Royal Queensland Golf Club - Photo Essay

[Scott Warren]

Michael,

To multi-quote, just click on the "quote" button next to all the posts you wish to reply to and you will find they are all added to the reply window at the bottom of the page.

[Michael Taylor]

8th hole: 125m (140y), Par 3, Index 16

The par 3 8th hole is a very good par 3 (as are all the rest), and you are hitting a short iron into a postage stamp green that is surrounded by so much trouble. First of all you hit over a waste area, then over a bunker, then there is the small green with massive slope, a bunker long right, and severe drop offs left and long. So you better hit the green.. 

I'm not sure it's as small as the postage stamp at Troon but it certainly feels quite small the green.

Tee shot:



Standing in the middle of the waste area. Notice how it transitions from the waste bunker to a normal bunker. Pretty neat.



From short left of the green looking to the back right.



Over isn't the spot to go..



Back right bunker which I think I was the only person to notice in the group..



And looking back.



The 9th is a 430m par 4 with the 2nd widest fairway I've ever seen (widest is the 10th hole ).

Pup

[Emil Weber]

Pup,

Great thread.  

Was just speaking to Mark Ferguson and he wanted to know the carry distance on the fairway bunker.  Hopefully the hole is down wind when he is playing there.  



Seriously though, pretty interesting place for a bunker. What did you think of it?

At RQ, bunkers are everywhere. There's no formula for where bunkers are placed. You'll encounter them in the middle of the fairway, 50 yards from the tee, 300 yards from the tee, 30 yards short of the green, and behind the green. I like it.

[Richard Chamberlain]

Clayts,
What is that whispy, lighter coloured grass in those sandy waste's ?

[Sean_A]

This has to be one of the more surprising course tours I have encountered.  The course looks wonderful and just the sort of thing I really get into.  How come you Aussies don't talk it up? 

Ciao

[Andrew Thomson]

Sean, it's a completely new course and there wouldn't be many here who have managed to have a hit there yet.

[Andrew Summerell]

This has to be one of the more surprising course tours I have encountered.  The course looks wonderful and just the sort of thing I really get into.  How come you Aussies don't talk it up? 

Sean,

It has been an extremely average course for many years. Mike's work on a reasonably flat site is exceptional & is a real example of what can be done with some imagination.

[Mark_F]

Was just speaking to Mark Ferguson and he wanted to know the carry distance on the fairway bunker.  Hopefully the hole is down wind when he is playing there.  

You should leave the jokes to a comedian David.

[Michael Taylor]

9th hole: 429m (480y), Par 4, Index 2

The 9th hole is another monster par 4 with bunkers littered everywhere (5 bunkers in play), and is one of the toughest holes on the course. The 9th features a fairway that must be upwards of 100m wide (if you count the 10th hole), otherwise it's 'only' about 60m.. As usual, there is a preferred line off the tee which is down the left hand side of the fairway, where there are 4 bunkers waiting to gobble up your tee shots. From here, you are left with a middle to long iron along the length of the green. This green is one of the more difficult greens on the course as it's pretty small in comparison to the others, and it isn't very deep considering the length of shot it is recieving. There are 5 bunkers surrounding the green, and a drop off over the back right side.

Tee shot:



From 250m out from the tee, this is what you are left with. A shot of about 160m to a green that slopes away from you at the back right..



40m short of the green. (Sorry for the weird photo, but I was walking while taking it ).



Looking back to the tee.



Pup

P.S  I will be away at a golf tournie for 1 week, so unfortunately I won't be able to continue the tour untill then. Don't boot me Ran. 

[Neil_Crafter]

Good work Michael
I was quite familiar with the old RQ but hadn't seen the revamped course by Clayts before. Looks fun.
One comment I will make and it probably has little to do with Clayts work per se, is that there is an inordinate amount of grass that needs to be mown on this course. Seems its grass everywhere except for where there is a tree trunk, a bunker, a waste area or a pond. The rough cutters must work on double shifts! Sadly leads to a lack of definition when the roughs are not some sort of contrasting colour and or texture.

And Ricardo, that lighter coloured grass in the waste areas looks to me like marram grass, appears to have the same colour and texture. Hopefully Clayts will answer.

[Emil Weber]

Neil
Indeed there is a lot of grass to be mown at RQ - the shared fairways of 1,9,10 and 18 is by far the most massive expanse of fairway I've ever seen.

[Mike_Clayton]

Richard,

That blue/grey running plant in the wastes is spinifex.
It runs well - but not so well to overwhealm the hazard.

[Neil_Crafter]

thanks Clayts, probably Spinifex hirsutis perhaps? is this native to the local area?

Emil wasn't so much referring to fairway areas (Clayts obviously has shares in Toro, both machinery and irrigation!) but the roughs. Lots of grass to mow in the roughs, but I think RQ was always like this.

[Mike_Clayton]

Neil,

Yes ,it is indigenous to that part of Brisbane.
There not that much rough to cut at Royal Queensland - way less than most courses in the country.

[Neil_Crafter]

really?, just looking at the photos it appears there are acres and acres of rough to mow. Doesn't seem to be much in the way of understorey plants under the trees and so they would have to mow under the trees too, as distinct from say Metro where there are lots of places that rarely see a roughcutter. Just my perception from the pics and my memory of the old course. Admittedly I don't think the photo tour has got onto your holes that were on previously unused land either.

[Mike_Clayton]

Neil,

Adam Scott opened the course a few yeara ago and Geoff Ogilvy asked him what the course was like.
His first comment was 'there is no rough'.
There are almost no shots played out of grass that is not fairway length.

[Michael Taylor]

Sorry for taking longer than expected to get this show back on the road, but I've been very busy with golf and other stuff in my life. Unfortunately I won't be so detailed with this 9 of the course as I just hope the pictures do the talking..

10th hole: 364m, Par 4, Index 5.

10 is a straightforward par 4 with only a couple of bunkers in play. The green is angled from left to right so as to encourage an approach shot from the LHS of the fairway, where 2 bunkers are located (242m 270y to both of them, 253m 280y to carry them).
Only 1 greenside bunker in play (there is one 10m short left of the putting surface, not really in play) that isn't a massive penalty for hitting in it.

Tee shot.



Middle of the fairway, 150m (165y) left to the green.



Photo showing the entire width of the green, from the left side.



And looking back to the tee. Note the massive expanses of fairway surrounding the green.. Making chipping quite easy.



11th hole is an awesome par 4, albeit not as good as the 3rd hole.

Feel free to keep the discussion going and questions coming. 

 

[Michael Taylor]

11th hole: 314m, par 4, Index 17.

The 11th hole is another very well designed short par 4 which provides you with many options on the tee.

The choices from the tee are:

1: Go for the green.
2: Hit down the left hand side near the water but be left with a tricky chip shot.
3: Carry the bunker on the right and stay left of the waste area and be left with an easy chip.
4: Stay short of all the bunkers with like a 5i.

Tee shot.


Chip shot after taking option 3.



Pitch shot (option number 4).



Down the left hand side (option number 2). If you stray too far left then you'll ball will run even further down the slope and you'll be left with that pitch shot over that deep bunker.



And looking back to the tee.



Pup

[Sean_A]

Hey, GCA's youngest member, did you fall off the twig?

Ciao

[Michael Taylor]

Sean,

I've been crazily busy lately and haven't had the time to complete it. I'll try and get 2 or 3 holes done tonight, then finish it tomorrow.

[Michael Taylor]

12th hole: 405m (450y), Par 4, Index 3.

The 12th hole is a long par 4 with not much trouble off the tee. There is a waste area down the right that guards the correct side to approach from, and a bunker to the left if you stray to far that way. The green is one of the tamest on the course, but that doesn't mean much. There is still quite a bit of slope throughout the green to be wary of. And as I found out, you don't want to go in the front left bunker as it is quite deep.

Tee shot.



From the middle of the fairway.



Down the left side of the fairway.



The better angle into the green, the right hand side.



40m out.



And looking back to the tee.



Next is my least favorite of the par 3's.

[Michael Taylor]

13th hole: 160m (180y), Par 3, Index 11.

The 13th is a nice par 3, but my least favorite on the course. It has a very large green with quite severe contours throughout. There are 4 bunkers guarding the green, of which none are really that deep. And a run up shot onto the green is almost a possibility considering the front left portion of the green is open.

Tee shot:



Fancy tee markers at RQ. 



From just 20m short of the green.



Side view of the 13th green.



Looking back to the tee.



Pup

[Michael Taylor]

14th hole: 411m (460y), Par 4, Index 1.

The 14th is a wonderful hole that yet again gives you a couple of options off the tee. There is water quite aways to the left of the fairway and there is a bunker 275m out (305y) from the tee that complicates things up a bit. If you keep too far to the right on your tee shot, then you are left with a very difficult 2nd shot over a cluster of bunkers. Stay too far to the left (right on line with the bunker) and your left with a blind shot, albeit on a better angle. If you keep it down the middle then you have a look of the pin, but still not as good an angle as coming in from the left hand side.

The green (as per usual) has quite a bit going on. It slopes from back to front and has a slight angle from right to left.

Tee shot.



230m down the RHS.



260m down the left.  Note the blind shot.



About 290m down the RHS. From here you have to contend with all those bunkers.



60m out.



Closer look of the green.



That begins my favorite stretch of holes on the golf course (14-17).

Pup

P.S Also does anybody have any idea how to look at all of my photos that I've put on photobucket? It only shows me my last 100 uploads. I need to see the others I've taken..  Thanks

[Kevin Pallier]

Michael

Thanks for the tour. What similarities of design do you see at Royal Qld as well as at The Lakes ?

[Michael Taylor]

The most obvious one is MC's use of waste bunkers throughout the redesigns. The other one is definately the contouring and size of the greens. They are quite similar at both courses.

And I can't get the rest of the tour up atm. Photobucket has lost my photos.. So I need to find where I put them on this computer.

Will finish asap.

Pup