Construction at Royal Melbourne

[Jeffrey Stein]

Can anyone comment on the extent of the construction going on at Royal Melbourne in preparation for the Presidents Cup?  I am headed over to Australia in two weeks, but was told the whole facility is pretty much shut down.

[Michael Taylor]

I think the West Course might be back in play, but is not in very good condition. You should ring them direct to check first though.

Pup

[Brett_Morrissy]

Jeffrey,
I think they have replaced all the greens in the last 2 years.
and replacing all the fairways. lost top spot in the rankings becuase of porr conditioning.

They have 18 months to get it back to top knick for Presidents Cup - and new playing surfaces should see it through the longer term.

BM

[Anthony_Nysse]

Theyve had a new Superintendent in place for about 6 months now. I beleive that he came from The Met.

[Andrew Bertram]

jeffrey

both courses are open and the Members i have spoken to are very happy with progress and current conditioning


I played the east 4 weeks ago. the 17th and 18th fairways on the east were the first done and are excellent, 1 through 3 fairways were a bit behind the other 2.

The greens had good coverage, were long and slow.

The west opened 3 weeks ago and the description i was given by a 30 year low marker member last weekend was that the greens were very true and a bit slow. He said the fairways were coming on. He was very vocal 12 months ago about the condition whenever i saw him and he is now quite bullish about the progress.

The late summer / autumn has been pefect for growing, 125 days in a row over 20 degrees celsius with good rain.

The following may be of interest to the tree house. As of JUly 1st 2010 RMGC takwe over the lease of Sandringham Public Golf Links which is directly across the road for 3 years. Sandy was used for parking and practice facilities for the Pres Cup in 1998 and will be again in 2011.

you should asolutely look into playing at RMGC while you are in Melbourne.

The work Clayts has done at Victoria in the last 6 months is outstanding and you should not miss it.

Andrew Bertram
Head Professional
The Yarra Yarra Golf Club
Melbourne Australia
     

[Jeffrey Stein]

Thanks all for the heads up.

[Warwick Loton]

Andrew's comments are correct.

Both courses are open and playable, and you should definitely arrange a hit there.

24 holes have undergone extensive re-turfing work over the last 5 months, with most getting completely new fairways, greens and green surrounds, and some getting new tees as well. As you can imagine not all of the turf has fully taken yet, and all of these holes are soft underfoot. However, they have extensive grass coverage, and there is no need to take advantage of the "preferred lies" option on offer. The greens haven't rolled truer for years. These 24 holes include all of the West Course and all of the holes used in the Composite Course.

The other 10 holes are scheduled for similar work, but not until after the Presidents' Cup. They have received limited attention with all of the work going on elsewhere, and the conditioning of their greens might be described as sub-optimal. On the other hand, their fairways are generally very good.

Be warned though, your first visual impression will be contrary to expectations: PGA-style lushness and very heavy rough. Unsurprisingly, a lot of fertiliser and vast quantities of water have been pumped onto the course to get the new turf going quickly.

[Jeffrey Stein]

Sounds like its definately worth a look.  I have heard RM described as the Pine Valley of the sandbelt, I can't wait to see for myself.  Im also amazed at the disparity in reports regarding the current condition of the golf course.  Perhaps people are over reacting to the slowness of the greens?  Or is it an interclub rivalry to be known as the best course in the sandbelt? 

Do all the clubs in the sandbelt play a yearly competition amongst eachother?

[Kevin Pallier]

I can't wait to see for myself.  Im also amazed at the disparity in reports regarding the current condition of the golf course.  Perhaps people are over reacting to the slowness of the greens?  Or is it an interclub rivalry to be known as the best course in the sandbelt? 

Do all the clubs in the sandbelt play a yearly competition amongst eachother?

Jeffrey

RM issues have been much bigger than "slowness of it's greens".

RM and Kingston Heath are the standout courses on the Sandbelt - I recommend you check them both out and form your own opinions.

[Brett_Morrissy]

Andrew & Warwick,

great to here the work has been successful. it is fantastci for golf that RM can put the effort in and bite the bullet to achieve what needed to be done.

bm

[John Sabino]

Jeffrey - played RM East and West a little more than a week ago and the condition is fine. Had heard horror stories about it. A picture is worth a thousand words, see for yourself. All these holes are on the composite.

Detail of the 5th green, West Course:



And from the tee. A fantastic par three:



Approach to the 2nd hole, East Course. You can see just in front of the green a little patch that hasn't grown in yet. That's the worst of the conditioning, but still more than acceptable.




John