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[Philip Gawith]

I had the good fortune to visit Australia/New Zealand over Christmas/New Year and play some wonderful courses. They included:

Royal Melbourne - East/West
Kingston Heath
Victoria
Commonwealth
Peninsula North
St Andrew's Beach
Moonah Links - Legends course
Barnbougle Dunes
New South Wales
Newcastle

Wairakei
Cape Kidnappers
Paraparaumu

I took about 600 pictures and thought I would try and find a sensible way to share some of them. My plan in this post is to post about 20 of the pictures I liked most on the older, classic courses.

Then (maybe) in a separate post to put down my favourites from the three Doak courses I played.

And finally - assuming there is still some interest - to post a few more on each of the individual courses. Although many of these courses are frequently referenced, I have not seen that many pictures posted.

I am not sure I have enough words to go with the pictures, but hopefully some people will enjoy seeing the pictures anyway - whether to reaffirm what they anway know or, for others, to act as a stimulus.

All I would say by way of overview is that the golf absolutely lived up to expectations, and expctations were high. The overwhelming feature of the Sandbelt courses, especially Kingston Heath and Royal Melbourne, was the bunkering. It is difficult to do justice to the scale, beauty and impact of the bunkers on these courses.

To the pictures - I am a bit vague on one or two of the holes. Maybe the boys down under can help fill in the gaps!


First two pictures are Victoria - the first is a par three on the first nine I think, maybe the fourth; the second is 11th, maybe the best hole on the course?





The sixth a Peninsula North - my favourite hole; up hill dog-leg to the left to a skyline green.




A few from Royal Melbourne - 5,6, 16 (?) and 17 on the West course, and 2 on the East course. The 5th green had just been replaced following the problems.










.




Five from Kingston Heath - not sure of the first, second is the famous third - excellent short two-shotter, next is 6 or 7? - back to clubhouse. Last two are 15 and 14, in that order













Two from Commonwealth - the second is the "signature" 16th, not sure about the first. Chris?!








Finally, four from New South Wales - probably more scenic than Pebble Beach (hiss)? In order - looking back up the famous 5th from behind  the green; the 6th from behind the green; the 15th (I think) and the 14th.

[David_Tepper]

Philip -

WOW!!! Great stuff & keep'em coming.

At the risk of wallowing in the banal, what were the range of greens fees at these courses? Was access at all difficult?

DT    

[Pat Howard]

You lucky dog you!!!  Great pics

[Chris Kane]

Fantastic photos Philip, some of the best I've seen.  The first photo  of Victoria is the long par-3 16th, and the Commonwealth one is of the 3rd green, as seen from the 17th tee (took me a while to figure that one out!).

Its worth mentioning that Peninsula North in its current guise is only about four years old, and the 6th even younger.  That the holes look like they've been there forever is testiment to the quality of Mike's work.  If it opened as a new course tomorrow, there would be enough hype to get it close to the top 10.

[Mike_Clayton]

Philip,

The opening Kingston Heath photo is from right of the par three,5th. The 6th is the hole back to the clubhouse.
11 at Victoria is a terrific hole but we removed a few trees ten years ago to open up a view of the right quarter of the fairway.
Did you think it would be much improved by removing those six or seven trees still there on the right.

6 at Peninsula was the worst hole on the course - other than 17 which we are doing now.
The tee was 25 yards left,there were five trees on the corner with bunkers under them and anybody who could hit at all just ripped a 3 wood up over the trees.Those who couldn't played right and the lucky ones got far enough to get past the trees.
Did you think the green was too big for the length of the pitch shot?

[Mark Ferguson]

Philip,

Nice pics.  

Did you take all of them with that little digital camera you had with you, or did you have a Hasselblad hiding in your bag?

[James Bennett]

6 at Peninsula was the worst hole on the course - other than 17 which we are doing now.
The tee was 25 yards left,there were five trees on the corner with bunkers under them and anybody who could hit at all just ripped a 3 wood up over the trees.Those who couldn't played right and the lucky ones got far enough to get past the trees.
Did you think the green was too big for the length of the pitch shot?

Mike

when I played 6, the thing that struck me was the lump at the front right of the green.  I hit a wide right tee-shot, and a fantastic second.  Got to the green and discovered the additional penalty for going so wide.  That lump carries even the best of shots away!  I'll remember that the next time.

James B

[Philip Gawith]

David - I am not sure on all the green fees since I booked through a travel agent. But I am pretty sure the highest was Royal Melbourne (A$330 - minus A$100 owing to the course being in such poor state!). Though not included in these pics, the best value was Barnbougle - A$100 for a day. Cape Kidnappers was 400 Kiwi dollars. I think that is a bit overpriced, but I would happily pay it again - if that is not too Irish!

Mark - yes, those pics taken with my little snapper. Does quite a good job?!

Mike - re the 11th at Victoria: I think I would leave the trees. Surely if you removed them it would be too easy to blast it over the dog-leg and shorten the hole?

Re the 6th at Peninsula North. I didn't think the green was too large because the skyline effect makes it pretty difficult to judge the length of the second. That will ensure that not too many people hit it close. I liked the hole because the camber appealed to my eye, the bunkers on the inside of dog-leg look good and I enjoyed the second. I went through a four on that hole and none of them were finding it too easy -  I think a lot of people push their drives too far right trying to avoid the bunkers on the left.

[Mark_Rowlinson]

I'm jealous!

[Sean Arble]

Mark

I was jealous in November.  Now I just whine to my wife about the positives of an OZ trip.

Well done Philip, I hope more photos and text are coming down the net.

Ciao

Sean

[Mike_Clayton]

Philip,

Taking the trees out on 11 would make it easier but I think it would be a much better looking hole.
There are a couple or really big olf trees behind the newer ones that would go someway toward stopping the blast down the right.

We were thinking of doing a new green at 6th Peninsula and building a few pin positions that really advantaged players who drove left of the bunkers.
I have an open mind on it but I'm sure the members would be happy to leave it alone.
I would like there to be more fear of going long.

[Philip Gawith]

Mike - I agree the 11th at Victoria would look better if you could see more of the hole by removing the trees, provided as you describe there is some "trouble" left in reserve!

Re PN 6th - if you drove left of the bunkers, correct me if i am wrong but you would be hitting quite a short first shot (under 200 yards?) and a slightly longer 2nd shot? Is that right?

[Mike_Clayton]

Philip,

You can probably go as far as 215 yards if you hit up into the neck - the bit that is about 20 yards wide.From there it's about 80 yards.
You could design a boomerang green with a bunker cutting up into the middle so with a pin in the left there would be a significant reward for driving left - which very few do now.

For the short hitters who cannot get across the bunkers the hole plays much shorter if they go left.That is especially true for the women but they get scared of having to go over the bunkers with their 2nd shots.

We rebuilt the 1st,2nd,3rd,4th,11th,13th,16th and 18th green on the course and we are currently doing the 17th - the only really bad hole on the course.
The 6th green is the only other green we would consider altering - its intersting to get your perspective.

[Jason Topp]

Phillip - thanks for the pictures.  I hope you post a plethora of Newcastle pictures.  My memory is a bit foggy after the experience.

[Gene Greco]

   Was having dinner in the city Sat night with a couple of other golf wackos and the wives when Australian golf was brought up in conversation. I felt we should plan a trip there.

They both looked at me and said, "We've already been - twice."

Thanks for the pics to console me, Philip.

[Keith Durrant]

Philip,

Thanks for brightening our dark, cold winter with these great pictures.

You played a lot of courses - which were the best ones, either in terms of great or fun golf or great value for money?

As an all-round destination, how would you split your time between NZ and Oz?

Keith

[Philip Gawith]

Mike - it never entered my head to hit left of those bunkers! More fool me. The picture suggests it is not a very enticing option, but perhaps it is just the angle I took it from. Do you need to move a tree to make it more open? I understand your reasoning which would maybe introduce more strategy to the hole, but it is not as if it short of it as things stand ( the decision on how much of the bunkers to cut off) and I thin the second is already a fun, challenging shot. My inclination - which you should pay very little attention to - would be to leave well alone.

Jason - I will post a few on Newcastle when the wounds have healed.

Keith - I will post pics on all the courses so hopefully they will brighten a few more days.

The rounds I enjoyed most - and I enjoyed them all a lot - were at Kingston Heath, NSW, Royal Melbourne (West), Barnbougle and Cape Kidnappers. At Royal Melbourne and Kingston Heath you can't help but be hugely conscious of what golfing jewels these are. KH I played on a magical day, the bunkering is just awesome and the conditioning was exceptional - which does contribute to the overall sandbelt experience. RMW I saw at its worst, but I absolutely loved the experience. The property has a sweep and a majesty which is difficult to do justice to. NSW is an amazing site with a good number of challenging and memorable holes.

Barnbougle is possibly the most fun location - remote, relaxed, great course, good for the soul - while Kidnappers is exceptional in a different way, much more exclusive, you pay for the privilege, but a phenomenal site and golfing experience.

The best value for money was Barnbougle at A$100 for a day. I am not 100% sure what all the rest cost as I paid indirectly - I would think next cheapest rounds were Peninsula North and Paraparaumu in NZ.

[David_Elvins]

Mike - it never entered my head to hit left of those bunkers! More fool me. The picture suggests it is not a very enticing option, but perhaps it is just the angle I took it from.

Don't worry Phillip, no one sees it as an option until they have blasted a driver over the bunker and through the fairway and then watched Mike step up and knock a 4 wood into A1 position short and left of the bunker.

Whilst there is a bit more room there than the photo indicates, it is quite hard to fade a ball in there, in particular from the ladies tee.  Whether this is a good thing or not, I anm not sure.

[Sean Walsh]

Philip,

I'm glad that Barnbougle lived up to my high praise.  

Also you've mentioned nothing of the superb caddies we have in oz.  

Great to see the photos.  Glad you enjoyed the trip.

[Jason Topp]

I paid directly without going through a member.  This is my memory of the approximate green fees (in Australian $)

Royal Melbourne - $330
Kingston Heath - $220
New South Wales $260 (?)
Woodlands $100
Barnbougle $100 - all day, $80 for 18.

The Australian dollar is currently about $.75.  US.

[Jason Topp]

Even though I did not take as many pictures, I thought I would add a few to this thread

Approach on 18 at Kingston Heath



10 Green - Kingston Heath



6 Green and 7 - Royal Melbourne West



15 Green looking back - Royal Melbourne West

[Mike_Clayton]

Jason,

The 3rd photo is from the 2nd East green looking down to the 6th west.

[Jason Topp]

Mike:

I'm sure you are right, but I did not play the East.  The only time I can think of where I might have taken a photo of the East was on number 8 West, my drive wound up on a green from the East Course after I hooked it.  The map of the course does not quite look right for me to have been on 2 green.  

[David_Elvins]

Jason,

You probably took the photo after you walked off the back of the 4th green.

[James Bennett]

For those considering coming down under.  I have had some questions about how to get around, especially if the visit is relatively short, or if there are non-golfers in tow.  The prices shown are $Uas, which is worth US$0.75.

On the Barnbougle thread, the option of flying in and out from Melbourne in  a day to Launceston/Barnbougle has been raised.  Currently, Virgin Blue (www.virginblue.com.au) which is a discount airline but does still allow golf clubs and luggage, has their web-based prices at around $200 return for melbourne/Launceston including airport charges.  It can be cheaper, it can be more expensive.  There are 4 flights a day, taking 65 minutes to cross bass strait.

If you elect to keep a single base for your visit (where the spouse/kids might be) in say Melbourne, you could also do 'day trips' to some of the other favourites.

Virgin Blue Melbourne/Adelaide return planned ahead is $150-$200 return, with 9 flights each way a day for a 65 minute flight.  Kooyonga and Glenelg are less than 10 minutes from the airport, and Royal Adelaide is at most 20 minutes away.

Virgin Blue Melbourne/Sydney return planned ahead is also about $160 for a 80 minute flight, with 24 flights a day.  NSW is the must play, which is about 25 minutes from the airport (which, in Sydney speak, is very close).

Virgin Blue even has a direct flight each day to Newcastle.  A 90 minute flight for perhaps $140 return, but you would have to stay overnight on that one.

The other discount airline is JetStar (a Qantas offshoot) but you wouldn't want to contemplate taking golf clubs and luggage on one of those flights.  Qantas (more full service airline) also does discount flights on the web, but you need to plan ahead better than with Virgin Blue - go to www.qantas.com.au .

Hope this helps any of you intrepid sun-seekers.  Good luck.

Just remember, the full fare prices for most of these return flights is around $500 return, so be careful with your bookings.  And, of course, visiting more than one city would be better, as good as the Melbourne sandbelt and Mornington Peninsula are.

regards

James B

[Mike_Clayton]

Jason.

The photo you have taken is from the 5th West tee.
The 2nd East green is just to the left of the 5th tee.
Your hooked drive off 8 West finished on the 1st East green.


That grassed and bunkered ridge across the photo of 15 West was left there by MacKenzie to ' show how bad golf architecture used to be'.
Apocryphal story perhaps but part of club legend.

[Matt_Sullivan]

Further to Jamie's note, for those thinking of coming to OZ, my wife has arranged a fantastic trip for us next month. It involves a bit of driving, but in two weeks you can play a lot of great golf. Although we're Aussies by birth, my wife and I have lived away from Australia for many years (and still do), so we understand the perspective of the overseas visitor

Fly into Sydney (3 days)

Playing NSW, Newcastle and the Lakes

Drive to Canberra (2 days)

The drive is about 3 hourse. We are going there to catch up with friends, so this is not necessary from a golfing perspective. However, our friends are members at Royal Canberra and Federal, both good courses, which is nice

Drive to the Murray River (2 days)

A five or six hour drive from Canberra. Some very good courses at Cobram and Yarrawonga. A chance to break the trip from Canberra to Mornington, and the golf and accomodation is cheap and good!

Drive on to Mornington (4 days)

A five hour or so drive from the Murray. We are playing St Andrews Beach, Portsea, Moonah Open and Legends and the Peninusal courses. (We have previously played most of the other courses there, including the National courses, 13th Beach and the Dunes. So you could substitute whatever you like)

Fly to Launceston (2 days)

Two days at Barnbougle

Return to Melbourne (2 days)

Playing Kingston Heath and Woodlands on the Sandbelt. (We have previously played some of the other courses on the Sandbelt. For a first time vistor, try and spend 4 or 5 days and play the Royal Melbournes, KH, Victoria, Metro, Commonwealth etc)

Obviously you can tailor this to suit your own needs. You may not want or need to go to Canberra or the Murray and so spend more time in Mornington and Melbourne, particularly if you haven't been there before.

But the thing is, it's pretty cheap. The whole thing, including accomodation, green fees, car hire and the domestic airfare, is costing me and my wife a tick under A$5000 (about US$3,800). How's that -- 15 days of golfing, siteseeing and touring about for less than US$2,000 each! (Although no doubt we will spend plenty more on Australian wine, steak and seafood)

Car hire is an option worth exploring, particularly if you have a non-golfing spouse and want to see a bit of the country side. It is only costing us A$600 or so hire a Nissan for the whole time we are there.

[ed_getka]

More great info, thanks.