...at St. Andrews Beach, Australia is posted under My Home Course and under Tom Doak and Mike Clayton in Architecture Timeline.
I am very lucky to get to play Southern Pines Country Club whenever I want. The sandy soil, the breeze blowing through the pines, the lack of housing, nice rolling property – golf in the sand hills of North Carolina is a wonderful thing. Going on a century, it has earned a reputation as a golfing destination, and the world will be tuning in mid-June to see its finest virtues on display.
The Mornington Peninsula area 1 ½ hours south of Melbourne has yet to develop the same worldwide clout but that certainly appears to be only a matter of time, given Mark Ferguson’s profile of the Gunnamatta course at St. Andrews Beach. The site appears blessed with so many natural attributes – sandy soil, random, humpy bumpy land forms throughout, wind - as to make most courses pale in comparison.
Of course, a lot of skill and work is required to find/create 18 holes that work well together but architects Doak and Clayton have done apparently just that. In addition, like here in Pinehurst and not necessarily like some of the other courses in the Mornington Peninsula, the architects have created plenty of width and room to play, ensuring that the course remains fun at all times for a wide range of golfers even in a big wind.
Still, the critic in all of us has to ask - given the head start that the architects enjoyed, did they take full advantage? I haven’t seen it but in reading Mark’s profile, comparisons with some of the great Australian/World holes appear in order. How does the 2nd hole there compare with the 3rd at Royal Adelaide? Or the thrill of hitting into the amphitheatre at the 3rd compare to that at the 11th at Adelaide? Etc, etc.
Hopefully, Mike and Tom will get the world-wide recognition that they deserve for their efforts here. And Mark too for such a well written piece!
Cheers,