker cuts into a hillside on the drive (which could benefit from some flanking native rough to blend the bunker more into its setting) tempting the golfer to flirt with or fly it for a chance at getting home in two to the treacherous green, which cascades downhill from a high point on the left about a third of the way back.<br />
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Set into a hillside, the green's shapes are natural and the resulting approaches, recoveries and putts all rank among the most interesting on the course because of the putting surface.<br />
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As a general rule the greens use a predominantly back-to-front slope with subtle internal contours to add difficulty and accentuate the importance of positioning the ball below the hole, while many also reward thoughtful placement to set up the approach shot.<br />
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The setting is also a particular attraction here, with the course set in a peaceful bushland valley populated by kangaroos only two kilometres from Australia's parliament house -- as central a location as playing golf in London's Hyde Park or New York's Central Park.<br />
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The exact bloodline of Federal is cloudy -- Alec Russell (Royal Melbourne (East) and Paraparaumu Beach, as well as partnering Alister MacKenzie on Royal Melbourne's famous West course) selected the site and prepaped a design, but it's not known how much of that plan was utilised by initial architect James Scott.<br />
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Prosper Ellis then remodelled the course and added a second nine, creating the course more or less as it is today, save for committee-designed alterations to the likes of the long par four 6th and 18th holes, which both feature poor greens out of touch with the shots required to approach them and account for the two genuine disappointments on the course.<br />
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Both holes bring to mind MacKenzie's maxim that the price of obtaining professional advice is very small compared to the cost of proceeding without it.<br />
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It's in praise, not criticism, of the course that I say the potential here is immense. What's currently on the ground might not be such that the course deserves to be considered among the country's best few dozen courses, but it's sufficient that you can easily see what could be with some smart alterations by an architect that views a golf course as primarily a field of play and not a garden or tree farm.TGGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00376867115463056393noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5006635509251013443.post-24473405654064144802012-02-22T23:15:00.000+11:002012-04-23T16:43:23.562+10:00Thirteenth Beach (Beach)<a href="http://img43.imageshack.us/img43/6361/20120222153727.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://img43.imageshack.us/img43/6361/20120222153727.jpg" /></a><br />
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<i>The green of the par five 4th has an open front for those approaching in two shots, but is still a testing target, pushed up slightly and well-shaped, for someone hitting a wedge for their third shot</i><br />
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<i>This picture by <b>David Scaletti</b>, from <b>planetgolf.com.au</b> Forgetting my camera and having to rely on a camera phone was a mistake, never moreso than at the 16th, a sensational short par three, so I have borrowed this picture to illustrate what a perfect green it has for a hole of that length</i><br />
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<i>The 17th is among the holes that are undoubtedly overbunkered, but its green is well set into the hillside and demands a pinpoint approach</i><br />
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<i>The home hole is away from the rugged seaside dunes, but the bold bunkers help to tie it and the other inland holes together with those in the best land, while the sunken, multi-tiered green is one of the most interesting on the course</i><br />
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Course name: <b>Thirteenth Beach (Beach)</b><br />
Location: <b>Barwon Heads, Victoria, Australia</b><br />
Four Word Course Review: <b>Interesting, surprising, but over-bunkered</b><br />
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One of the great things about courses from the 1800s and the first third of the 20th Century is how regularly they feature something unexpected -- often utilising a landform or natural feature that too often in the modern era would be manipulated, filled or flattened.<br />
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Thirteenth Beach came to life alongside Barwon Heads GC less than a decade ago, designed by Tony Cashmore, and takes its name from the beach named after its neighbour course's fantastic back nine drop-shot par three.<br />
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Despite being so new, the course features regular surprises in the way the land is used that would evoke feelings of the Golden Age were it not for the surplus bunkers on almost every hole that reminds you this was built in the era of ample access to earthmoving.<br />
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Too regularly there are two or three bunkers where one would suffice and in the unfortunate example of the par five 14th, ridiculous "mushrooms" that litter an otherwise imposing hillside drive bunker. That detracts significantly from a hazard that could have been a real feature, the way similar sprawling excavations are highlights of the 1st, 9th and 17th.<br />
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Perhaps if Cashmore had been forced to dig all his bunkers himself with a shovel, that largesse could have been avoided...<br />
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But it's important not to get too hung up on the overload of bunkering, because there is so much to like about the golf course, not least of all the way it uses some wonderful, sandy seaside land and maximises the lesser areas of the property with features like the strategically strong par four 2nd hole (despite the overbunkered drive), imaginative par five 4th -- which wraps around a natural salt lake -- and the sunken, multi-tier 18th green that plays visual games and demands absolute precision.<br />
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Highlights in the better land include the smartly-bunkered par five 11th, with the added interest of a small crossing dune and centreline bunker at the natural lay-up zone 90-100m from the green as well as a three highly memorable par threes that utilise some of the best terrain on the course.<br />
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The 7th drops steeply to a clover-shaped bowl green more than 150m away, with the length and reliable impact of wind combining to add interest, while once on the green there's tremendous benefit to hitting the same section of green as the pin.<br />
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Of greatest interest at the 12th -- also about 150m -- is the way the green wraps around its fronting bunkers, while the way it sits against a hillside of natural scrub is also a highlight.<br />
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But there can be no doubt in identifying the best one-shotter: the 16th, which weighs in at less than 110m from the back tee and is likely to be under three figures most days. Like the 7th at Barnbougle Dunes just across Bass Strait, it's a tantalising mix of humble length and treacherous green, bunkered boldly to the left and with a fronting slope that will reject tentative approaches. What's even more magnificent here is its placement so late in the round, necessitating deft touch when nerves are reaching their most raw.<br />
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The weaknesses of the 14th have already been mentioned, and the only other real disappointment also comes at a par five -- the 6th being sadly neutered by a forced lay-up drive short of a wetland, with a high, bunkered dune on the right removing a brave drive down the narrow neck of fairway from the list of options. After another dull lay-up it's time to pitch to a too-busy green. It's disappointing from the tee box to the bottom of the hole.<br />
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Underpinning the many great holes -- and making the whole as special as it is -- is the routing, which initially heads inland with smart design over land that while still blessed with movement, lacks the interaction with the dunes and natural vegetation that makes the seaside holes that little bit more memorable. There's then a great run through the dunes at the end of the front side, the aforementioned 7th and two demanding par fours after it creating maybe the toughest stretch on the course. The 10th links you back to the coastline, where the virtues of the course have already been mentioned, heading inland at the 14th before dipping back into the prime land for that great 16th and the 17th -- a par four with natural strengths that are hurt by superfluous bunkering.<br />
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What's most striking is the well-paced flow between inland holes and those on the seaside during the final two-thirds of the course and though the land varies, the quality and character of the holes is remarkably consistent.<br />
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Though I've steered clear of it here to focus on this course's qualities, there's an interesting comparison and contrast to be explored between Thirteenth Beach (Beach) and Barwon Heads GC next door -- their strengths and weaknesses are both so varied and their characters so different.<br />
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And while Barwon Heads might have a better reputation, I'm not convinced there's much between the two in terms of quality or -- maybe most importantly -- fun.TGGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00376867115463056393noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5006635509251013443.post-87151658879784728322012-02-22T15:10:00.005+11:002012-02-26T21:44:56.435+11:00Barwon Heads<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://img14.imageshack.us/img14/6230/201202220831a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://img14.imageshack.us/img14/6230/201202220831a.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><i>The course's links land and great links conditioning are evident in this shot across the 3rd, 5th and 6th holes back towards the clubhouse</i><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://img545.imageshack.us/img545/3518/20120222101214.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://img545.imageshack.us/img545/3518/20120222101214.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><i>I'm torn between the 11th greens great playability and the fact it's quite out of character with what comes before it</i><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://img805.imageshack.us/img805/5449/20120222074109.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://img805.imageshack.us/img805/5449/20120222074109.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><i>The 9th green of the par three course is indicative of what's to be found on the pitch-and-putt</i><br />
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Course name: <b>Barwon Heads</b><br />
Location: <b>Barwon Heads, Victoria, Australia</b><br />
Four Word Course Review: <b>High highs, but inconsistent</b><br />
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Barwon Heads comes charging out of the gate like few other courses, the 1st hole featuring wild fairway contours and a wonderful green that uses a false front in perhaps the most effective way, set above the golfer's head as he approaches and paired with a skyline greensite -- the fear of going long meaning many will stand disappointed in the fairway and watch their ball roll back towards them.<br />
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At just a touch over 300 metres, the hole encapsulates why the course length of 5500 metres is in no way representative of what you're in for.<br />
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A natural hardpan area is well used at the dogleg right 3rd - setting up a tempting diagonal drive before the fairway climbs to a high green, while the 4th is a par three reminiscent of Rye in its character and bold greensite.<br />
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The 6th is the final hole on the eastern paddock, another short par four over large undulations that is perhaps one of the best two or three holes on the course, the green well-defended at its flanks and set at an angle to favour the hard-to-hold higher right-hand-side.<br />
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As you cross the road, the most consistent and stirring stretch of golf is behind you, and though there are several undeniable highlights to come, the joy of Barwon Heads is never greater than in that first third of the course.<br />
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The 8th's valley setting and broken ground make for a wonderful par three where hidden land short of the green means it looks more imposing from the tee than is the reality, but it is bookended by two weaker mid-length par fours with somewhat forced lay-up drives and uninspiring greens.<br />
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The raised 11th green is quite different from what has come before, but extremely demanding in its domed shape. The green is the first major break in the course's character and is followed in that vein by the likes of the 14th, 16th green and par three 17th -- all of which detract from the whole, in both quality and cohesion.<br />
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But the final third is then lifted by the delicate drop-shot wedge that is the 13th, a smartly-bunkered par four over flat ground at the 15th and the lion's share of the 16th until the new green. The 18th isn't a magical hole to rival the course's best, but the green has some interest around it and the land and setting are both good, making it a worthy close, finishing by the beautiful near-century-old clubhouse.<br />
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There's a joy to be found at Barwon Heads that is driven by the low-key links architecture where the land is king, the greens a great example of simple slopes that aren't busy to the eye, but that are fascinating to play.<br />
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In significant amounts Barwon Heads reminds me of both Rye in southern England and, across the English Channel near Boulogne, Le Touquet's La Mer course. The land is undeniably linksy and ranges from bold to extremely subtle, and the large frontal ridge that separates the course from the coast is also a common feature. The larger vegetation than is found on most links is another feature that unites Barwon Heads and Le Touquet.<br />
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Also worthy of mention are the club's fantastic practice area and par three course. Though it's unfortunate the par three course's holes are almost all in the 70 to 80-metre range with little variety, the greens are a fun set and it's a great way to warm up or cool down from a round on the big course.TGGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00376867115463056393noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5006635509251013443.post-1206466468225037682011-09-28T20:32:00.001+10:002014-01-07T21:42:52.427+11:00Yale<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<i>I love the way the 4th green slides naturally off the hillside</i><br />
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<i>A look at the brilliant 8th from the tee</i><br />
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<i>The Biarritz is every bit as amazing as you hope it will be - unfortunate about the front pin</i><br />
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<i>Looking back from behind the green at the Alps hole</i><br />
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<i>Far from a pure Redan, but the 13th is a great hole nonetheless</i><br />
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<i>The Principal's Nose and Double Plateau unite at the 17th</i><br />
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Course name: <b>Yale</b><br />
Location: <b>New Haven, Connecticut, USA</b><br />
Four Word Course Review: <b>The boldest you'll encounter</b><br />
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One of the downsides of the "family" of template holes Macdonald and Raynor built -- particularly their quartet of par threes -- is the ease with which those like holes are compared.<br />
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As a result, the discussion of some fantastic holes will be framed negatively because of a direct comparison to the Redan at National, Short at Fishers Island or Biarritz at Yale, whereas the same hole were it not a template would be discussed only in terms of its own merits.<br />
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An example of that is an analysis of Yale's par threes such as this from Darius Oliver's fantastic "Planet Golf USA" book:<br />
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"Interestingly, the par threes here are the same foursome found at the nearby Fishers Island Club, and again they show the limits of imitation versus creation. Although the Short, Redan and Eden holes are quite good, they are not among Raynor’s best and these replicas do get less interesting the more of them you see."<br />
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Were the Short 5th, Redan 13th and Eden 15th three unnamed holes by another architect, they would be discussed for their many strengths instead of compared to some of the best holes in golf.<br />
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When talk turns to underrated and underappreciated golf courses, Yale deserves to be the first topic of conversation. The course is filled with unique and memorable holes and features, and set on an enormous scale.<br />
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The two-tiered front right down to back left green at the 1st introduces you to the bold features that dominate the course and while the opening six holes might not contain the highlights of the round, the approach shot to an angled green flanked by extremely deep bunkers at the 2nd, steep and well-bunkered green at the 4th and small, elevated green at the Short 5th are other highlights of the stretch.<br />
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The gorgeous 7th presents a testing uphill approach to a ski slope of a green from a low valley fairway, before one of the best 1-2 punches in golf at the 8th and 9th.<br />
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The 8th bends left somewhat in the manner of a Cape hole and the second shot can be shortened by taking the risky left-hand line -- which also gives best use of the green's kickpad, but by driving down the right you can place your ball behind a channel (they call it Raynor's Notch) cut in a ridge that runs across the fairway, giving you a precious look at the green where otherwise the approach is blind.<br />
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The greenside bunkering is an even more muscular taste of what was presented at the 2nd hole.<br />
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And then comes the Biarritz 9th.<br />
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When I was about 13 years old and had just fallen for the game of golf in a big way my grandad had a book called "How To Play Par Threes". It featured 18 of the world's best one-shotters and the author played them with the club pro, who detailed the smart way to play the hole for different levels of player. I immediately noticed there was something cool about this hole and -- 10,000 miles away in country Australia -- lamented the fact I would never play it.<br />
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But then one thing led to another and lo and behold I was standing on the tee here with a club in hand and butterflies in my stomach. There's not much to say that hasn't already been said, but I will say there is no way a photo can do this setting or the green justice. It's a marvellous hole, with immense "butt pucker" factor.<br />
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Golf doesn't come more dramatic than the mid-length par four 10th. A drive over a ridge to a blind landing area, an approach 40ft or so uphill, a green with a steep slope between tiers. One I'd have described as "a love/hate hole" if I had ever met a single person who doesn't love it! One thing it certainly is is one of the most hard-earned pars on the course.<br />
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The quirk continues at the uphill par four 12th -- Alps -- two more blind shots and another green with a steep tier, but this time sideways, putting a premium on accuracy with what's likely to be a short iron.<br />
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The 13th might be called Redan, but played downhill and with a false front to the green it's no purebreed, but it's certainly a great one-shotter, with the green shifting the ball to the left as any Redan should.<br />
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The 14th (Knoll) and 15th (Eden) each ask for fun shots to the green, the former testing short iron accuracy like the 5th, but this time from an almost certain downhill/sidehill lie -- a great shot to be asked to hit as you enter the business end of the round.<br />
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The 16th is a regrettable low point after the incredible run from the 7th to 15th, but the final two holes return to the bold design that makes Yale such fun and such a sensory overload, the 17th teaming a Double Plateau green with a Principal's Nose bunker complex and the 18th a super long par five over the most dramatic terrain on the course.<br />
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I defy you to play Yale and not enjoy yourself. At the very least you'll get a handful of the best holes in the game and a heap of memorable shots that you just won't encounter elsewhere.TGGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00376867115463056393noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5006635509251013443.post-71918311462108491832011-09-25T22:23:00.001+10:002011-11-27T23:26:55.413+11:00National Golf Links of America<a href="http://img705.imageshack.us/img705/1790/img0345px.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://img705.imageshack.us/img705/1790/img0345px.jpg" /></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
Course name: <b>National Golf Links of America</b><br />
Location: <b>Southampton, New York, United States of America</b><br />
Four Word Course Review: <b>The original and best</b><br />
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Charles Blair Macdonald's masterpiece. America's first great golf course. The birthplace of template holes. National Golf Links of America is among the most important golf courses in the world for a number of reasons.<br />
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Most importantly, National is as packed with thrilling and fun shots as any course I have played, is home to maybe the best set of greens I've seen, is built on fantastic land for golf in a beautiful location, is playable for any standard of golfer and is far from a pushover despite modest length.<br />
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That is a remarkable list of attributes.<br />
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And where criticism of the Macdonald/Raynor style often includes the words "unnatural" and "engineered", National is a perfect example of the fact that the two need not be mutually exclusive.<br />
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This really is golf at its absolute best. Disregarding the history, the exclusivity, the lobsters and the Southsides, the golf course is everything you could want. The rest is just extremely welcome window dressing!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://img851.imageshack.us/img851/9045/img0346c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://img851.imageshack.us/img851/9045/img0346c.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><b>The routing:</b> The course begins in the bottom right of the above picture and heads towards the top of the frame, staying on the right of the course, before the back nine begins at the middle of the picture and snakes its way back to the 18th, seen sitting beside the water at the bottom.<br />
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Significant changes of direction come at the 2nd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 9th, 10th, 11th, 13th, 14th and 18th -- showing once more that an out and back routing needn't mean that the wind will be hitting you from the same predictable directions all day.<br />
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At the top centre-left of the picture is Shinnecock Hills and Sebonack Golf Club now occupies the wooded area on the right.<br />
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<b>1st - Valley - 315 yards</b> <i>All yardages from the green "regular" tees, which measure 6505 yards. The "championship" course is 6935 yards and the "short" course is 5771 yards. From all three tees the course plays to a par of 72.</i><br />
The opening drive may be the most unnerving on the course. It looks more narrow than it plays, but at such a modest length an iron is a definite option. The temptation is to drive down the left to avoid a blind second over the centre-right fairway bunker to maybe the most complex, wild green on the course, though that requires a longer carry over rough and blind bunkers. The yardage screams "birdie", but there can't be too many golfers who are disappointed to write down "4" as they walk to the 2nd tee.<br />
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<b>2nd - Sahara - 290 yards</b><br />
The first of several blind drives, with but ample room right for a safer tee shot. The green can be reached, but doing so requires a brave line roughly half-way between the sand and windmill in the picture below. Those trying their luck at reaching the green can't afford to err to the right, where the fairway falls away dramatically, feeding the ball towards rough, or at best an uphill half wedge from a sidehill lie to a slightly domed green that's largely sloping away from you! As with many holes to come, your potential for distance is only as good as your likelihood of successfully executing the shot, because while there are great benefits for bravery at NGLA, there is also tremendous punishment for a misguided display of brawn.<br />
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<b>3rd - Alps - 407 yards</b><br />
The first of the iconic holes. The drive is all about trying to get as far up the right-hand side as possible to reduce the blindness, or so it seemed to me. There was a little flat saucer in the right of the fairway about 270 from the tee (see second pic), leaving about 140 yards in from a level lie (rare in this fairway) -- about as ideal as you could want. About 250 yards off the tee is a little bunker to catch a ball that either doesn't fade or is drawn too strongly, and of course short and left of that is plenty of fairway for even the meekest bail-out. The boldness of the green surprised me, and unfortunately I didn't get a photo that did it justice, so you'll just have to look at the drama that leads to that green and imagine a surface in keeping with that!<br />
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<b>4th - Redan - 181 yards</b><br />
All the fantastic features of the original Redan hole at North Berwick, with the added feature of seeing your well-executed draw land at the front right and release towards the hole. While pictures of greens rarely convey a true sense of slope, I think the below image shows how the green is the perfect combination of sufficient tilt to do what a Redan should and flat areas to provide pin positions. And to those who categorise MacRaynor design as unnatural, just look how the hole sits on the the hillside as comfortably as you could want. I can understand why this hole is held as the ideal Redan.<br />
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<b>5th - Hog's Back - 451 yards</b><br />
Formerly a par five, this hole is now considered a two-shotter on the scorecard. Having avoided the central trench bunker off the tee, your long approach has every chance of running onto the green, which feeds nicely with an open front and right-hand (high) side. For me, the lion's share of the challenge is in picking and committing to the right line on the blind tee shot, with the braver line left of the bunker to a narrower finger of fairway improving the angle to the green.<br />
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<b>6th - Short - 123 yards</b><br />
Short has one of the most interesting greens on the course, with front right, front left and rear segments connected by a central bowl, where you see the pin cut below. With a wedge in hand, the demand is for precise execution. The green edges feed into bunkers in several areas, reducing the actual green area to aim at. The wind is also likely to be a factor, blowing across as you play down from the elevated tee. A great example of challenge being created without reliance on length and without stopping a golfer earning a birdie with strong play.<br />
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<b>7th - St. Andrews - 467 yards</b><br />
One thing the best courses I have played -- Royal Melbourne, Pine Valley, NGLA -- have in common is great tee shot interest courtesy of diagonal hazards that offer incremental reward for the golfer who knows his limitations, but is willing to demand all of his ability -- or savvy enough to shape a drive that turns along the length of the hazard to steal precious extra distance. They also have wonderful greens that combine artfully with tee shot strategy. Nowhere is that combination more successfully achieved than on this hole, with a natural rise providing the blindness created by the tram sheds on the original Road hole, with bunkers and tall fescue replacing the out of bounds on the 17th at The Old Course. The green is a perfect recreation of the Road Hole green's features -- severe front pot bunker, steep rise, dastardly hazard at the back of the green (a 10ft-deep bunker in this case) to demand that even if your brave drive down the right brings you in range of the green, you need to be absolutely precise to be putting for eagle. It's an ideal "par 4.5" hole with modern technology.<br />
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<b>8th - Bottle - 385 yards</b><br />
Do you thread your tee shot down the tree line on the right and come in from an angle? Do you take on the diagonal bunkers entering from the left for a flatter approach to the green? Do you split the difference and cosy up next to the central hazards? It seems to me that this is as much of a "pick your poison" tee shot as you can get and the daily conditions will contribute to your decision as much as what's on the ground. The approach is pure fear, playing over the deep front cross-bunkers to a green with a gigantic false front that is all you can see of the putting surface from even 80 yards short. With the slight uphill nature of the hole it's likely you'll have a mid iron at least for what appeared to me as one of the two or three most fearsome shots on the entire course, though putting is generally easier than elsewhere on the course once you've found the green. On a hole many will fail to reach in regulation, I also enjoyed the downslope from 60 yards and in that creates an awkward half-wedge and rewards the player who lays up smartly further back.<br />
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<b>9th - Long - 534 yards</b><br />
Another great question off the tee courtesy of the diagonal bunker that allows the player who drives down the right to avoid having to fly "Hell" bunker on the second shot. Though technology allows us to get past that deep expanse of sand more easily than in years gone by, it is still a hazard best bypassed. From the elevated tee you also see the varity of bunker styles employed at National: the deep, narrow trench bunker to carry; steep-faced expanse of sand on the left and, cutting off the fairway up the right, grade-level areas of exposed sand. All three are used well throughout the course. The approach is one of the easier wedges on the course provided your first two strikes were true, though as the sedate green slopes slightly away from you, distance control becomes tricky to a back pin.<br />
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<b>10th - Shinnecock - 420 yards</b><br />
And so, having snaked to the far reaches of the property with changes in direction after the 1st, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th and 8th, we turn for home and find the hole's namesake course through a narrow grove of trees to the right. The drive is to a wide fairway with a carry bunker easily flown to set up an approach to an enormous two-tiered green, its high back platform occupying perhaps just 20 per cent of the surface and that epic front portion blind from many points in the fairway. We are on the flatter land of the course from here until the 12th and to hold the golfer's interest, Macdonald built three of the most fascinating greens on the course. Making that small back section easier to hold, there is a steep backboard that keeps balls from running long if they are struck slightly too hard.<br />
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<b>11th - Plateau - 418 yards</b><br />
A brilliant Double Plateau green here on a flat piece of land, obviously built by man, but when it creates such interesting shots you'd be a hard marker to complain. Adding to the approach shot interest is that the target will be blocked by the mounds that protect the road crossing the fairway (which you also hit across with your drive at the 8th). The entire near side of the green is free of bunkers, so you can choose an approach -- aerial or running -- to suit the distance, pin and daily conditions.<br />
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<b>12th - Sebonac - 427 yards</b><br />
The final hole in the trio of lengthy two-shotters that begins the back nine asks for a drive over a gentle slope with a greater kick forward provided to balls that flirt with the bunkers up the left. The green is domed, with a ferocious deep bunker long and a false front short, while the golfer's approach view is unbroken until the far side of Bullhead Bay, making depth perception tricky. Like the 5th, 8th and 15th greens, there is little internal contour, but the steady slope ensures anything left above the hole will be far from a comfortable two-putt. False fronts feature on a good number of holes on the course, perhaps best at the 8th, here and the 15th -- in all three cases you feel you have far less target area than you do in reality.<br />
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<b>13th - Eden - 159 yards</b><br />
A fantastic recreation of the original hole at TOC -- a steep green, well-placed Hill and Strath bunkers, a deep trench bunker behind the green substituting for the Eden estuary and ample space on the right to cut the pin behind Strath. You can even see Shell bunker just over the maintenance road. As with the other two par threes at National, this hole turns perpendicular to the general out and back direction and plays in a prevailing crosswind. The back bunker wraps right around the right-hand side of the green.<br />
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<b>14th - Cape - 341 yards</b><br />
The major challenge here lies in choosing a line off the tee that is neither too far left, where it will find leavy rough, nor too far right, where water lurks along with sand. The fairway is the most "linksy" on the course, almost certainly making for an uneven lie and/or stance on the delicate approach. The built-up green juts out into the hazard that wraps around its right-hand side, but an open front allows for a running approach, something thankfully provided for by the conditioning.<br />
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<b>15th - Narrows - 368 yards</b><br />
The name doesn't lie. After playing to generous fairways for most of the round, this one -- still not narrow by modern standards -- feels like a single carriageway and the severity of the green means you're keen to cover every possible yard of the journey on the tee shot. The green looks like it is 90% false front, though in reality there is more room up top than it seems. But playing on your mind is a 10ft-deep bunker at the back, with the green sloping away from it -- a shot you don't ever want to leave yourself. The result is a shot like those at the 8th and 12th where both long and short are bad results and you're just trying to gentle one to any part of the green that will hold the ball.<br />
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<b>16th - Punchbowl - 394 yards</b><br />
A chance to open the shoulders, though accuracy is paramount if you want to tread the tightrope of the high ground in the centre of the fairway that separates deep bowls both left and right. The greensite, set down low over a dune as the name suggests, is subtle and understated and with the windmill set above it on the hillside it might be one of the most idyllic spots on the entire course. Of course it also provides that great thrill of hitting a solid approach and then cresting the dune in front of the green minutes later to find out where your ball settled. A great example of Macdonald (and Raynor) using the natural movement of the land in siting their templates.<br />
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<b>17th - Peconic - 342 yards</b><br />
From a high tee with an expansive view over the bay, you have to decide whether you can carry the partially-obscured trench that runs down the left at a diagonal, or if you're going to veer right and navigate over or between the central bunkers in the fairway. Either flank will afford you a view of the green, but by splitting the difference you're left behind a dune of exposed sand with just the top of the flagstick in view. With the deep bunker that sits behind the green, it's really a shot -- although only a wedge or even a pitch -- that you'd like to undertake with a clear view of the target. And with no shelter from whichever wind is blowing, your tee shot line is as dependent on the day's conditions as any shot on the course.<br />
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<b>18th - Home - 483 yards</b><br />
The drive is exciting, with two cavernous bunkers on the left and a steep drop on the right-hand bay side of the fairway, leaving an uphill, blind second to an area that is wide, but dotted with sand -- though it is more visible if you have successfully challenged the bunkers off the tee. The green provides a stern test for your final full shot of the day, running to a cliff on the right and far deeper than it might seem. To make the back pins even tougher, the green narrows at its rear and a miss to the "safe" left-hand side is no picnic either. This and the penultimate hole pair well with the opening two to create a start and finish that play far tougher than the card distance indicates.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://img29.imageshack.us/img29/7/img0336ft.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://img29.imageshack.us/img29/7/img0336ft.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://img827.imageshack.us/img827/8905/img0342gp.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://img827.imageshack.us/img827/8905/img0342gp.jpg" /></a></div>TGGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00376867115463056393noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5006635509251013443.post-57088534356176647832011-08-27T23:33:00.006+10:002011-10-03T19:59:20.950+11:00Magenta Shores<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://img839.imageshack.us/img839/4944/img0146qs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://img839.imageshack.us/img839/4944/img0146qs.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><i>The par three 4th is a great example of the highs Magenta Shores reaches</i><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://img195.imageshack.us/img195/5483/img0152et.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://img195.imageshack.us/img195/5483/img0152et.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><i>The short par four 6th has an interesting green and bunkering scheme, but for most players it is more interesting from the ladies' tee, from which point the drive options are maximised</i><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://img225.imageshack.us/img225/130/img0162ci.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://img225.imageshack.us/img225/130/img0162ci.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><i>This view of the 13th green gives an idea of the expansive bunkering around many greens</i><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://img508.imageshack.us/img508/4547/img0164j.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://img508.imageshack.us/img508/4547/img0164j.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><i>The short iron 15th is the last in a quality set of one-shotters</i><br />
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Course name: <b>Magenta Shores</b><br />
Location: <b>The Entrance, NSW, Australia</b><br />
Four Word Course Review: <b>Fun, despite significant annoyances</b><br />
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I hadn't heard or read much about Magenta Shores before my round there, other than that a lot of people have quite enjoyed it with a caveat or two and that Golf Australia magazine rated it #25 in the country. Having now played it, I'd agree with both those sentiments. I'd place it well behind the likes of Peninsula (North) but ahead of, say, Yarra Yarra and I enjoyed myself with the exception of a few factors that grated on me.<br />
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The things I liked and disliked were fairly systematic throughout the round and it seems to make sense to break the course down into drives, approaches and greens:<br />
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<b>Drives:</b> The course repeatedly asked for a draw off a distant bunker on the RHS, either around or near a LHS bunker - often with the land assisting that shape. The driving zones also seemed to lack much benefit for hugging the hazard, with the man-made undulations equally severe in the "ideal" spots, reducing the benefit of hitting the ball there.<br />
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The holes were also generally quite narrow, with three holes squeezed into a parcel suited to two, or two in a 1-1.5-fairway corridor, almost all the way through the front nine, while the back is largely one-hole corridors through what will eventually be a residential area (glad I got there before that happened) and is wider.<br />
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Ross Watson doesn't really seem to believe in building drive bunkers that the golfer can challenge/attempt to carry heroically, it's more a case of sidling up to them as the ball rolls out. Between Royal Sydney, Bonnie Doon, Concord and now Magenta Shores, I can't think of more than three or four examples.<br />
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At Magenta, it seems often driving near the fairway bunkering is both formulaic and not greatly beneficial.<br />
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<b>Approaches:</b> This is the course's major strength. The par threes are all quality holes, IMO, offering great variety - which is probably just as well given the course was largely man-made. As with Watson's work elsewhere - courses mentioned above - the par threes are probably the highlight.<br />
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And at Magenta Shores, if we disregard the drives on the par fours and fives, they almost all present an approach shot that is at the very least extremely appealing visually. They are fun shots to play and to look at. There is some advantage to be had from lateral placement.<br />
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The bunkering at the greens is huge in scale and is extremely appealing. The size looks great, the shaping is pleasant to the eye - another highlight of the course, but there can be little argument that the course is overbunkered, particularly for the wild shaping that has been created throughout.<br />
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<b>Greens:</b> The greens are quite wild in places and will present some challenging and adventurous putts, but it seems they haven't really been designed with consideration for the hole at large.<br />
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In lots of cases, the wild undulations don't seem to take into account the shot you'll be playing into the green and don't set up so that the golfer who has played the riskier shot off the tee is rewarded. In isolation they have some great features, but those features don't seem all that well combined with the rest of the hole.<br />
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There's also some fairly over the top greenside runoff shaping that I might start another thread about because it is best looked at alongside comparisons from other courses.<br />
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Reading that back it seems a bit overly negative. Magenta Shores has some fun holes and a heap of really attractive shots, and looking back at the course guide it seems some of my criticism of the fairway bunkering might have been addressed by playing the middle tees, as someone who carries a driver about 215-220m.<br />
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But there's the feeling throughout of something lacking from the experience.<br />
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Among the frustrations is the fact that the golf course has just 500 metres of ocean frontage, which is entirely used up by one par five that, after the drive, plays away from the coast. It seems a perplexing way to utilise the site's major natural feature.<br />
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All told, there's enough annoyances that I'd be unlikely to make the 90-minute drive from home and pay the $99 greenfee, and when the homes are built throughout the back nine that feeling is only going to increase.TGGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00376867115463056393noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5006635509251013443.post-66006596070151713612011-08-27T13:19:00.002+10:002011-09-03T22:00:54.260+10:00Newcastle<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://img707.imageshack.us/img707/9943/62694166.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://img707.imageshack.us/img707/9943/62694166.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><i>The 376m 1st is a sturdy opener - a good drive leaving this mid-iron approach to a dunetop green with few places to miss</i><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://img198.imageshack.us/img198/3292/30271507.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://img198.imageshack.us/img198/3292/30271507.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><i>The 3rd is an interesting hole of 217m that will force most plays to decide whether to play it as a two-shot or one-shot hole, with the short left bunkers adding interest</i><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://img705.imageshack.us/img705/1277/32084319.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://img705.imageshack.us/img705/1277/32084319.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><i>Call it a par four or call it a par five - what won't change is that a long iron or hybrid approach to the green at the 414m 4th is a fantastic shot. There aren't enough holes that present such a shot for the average player</i><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://img193.imageshack.us/img193/3425/83133260.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://img193.imageshack.us/img193/3425/83133260.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><i>There are many drives on the course similar to this at the 368m 5th</i><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://img831.imageshack.us/img831/182/14781295.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://img831.imageshack.us/img831/182/14781295.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><i>The ideal drive at the 367m 6th challenges the left-hand dune to earn an approach that need not carry the fearsome front right greenside bunkers</i><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://img638.imageshack.us/img638/4900/78461000.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://img638.imageshack.us/img638/4900/78461000.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><i>The superb 148m 7th hole, showing the exposed sand and ferny vegetation found in many rough areas of the course</i><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://img269.imageshack.us/img269/2392/11bij.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://img269.imageshack.us/img269/2392/11bij.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><i>There's great benefit to driving right at the 326m 11th</i><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://img204.imageshack.us/img204/949/38859175.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://img204.imageshack.us/img204/949/38859175.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><i>The 14th, measuring 391m, is the first of two consecutive long par fours with low-profile greens</i><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://img820.imageshack.us/img820/9171/23629933.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://img820.imageshack.us/img820/9171/23629933.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><i>One of the most challenging shots on the course is the long iron to the 17th green - another tough two-shotter measuring 385m</i><br />
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Course name: <b>Newcastle</b><br />
Location: Stockton, <b>New South Wales, Australia</b><br />
Four Word Course Review: <b>Defines 'natural' and 'understated'</b><br />
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Newcastle is a little bit of a sleeper in Aussie golf, at least that's what I have found. In Sydney (2hrs to its south), when talk turns to top golf courses nearby people will rarely mention "Newie", but any time it gets mentioned, everyone in earshot will mention how much they love it and how great it is.<br />
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It's a remarkably endearing place, an extremely friendly club and the course is as idyllic as you'll find - other than on 17 and 18, which flank a fairly busy road. The sea is only a few hundred metres away from the course, so wind is generally a factor.<br />
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Above all it uses some very good land extremely well, playing over the sizeable undulations with a good variety of greensites, and accepting the blind (or blind-ish) drives (1, 2, 5, 8, 10, 11, 15, 18) with generally ample room to accommodate the reduced visibility.<br />
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As well as being really natural, the course is fairly subtle - particularly at the greens, which don't feature many large undulations but have enough going on that there aren't many straight putts. Even inside five feet.<br />
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For the most part the greens use steady slopes and very slight ridges and gullies to create challenge. In a lot of ways Newcastle's greens remind me of The Valley Club of Montecito. At both courses it's hard to see much in the greens from 100 or even 50 metres away, but the movement is there and it's critical that you keep your ball below the hole.<br />
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In and around the greens there is no superfluous shaping. What's there is there for the golf - effective and simple.<br />
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I also really like the natural and low-key bunker aesthetics. The course could perhaps handle some bolder bunkering on the wilder land, but in some ways I think the bunkering sums up Newcastle GC: understated, not showy, but effective and well thought out.<br />
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The most famous stretch of holes is the 5th through 7th, two mid-length par fours and a mid iron par three.<br />
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At the 5th, a draw down to a blind saddle sets up a mid iron approach, unless your length allows you to run down a steep ridge to about 110m from the green. The green is pressed up fairly severely, making a lateral miss an almost certain bogey, while the front of the green is set just beyond a slight upslope - another feature of the course.<br />
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The 6th heads back up the hill - also doglegging slightly to the left. A draw is again the best shape, with the ideal driving position down the left beyond the dune. There has been some tree clearing here recently and if the left were opened up a bit more I could see merit in a drive bunker set into the dune on that side, perhaps. The depth of the green is hidden from the driving zone and it uses steady slope to make putting tough.<br />
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Finishing the loop, the 7th is slightly downhill to a green defended front right and middle left with sand and behind with a steep run-off.<br />
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The three holes are all tremendously challenging and offer really different, interesting shots. That's largely a strength of Newcastle - the approaches are all different and test different shots.<br />
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The course doesn't feel long, yet it measures 6200m and the par threes will generally require a wood (217m), a mid to short iron (148m), a long iron (173m) and another hybrid or wood (212m).<br />
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The par fives only measure 414m, 473m, 485m and 445m, but the 4th and 9th play up steep hills to the green and both the 9th and 10th play over heavy fairway undulations.<br />
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The fours are a varied set, with seven between 361m and 391m, another at 352m and the last couple at 325m and 326m - but with such a variety of land very few play similarly.<br />
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Lastly, the vegetation - mostly native species including ti tree, eucalyptus and some ferny heath - is well managed and makes the course feel undoubtedly Australian in character.TGGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00376867115463056393noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5006635509251013443.post-20999565369712025952011-05-15T15:10:00.003+10:002011-08-01T18:34:42.165+10:00Concord<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://img717.imageshack.us/img717/4553/20110515130408.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://img717.imageshack.us/img717/4553/20110515130408.jpg" t$="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><em>A bunkerless hole designed by Ross Watson. I know what you're thinking, I couldn't quite believe it either!</em><br />
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<div style="text-align: left;">Course name: <strong>Concord</strong></div><div style="text-align: left;">Location: <strong>Sydney, NSW, Australia</strong></div><div style="text-align: left;">Four Word Course Review: <strong>More typical Watson design</strong></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Sydney is full of golf courses on too little land with too many trees and while Concord is better than most, it falls a long way short of its potential.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Like all Ross Watson courses, it's choked with bunkers in patterns that sure do look great in a picture but possess little strategic merit. Witness the 18th hole, where there's no reward for driving anywhere near the fairway bunkers; the 10th, where the shortest line through the dogleg is unguarded, yet a drive hit well left away from the green finds sand; the 15th, where a lay-up bunker guards only a thick grove of trees.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Of course the narrow, choked corridors don't really allow for many angles to be created or emphasised. The par threes stand out, then - the set shots working thanks to interesting greens at the 4th, 14th and 16th. A new par three at the 7th, built in-house quite recently, is an absolute dog, as is the aforemeantioned 10th (which replaced two par threes). </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">At the par four 3rd the drive is interesting for the creek that begs to be flirted with off the tee, and while the bunkering at the green muddies the strategy, the green is easier to hit from near the creek, on the right.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">The 5th also is a standout, capping off a strong three-hole run, with reward waiting for a bold drive over the fairway bunkers inside the dogleg and a bunker short of the green on the left appearing to sit closer to the green than is the case.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">The 9th is a challenging uphill par four, but the narrow fairway and flanking bunkers ensure the only sensible play is straight up the middle.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">On the back nine, the first highlight is a bunkerless par four at the 12th, not because the hole is particularly meritorious but because it was designed by Ross Watson and it doesn't have any bunkers! From the back tee the long iron shot between the rough-filled front swales to a bold green is too much of an ask, but played further forward it's more suitable for the seven or eight iron you'll have in hand.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Trees that block the green stop the short par four 13th from being anything more than a boring iron + wedge, and while the boundary is a factor on this hole the result is far from ideal.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">While the 18th's bunker pattern is nonsensical, the green is interesting: a microcosm of Watson's designs, really. As at Royal Sydney and the back nine of Bonnie Doon, quite interesting internal green contours are rendered a minor highlight thanks to the overpowering bunkering and greenside shaping that often eliminates any option of a running approach or recovery shot.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">The ultimate condemnation of golf in Sydney is that Concord is among the better courses on offer, or at least it traditionally has been. While it remains one of the city's finest clubs, boasts great conditioning and is a strong test of execution and accuracy, the recent in-house changes have further eroded it.</div>TGGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00376867115463056393noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5006635509251013443.post-33086451838723483132011-05-08T19:06:00.003+10:002011-07-31T22:02:03.384+10:00The Lakes<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://img24.imageshack.us/img24/3/20110508123109.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://img24.imageshack.us/img24/3/20110508123109.jpg" style="cursor: move;" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><i>Viewed from the right, the 2nd green has deep swales both short and long</i><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://img192.imageshack.us/img192/5383/20110508150405.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><img border="0" src="http://img192.imageshack.us/img192/5383/20110508150405.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><i>If you feel the bold strike to reach the 11th in two is beyond you, you must deal with a well-placed lay-up bunker</i><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://img202.imageshack.us/img202/72/20110508164935.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><img border="0" src="http://img202.imageshack.us/img202/72/20110508164935.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><i>Looking back up the 11th at sunset</i><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://img232.imageshack.us/img232/647/20110508153753.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><img border="0" src="http://img232.imageshack.us/img232/647/20110508153753.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><i>The 13th is among the most controversial - and in my opinion best - holes at The Lakes, just 265 metres to the green from the back tee, with a small pond guarding the ideal lay-up zone</i><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://img35.imageshack.us/img35/8899/20110508155804.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><img border="0" src="http://img35.imageshack.us/img35/8899/20110508155804.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><i>The bold rolls of the 14th green are visible from across the lake, where a strike of 220-250m (depending on the tee you play from) will leave you with the dilemma of choosing between glory and safety</i><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://img819.imageshack.us/img819/5438/20110508165149.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><img border="0" src="http://img819.imageshack.us/img819/5438/20110508165149.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>Looking across the 11th green and back up the par five 17th</i></div><br />
Course name: <b>The Lakes</b><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">Location: <b>Sydney, NSW, Australia</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">Four Word Course Review: <b>Unique thrills and aesthetics</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Sydney used to have one and only one world-class golf course - NSWGC, then along came Mike Clayton and his crew in 2007 and voila: The Lakes was something truly special and unique.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">It's not just the exposed sand dunes that make the course different to anything else in Australia, the wide corridors coupled with angled greens that are much wider at the rear than the front creates plenty of changeable strategy, where the most desirable position off the tee is hugely dependent on the pin position.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">There has been some criticism of the expanses of sand bordering both sides of the fairway, with suggestions it removes any notion of a "daring" side and a "safe" side. As I see it, there are many holes at The Lakes where the "safe side" is the middle of the fairway and the "daring side" changes with the hole location and there is enough width for that to work.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;">The greens (and greensites) are the boldest set I have seen on an inland course. The shaping in and around the 2nd, 3rd, 5th, 6th, 7th, 13th and 14th is an enormous feature of the course, but one that has also attracted criticism from golfers who feel that after finding the green they are entitled to a straight-forward two-putt - even on a par five like the 14th where getting home in two is within reach of many.</div></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;">The course opens with a tempting short par four flanked down the left by one of the many bodies of water that give the course its name, the fairway widening considerably about 180m from the tee, with the best line to the green given to those who embrace that heroic carry with their first swing of the day.</div></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;">On an unenviable piece of land across a busy road from the main paddock and clubhouse, holes two through eight used to be a tree-infested embarrassment. Now the 2nd, 6th, 7th and 8th holes are among the best half of the course and the greens at the 4th and 5th add enormous merit to holes that are otherwise compromised by their limited acreage and proximity to the boundary fence.</div></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;">The long par four second features a bunkerless green defended by dramatic grassed swales short right and long right of the green. A steep backboard helps a long iron approach work its way close to the right-hand hole locations, but woe betide the golfer who knocks his ball over the backboard - the next shot is a delicate flick to a green at head height and sloping away. It's a shot that should provide ample options for someone with a fertile imagination and short game skill, but with kikuyu fairways the ground game options are limited.</div></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;">Nonetheless it's a strong, fun hole, as are the 3rd - a long par four to a well-bunkered, T-shaped green - and the short par four 4th. Because of the houses that line the boundary fence in the driving zone, the 4th has a sandy waste that forces a lay-up with an iron off the tee, setting up a fun short iron to a tiny green cut in half by a diagonal ridge.</div></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;">The boundary is also an issue affecting the tee shot of the mid-length par four 5th, but again the approach shot is great fun, with the front half of the heart-shaped green sloping steeply from back to front and the back half much flatter. Putting from one section to the other is either great fun or far too difficult, depending on your feelings of two-putt entitlement!</div></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;">The 6th invites a bold drive over a long bunker that runs up the left, another wild green punctuating the hole, and the short par three 7th plays uphill to a green that features a six-foot-high slope separating the front and back tiers. It's a prime case of a hole relying on interesting features rather than length to create challenge. Adding length was not an option for most of the holes on this side of the road due to the small parcel of land.</div></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;">A genius bunker in the lay-up zone of the par five 8th adds interest to both the drive and second shot. It makes the right side, guarded by a small pond, the prime line off the tee and forces a decision after a solid drive as the flat green makes this a good birdie chance and the approach is far easier from over lay-up bunker than from short or to the right.</div></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;">After crossing back under Southern Cross Drive and playing the par three 9th (both nines here finish with a one-shotter) and awkward par four 10th, threaded between a lake and the practice fairway, it is time for a thrilling run home, with water used expertly on five of the final eight holes.</div></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;">Most dominated by water are the three par fives in the closing stretch. The 11th is the first of the bunch and is the least reachable of the three, a lay-up zone bunker and a thumb-print in the left of the green adding subtle interest.</div></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;">Following a long par four with a skyline green that adds some brawn to the back nine, the 13th received more structural change during Clayton's redesign than any other hole. It was previously a feeble dogleg right around a grove of trees to a forgettable green, but now plays straight and downhill at just 265m from the back tee to the front of the green.</div></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;">Like the 7th, the humble length is paired with dramatic features to create something memorable. The domed green is a cross between the 6th at Deal and the 13th at Peninsula (North) - not as bold as the former, but much wilder than the latter. If you don't fancy a tilt at the green, the best place to be is about 100m short on the right-hand side, next to a small pond that makes the perfect lay-up almost as tricky as hitting the green. To the left is a huge area of fairway that's not at all difficult to find but that presents an extremely unpleasant angle to the green.</div></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;">There's a lot to like about the hole and the numerous options it gives you off the tee, but like the 2nd, the playability of the green is hampered by the kikuyu grass.</div></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;">Continuing the thrilling ride, the par five 14th invites you to drive close to a fairway bunker to earn the option of a long iron across a lake to a green the size of the Sydney Cricket Ground and with a surface resembling the battlefields of Verdun. Hitting the green from next to that bunker shouldn't be a problem for anyone who can carry an iron shot 150 metres, but once you're on the green the two putt is likely to be tricky. As a general rule, your putt is likely to be easier if you are short and left of the pin. For those who lay-up, the third shot should be from within 100m, and from that distance placing the ball on the same part of the green as the pin should be straightforward.</div></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;">It's a brilliant hole in large part because of the unconventional green and the thrill of that long iron shot.</div></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;">The next two holes aren't standouts, but the Redan-style 15th is a fun hole and the 16th green's tiny fronting bunker creates some interest after a less than ideal drive where the water hazards on both sides of the fairway are blind from the tee.</div></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;">The par five 17th presents the second forced lay-up drive of the round and as at the 4th it sets up a great second shot, this time a draw down a narrow spit of fairway to a large green. This time the lay-up is dictated by the island of fairway that sits in the lake between the headland on which the tee is built and the main piece of land that houses the last 150m of fairway and the green. From the lay-up area it's just 200m to the middle of the green, so it's a shot that a lot of golfers can feel they have a decent enough chance of pulling off that they'll go for it.</div></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;">The par three finishing hole calls for a long iron to a steep green, with bunkers left and right. It's perhaps the toughest par three on the course and a hell of a proposition at the business end of the round.</div></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;">The Lakes has some flat spots, some poor land, interference from the highway and nearby airport and the kikuyu isn't the ideal grass for the style of play that several greens call for - but it also has some of the most exciting shots in Australia, unique character and aesthetics, great greens and loads of variety.</div></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;">Not only is NSWGC not the only world class course in town any more, it may not even be the best course in town depending on what you value in a golf course.</div></div>TGGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00376867115463056393noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5006635509251013443.post-13957212697836931712011-03-05T22:11:00.090+11:002012-02-09T22:45:46.166+11:00Barnbougle Lost Farm<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://img713.imageshack.us/img713/2102/dscn0713i.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://img713.imageshack.us/img713/2102/dscn0713i.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><i>The tremendous width of the 1st fairway is an indication of what's top come</i><br />
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<a href="http://img84.imageshack.us/img84/5853/dscn0719l.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://img84.imageshack.us/img84/5853/dscn0719l.jpg" /></a><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><i>A draw has a good chance of reaching the green at the short par four 3rd</i><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://img217.imageshack.us/img217/452/dscn0772n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://img217.imageshack.us/img217/452/dscn0772n.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><i>Extremely challenging for its modest length and as picturesque as they come, the par three 4th has it all</i><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://img828.imageshack.us/img828/2589/dscn0731n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://img828.imageshack.us/img828/2589/dscn0731n.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><i>The ridge in the 5th fairway that you want desperately to keep your drive to the right of is visible in this picture - for even a moderately long hitter the choice line is as close to the apex of the dune as your bravery will allow</i><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://img835.imageshack.us/img835/961/dscn0735mf.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://img835.imageshack.us/img835/961/dscn0735mf.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><i>The hump through the green that dominates the strategy of the 6th is far bolder than it appears here, while a large tongue of green is hidden behind the bunker</i><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://img191.imageshack.us/img191/3386/dscn0743g.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://img191.imageshack.us/img191/3386/dscn0743g.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><i>Beware the steep drop to the right of the 8th green</i><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://img121.imageshack.us/img121/5994/dscn0759x.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://img121.imageshack.us/img121/5994/dscn0759x.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><i>The 14th may be downhill and reachable, but anything played out to the left off the tee will leave a remarkably difficult approach, even if its just a half wedge</i><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://img98.imageshack.us/img98/655/dscn0760m.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://img98.imageshack.us/img98/655/dscn0760m.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><i>This photo from the prime driving zone short of the 14th green gives some idea how unpleasant the angle in from the right is, particularly to a back pin</i><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://img28.imageshack.us/img28/9927/dscn0789j.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://img28.imageshack.us/img28/9927/dscn0789j.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><i>The drop shot par three 15th</i><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://img59.imageshack.us/img59/1688/dscn0763l.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://img59.imageshack.us/img59/1688/dscn0763l.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><i>Well defended by both bunkers and the dune, the 16th green demands an approach from the right - which means engaging the fairway bunkering off the tee</i><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://img829.imageshack.us/img829/7311/dscn0764k.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://img829.imageshack.us/img829/7311/dscn0764k.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><i>Even with a helping wind, the 17th presents one of the most unnerving shots on the course</i><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://img854.imageshack.us/img854/6853/dscn0765v.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://img854.imageshack.us/img854/6853/dscn0765v.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><i>Pars need to be earned at the demanding par four finishing hole, which has one of the narrowest fairways on the course</i><br />
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Course name: <b>Barnbougle Lost Farm</b><br />
Location: <b>Bridport, Tasmania, Australia</b><br />
Four Word Course Review: <b>Perfect foil for 'Dunes'</b><br />
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Bill Coore's Barnbougle Lost Farm course may be just across a narrow estuary from Tom Doak and Mike Clayton's Barnbougle Dunes (so close you can hit from one course to the other across the water in a few spots), but it's an entirely different experience in almost every way.<br />
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Where Dunes is a figure of eight routing that moves mostly parallel to the coast, Farm's holes change direction regularly. Where the par threes and short fours of Dunes are the star attraction, Farm's par fives and long fours are among the highlights. Where Dunes' wild greens are as bold as you'll find anywhere, Farm's set are much more traditional.<br />
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Perhaps the most noticeable difference is the immense width on offer here, which is saying something as Dunes is far from narrow. From the opening tee shot you're aware of how wide the targets are, especially off the tee, with massive benefits for taking on the daring line.<br />
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That's especially true on the opening hole, a par five where a drive down the left unlocks a far easier path to the narrow green; at the long par four 5th, where a high dune must be challenged to avoid a steep ridge running diagonally down the fairway; at the three-shot 8th, where a enormous bunker cut into a ridge on the left makes the second shot far tougher for those who bail out on that side from the tee; on the low profile 12th, where erring right adds a surprising amount of length to the hole; the driveable 14th, which demands you heroically challenge the drive bunker if you want anything resembling a simple approach to the dune-top green; and finally at the subtle 16th, its green tucked behind a dune to add great danger to an approach from the right.<br />
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Joining those holes (and shots) is a steady stream of stand-out moments.<br />
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The short par three 4th occupies a gorgeous spit of land flanking both the ocean and the river and plays downhill to a green that runs off severely at the back, putting a premium on distance control. Wedged between the aforementioned 5th and an easily reachable par four to a well-defended saddle green at the 3rd, it helps to create the first great run of holes on the course.<br />
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That solid stretch continues at the mid-length par three 6th, its green dissected by a steep hump (think of a Biarritz green turned upside down and angled from 8 o'clock to 2 o'clock) that ensures few pars will be made by players hitting the wrong side of the green. With the pin cut close to either side of the hump, a chip or putt from the opposite side will almost certainly have to be played off the green and back down the surrounding slopes if it is to finish anywhere near the hole. This green and the 14th green are the closest Lost Farm's putting surfaces come to resembling those across the river.<br />
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The 7th is memorable for a rough-covered dune that splits the fairway in half, forcing the golfer to choose a preferred side depending on the day's pin position and wind direction.<br />
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After a lull around the turn, the course leaves the dunes for a period as the drive at the 11th is blind over a dune. The green is set in open farmland, its steep slopes softened to the eye by its immense size. The next hole turns left around a dune, but it's the bunkering of the lay-up area that adds interest, especially for those who favour the safe right-hand side off the tee and find themselves needing two more solid strikes to get home.<br />
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The 13th offers little other than eye candy for lovers of towering dunes, but the downhill 14th is among the best handful of holes on either course, the diabolical green - tiny and heaving with movement - demanding that even if you cannot carry it, you play towards the drive bunker that lurks only 40m or so short of the green, transitioning into the tall rough that sits to its right. Those that play left will have a bad angle to a green both above them and sloping gently away. In many ways it's a similar prospect to the 3rd hole on the Dunes course.<br />
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Similarity to superior holes across the river is a shame for the drop shot par three 15th - as is the spectre of the restaurant and spa towering over it to the left.<br />
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The 16th - described above - makes strong use of some flat land, before the imposing uphill par three 17th provides one of the course's most knee-trembling moments. Short, right and left will all most likely mean a lost ball and the large green looks tiny from the tee. Given all the prior par threes play downhill, it's a refreshing and unique challenge.<br />
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The final hole's downhill drive is to perhaps the narrowest fairway on the course, though there is more room to the left than it appears.<br />
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Of course Lost Farm actually has 20 holes - I have not mentioned 13a and 18a until now because I don't feel they really add to the experience. 13a is a strong par three, but it breaks the flow of the back nine, while 18a is a fairly plain short par three that I'd wager will have become a chipping green within a couple of years.<br />
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The feeling for me after two plays of Lost Farm was that the challenge grows as you move through the round, both off the tee and into the greens, especially with the constant changes of direction.<br />
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The course goes nowhere near offering the sheer adventure of its sister course, but the lateral choices are a lot of fun in their own right and the more subtle greens pose similar challenges without always having the obvious alternatives for working the ball of landforms.<br />
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With almost all visitors to Barnbougle looking to play both courses, it's wonderful that they differ so greatly while providing such excellence across the board.<br />
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I find myself favouring the Dunes course after a small sample of both, but the Farm feels like the kind of sleeper that could grow on me after more plays in different winds. One thing is certain: Australian golfers really are fortunate to have both tracks at their disposal, and for such cheap rates.TGGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00376867115463056393noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5006635509251013443.post-79406181653252973202011-03-04T21:49:00.003+11:002012-02-09T22:26:05.809+11:00Barnbougle Dunes<a href="http://img684.imageshack.us/img684/7356/dscn0642r.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline! important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://img684.imageshack.us/img684/7356/dscn0642r.jpg" /></a><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><i>A split-level fairway at the 3rd means you earn a double benefit by hugging the right: a flat shot down the length of the green rather than uphill and across it</i><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://img9.imageshack.us/img9/6558/dscn0646h.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://img9.imageshack.us/img9/6558/dscn0646h.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><i>A brave tee shot at the 4th will most likely yield an eagle putt if successful in carrying the immense drive bunker as the green gathers from almost anywhere directly over the sand</i><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://img97.imageshack.us/img97/9266/dscn0651d.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://img97.imageshack.us/img97/9266/dscn0651d.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><i>A view of the 4th green from its back right</i><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://img807.imageshack.us/img807/3573/dscn0701l.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://img807.imageshack.us/img807/3573/dscn0701l.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><i>The brilliant par three 5th, viewed from forward and left of the tee to show how the green is tucked behind the dune on the right</i><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://img593.imageshack.us/img593/9501/dscn0656g.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://img593.imageshack.us/img593/9501/dscn0656g.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><i>Successfully challenging the pyramid dune down the right unlocks the choice angle into the bunkerless green, its left side tucked behind the tall dune</i><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://img204.imageshack.us/img204/1981/dscn0661f.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://img204.imageshack.us/img204/1981/dscn0661f.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><i>No hole I have played packs more challenge into each metre than the 7th at Barnbougle Dunes. The small green slopes towards the chipping area at the right, making it a tough proposition to hit and hold from either the tee or the deep greenside bunker</i><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://img233.imageshack.us/img233/7730/dscn0669s.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://img233.imageshack.us/img233/7730/dscn0669s.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><i>One of the more subtle holes on the course, the 10th is still a fine hole, rewarding the golfer who favours the bunker-strewn left-hand side of the fairway</i><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://img11.imageshack.us/img11/838/dscn0803ni.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://img11.imageshack.us/img11/838/dscn0803ni.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><i>Safety awaits to the left, but who can resist having a crack at the 12th green from the tee?</i><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://img268.imageshack.us/img268/8563/dscn0678pt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://img268.imageshack.us/img268/8563/dscn0678pt.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><i>This view from the tee cannot to justice to the size and scale of the internal undulations within the green - the pockets are twice as deep as they appear in this shot</i><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://img69.imageshack.us/img69/3620/13acc.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" m$="true" src="http://img69.imageshack.us/img69/3620/13acc.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><em>This picture from behind the 13th green (courtesy Bryan Izatt) does a much better job of showing what you're faced with should you leave your tee shot anywhere other than the section of the green where the pin is cut</em><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://img59.imageshack.us/img59/298/dscn0684l.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://img59.imageshack.us/img59/298/dscn0684l.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><em>The progressive challenge and reward of the drive bunkers at the 14th are the strength of the hole</em><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://img684.imageshack.us/img684/7741/dscn0695lx.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://img684.imageshack.us/img684/7741/dscn0695lx.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><em>Especially if playing from the back tee, the 17th green is a real challenge to hit and hold in two shots</em><br />
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Course name: <b>Barnbougle Dunes</b><br />
Location: <b>Bridport, Tasmania, Australia</b><br />
Four Word Course Review: <b>Relentlessly thrilling natural golf</b><br />
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I've played better golf courses than Barnbougle Dunes - not very many, mind you - but I doubt I have played one with more shots as unique and fun - the type of shots you look forward to playing the minute you step onto the 1st tee.<br />
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Almost from the outset (the first two holes have great greens but are quite sedate otherwise) you're faced with shots you could play all day with a broad smile on your face, trying different routes to the hole - and the challenge would be completely different and just as fun the following day with the pin moved to a different section of the green.<br />
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The 3rd is a bold risk/reward drive and pitch par four with a split-level fairway and the added punishment of an appalling angle to the tiny green if you stray to the lower left-hand side of the fairway.<br />
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It would be a highlight of most golf courses, but here it's just the first taste in an incredible five-hole stretch.<br />
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Next comes an even shorter par four - a hole where anyone who can carry the ball about 210m is likely to have a good shot at eagle on the boomerang-shaped punchbowl green and anyone who takes the shot on and falls short faces a recovery from a gigantic cave of a bunker, from which bogey becomes a good score.<br />
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Following a life-affirming walk along the top of a seaside dune to the 5th tee, you're faced with another punchbowl green, this one on a downhill mid-length par three and yet again imagination is key to working the ball close, with all manner of slopes and ridges to be used on and around the green.<br />
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Things are slightly more subtle at the bunkerless par four 6th, where a drive that takes on a pyramid dunes earns a prime angle to the plateau green, before the fascinating 110m par three 7th, a chipping area below the right-hand side of the modest green and the bunker to top all vicious bunkers to the left. It's one of the few holes you'll find where even good plays might regularly be aiming away from the green with a gap wedge in their hand. Par might be unlikely from the right, but from the bunker - with the green sloping against you - it's nigh on impossible.<br />
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The pace slows for the controversial split-fairway 8th hole, which leaves many players doubting there's a realistic way to find the green from any distance, before a terrifying tee shot at the 9th (especially from the unofficial back tee to the left of the 8th green!) that makes way for a fun approach where you're again invited to use the slope of the land to work the ball towards the hole.<br />
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Not only does every hole on the front side get your attention on the set shots - tee shots and approaches - the greens are as interesting and thrilling to recover to as you'll find anywhere, especially at the 1st, 4th, 5th and 7th. Pure fun.<br />
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Heading away from the clubhouse again for the second loop of the figure-of-eight routing, first up is a well-bunkered par four bending left and climbing to a dune-top green reminiscent of the corresponding hole at Brora, the green draped naturally sloping toward the tee.<br />
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The par five 11th and 14th holes both offer most of their interest on very different but equally well-bunkered drives. While the greens may not be among the course's best, they are both unlike any other among the set.<br />
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That pair of three-shot holes bookend a strong candidate for the best back-to-back holes in Australia.<br />
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The driveable 12th snakes right along the top of a towering dune and like the 4th is easily driven by virtue of the short length and greenfront slopes, but any miss, especially one to the right, is heavily penalised. Adding to the challenge is a green that feels the size of a dinner table, but seemingly with 13 different tiers! There's risk in attacking the green from the tee, for sure, but at the same time you don't want to lay too far back and have more than a flick for your second shot.<br />
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The 13th hole is a poster child for everything great about Barnbougle Dunes. It might be the wildest green in world golf, a sea of bowls separated by steep slopes that can either be the golfer's friend or foe. In my three plays to date theose slopes have worked my ball to within a foot of the hole and taken what I'd thought was a good shot and worked it 60ft away into guaranteed three-putt territory the following day. It's remarkably advenurous golf most certainly not designed to be played with a card and pencil (I loved writing down '2', it tore me apart to record a '5' after hitting the green from the tee!).<br />
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The great risk and reward of many shots on the course make match play the game to play: a well-executed risk can win you the hole, but an error when going for broke won't ruin your day.<br />
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Turning for home at the eastern end of the course, the 15th is a drive and pitch hole built around its centreline drive bunker and gorgeous dune-top green. It wasn't among my favourites when I was on site, but in hindsight is among the three or four holes I most look forward to playing again.<br />
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The 16th is likely the weakest of the par threes, somewhat like the 5th but a far less interesting hole, while from the back tee the 17th is among the brawniest two-shotters of the bunch, doglegging right around a massive beachside bunker before an approach to a green somwhat like the 15th in its raised nature with few good places to miss.<br />
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Like the front nine, the back ends with a slightly blind drive on a substantial par four, but where the 9th green is set on a high-point the 18th is in a slight bowl, angling from left to right. If it's a disappointing finish, that's only because what has gone before is so outstanding.<br />
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The sheer abundance of thrilling golf shots on offer at Barnbougle Dunes is hard to match anywhere, in large part due to the amazing land on offer and no doubt also not doubt significantly because the designers weren't shy about building holes as bold as the land they're built on.<br />
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When you add to the list of attributes the $130 all day greenfee, this has to be one of the best value courses on the face of the planet and one where the adventurous, fun-loving golfer can have as much fun as his imagination will allow.TGGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00376867115463056393noreply@blogger.com1