|
This club is one of the oldest in Australia built on the undulating sandy
heathland, totaling 36 holes: West & East courses. The composite course
which has ranked 1st in Australia for many years is comprised of 12 holes
from the West and 6 holes from the
East. However, the 4 holes out of 6 in the West that are not chosen
in the composite course are still spectacular. Overall, the West Course,
besides having great course design with its distinctive bunkers and rough,
has a variety of native grasses beautifully & naturally framed on each
hole. The fairways look relatively generous at first, but the ideal positions
hitting the greens from good angles are masked by the generosity due to
great bunkering. |
| | |
| A composite hole |
|
A dogleg to the right, reachable in 2. You should drive over the center of
the bunkers as they can be cleared with a carry of 220 yards and avoid the bunkers
short of the green to the left and right. The green is fast and slopes from back
to front. |
| |
|
|
|
|
| A composite hole |
|
A slightly dogleg to the left,
a short par 4. An accurate tee shot is needed as the fairway is tight and protected
by trees on the left. The green slopes down over the back and it’s easy to finish
well past the pin. Moreover, the green is elevated and a shot short would leave
a difficult pitch shot onto the downhill green. |
|
|
| A composite hole |
|
A signature hole. Three elements-the
green, bunkers sounding it and the heath & trees around them, create a beautiful
hole. Not only the bunkers but the backdrop of native trees emphasize the hole’s
great shape. At the same time, this par 3 over a small valley is challenging.
The slope just in front of the green is shaved and so steep that a ball short
will run to the bottom-a classic false front not common on today’s newly designed
courses. The green is fast sloping from back to front with bunkers on both sides
protecting it. This symbolic hole has deeply influenced course architects of succeeding
generations. Some have tried to mimic the great hole but none have been able to
top it. This hole has been selected as one of the best 500 holes in the world
in 2000 by US Golf Magazine. |
| |
| A composite hole |
|
A sharp dogleg to the right, a great hole. The tee shot is over dense rough
and 3 fairway bunkers next to the rough come into play. A carry of 220-240 yard
drive is needed to clear the bunkers. Heather and local grasses frame these punishing
bunkers. Also guarding the corner of the dogleg are tall eucalyptus trees. If
you take the conservative route off the tee by hitting the left side of the fairway,
the second shot is long and demanding usually from a downhill or side hill lie.
The green is elevated and tiered sloping severely toward the front. An approach
shot hit above the hole may result in a three-putt or a four putt, so keep the
ball below the hole. This hole has also been selected after the 5th hole as one
of the best 500 holes in the world in 2000 by US Golf Magazine. |
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
|
A straight, testing par 4. You
should drive to the right side of the fairway in order to have the open second
shot to the green as it is angled to the left and well bunkered on both sides.
The second shot is slightly uphill. The contrast between the light green, the
white bunkers and the thick green bush surrounding them creates a beautiful tableau.
|
| |
|
A
composite hole |
| A dogleg to the left, a very
short par 4. A long hitter is tempted to attack the pin on the tee shot by cutting
the corner. However, the bunker sitting at the corner is huge & deep and a
long and high drive is needed to clear it, so a miss will be penalized. Even if
your tee shot goes over the bunker but fails to reach around to the green, thick
rough awaits your shot, and you would end up with a par or a bogie rather than
a birdie. To play safe, you should aim at the center of the fairway off the tee.
If your tee shot is 260 yards or more long, you will find the ball in trees beyond
the fairway. So, hitting a 240-yard long tee shot followed by using a sand wedge
to the pin is a good strategy to make a birdie. It is short but suits a disciplined
player who goes the right way around. |
|
|
| A composite hole |
|
A dogleg to the left, a long & difficult par 4. The fairway and the green slopes from right to left. You
should keep the tee shot left of the center. If it goes to the right, you won’t
be able to reach the green on the next shot unless you are a long hitter. The
best route off the tee is close to two fairway bunkers on the left corner. You
must avoid the bunkers to have a good score on this challenging hole. The green
entrance is squeezed a little by bunkers on both sides. This is the hole where
you require distance and accuracy on the tee & second shots. |
| |
|
|
| A short par 3 surrounded by
bunkers. The front half of the undulating green slopes to the front while the
back half falls away, so the right club selection is important. This hole is challenging,
though it isn’t long, and is beautiful. |
|
|
| |
|
An almost straight, short but
tricky par 5 reachable in 2. The tee shot needs to hit onto the right side in
order to open up the green but trees and bush protecting the right side come into
play. A large and deep bunker guarding the left front of the green adds to the
degree of difficulty on this short par 5. The green slopes sharply to the front.
|
| |
|
|
| A long par 3. The green is small
and well protected by extensive bunkers, so an accurate shot with a fairway wood
or so is required on this tough hole. |
|
A
composite hole |
| A dogleg to the
left. A long and accurate drive over a hill is needed to hit the green on regulation
as the landing area is tight with 2 bunkers on the left corner. 2 bunkers guarding
the right side of the green should be avoided, as they are deep. The green is
elevated. Eucalyptus trees hanging over the bunkers make another hazard and the
natural shape of the bunkers made over the years and the beauty of the trees are
a sight to behold. |
| |
| |
|
|
| |
It is a 30-minute drive from Central Melbourne and 40-minute
drive from Melbourne Airport. Visitors need to be accompanied by a member
but opportunities exist for interstate and overseas golfers if they
bring letters of recommendation from their own golf clubs, although
the playing fees are very expensive.
The back tees aren’t normally placed on the tee grounds and they
are used in the club tournaments like monthly medals. Neither golf
carts nor caddies are available, so you need to pull your baggy by
yourself. The buggies are allowed to run on the tee grounds as well
as the greens, which is unique.
|
| |
|
The composite course is 6938 yards par 72 which is 350 yards longer and more
difficult than the West Course. If I could play the composite course, the best
combination of the West & East courses, my personal rating on Royal Melbourne
GC would definitely be a little higher, although very high enough on the one of
the West Course alone. The course opens up only to the members twice a year.
The composite course was ranked 1st in Australia by Golf Digest 2004.
Also, US Golf Magazine ranked the composite course the 10th best course
in the world in 2005. The other selected courses in Asia and Oceania were
Kingston Heath GC
(Australia, 20th), Cape Kidnappers (New Zealand, 27th), New
South Wales GC (Australia, 34th), Hirono
GC (Japan, 35th), Barnbougle
Dunes GL (Australia, 49th), Royal Adelaide GC (Australia, 54th),
Kauri Cliffs GC (New Zealand, 58th), Kawana
GC – Fuji Course (Japan, 80th), Tokyo
GC (Japan, 94th), The
Club at Nine Bridges (Korea, 95th) and Naruo
GC (Japan, 100th).
The other famous courses in the world designed by Alister Mackenzie
are Cypress Point GC (2nd of the above top 100 ranking), Augusta National
GC (4th of the above ranking), Kingston
Heath GC (same as above), New South Wales
GC (same as above) and Royal Adelaide GC (same as above).
|
| |
A view of the 17th bunkers