Victoria GC

[Chris Kane]

Recently saw this in the December edition of the Victoria Golf Club newsletter:

"Meanwhile as members can readily observe, we have almost completed the scheduled bunker refurbishment and master plan works aimed at presenting Victoria Golf Club to the golfing world in the best possible condition for the 2002 Open Championship. The club has reached agreement with the Australian Golf Union for them to fund a number of changes recommended by Peter Thomson. These include tiger tees at the 5th and 9th holes, re-routing of the 6th hole and upgraded bunkering at the 6th and 18th holes. At the time of writing, these works are almost complete".

Mike Clayton: are any of these changes to the layout likely to have a lasting impact? Or are they just minor changes for one tournament without other ramifacations?

I know you can't really comment on this, but I feel it is an insult for the AGU to give the job to Thomson when you have spent so much time restoring the course.  It would have been a wiser decision to allow you to implement any changes deemed necessary, rather than have Thomson who is not known for his works being of a sandbelt character.

[Mike Clayton]

Chris

I guess Peter made a few recommendations - some we agreed with ,some not. The 6th tee moved right which was good and it was entirely our work with the greenside bunkers. 18 too with its slightly altered bunkers had little to do with TWP.

5 AND 9 tees moved back 20 and 15 yards -which wasnt as far as they -TWP- wanted .
They were all relativly simple changes in line with our restoration policy there.

I guess the club have been able to use the fact the Open is on to get some work done that may have been a little more difficult politically if it wsant there.

Intrersted to hear what you think of what has gone on at Vic these past few years.

[Chris Kane]

Mike,

Last played at Victoria mid-September and was very impressed.  At that stage there were still works going on, but I felt that the course had a much more 'pure' feel to it than a few years back.

What you've done is excellent: its good to see that the club has engaged an architect who is sympathetic toward the origins of the design, rather than at my club Commonwealth.  The clubs have gone in opposite directions.  I hope it isn't the case for much longer.

A good friend of mine will be becoming a junior member there shortly: I'll be able to give you my opinion of the finished product when I play there at that time.

Good luck at the NZ Open this week.  Would love to see you upstage Tiger!

[Mike Duffy]

Mike Clayton,

I think Victoria is one of the toughest courses in Australia, without any added length. As you would know, it is the greens and the approaches thereto that form the basis of the difficulty.

Holes two and three are ball-tearers, as is hole number 6. Hole 10 is my favourite, a drive from the tee to a valley then an uphill approach to a sloping and treacherous green.

I last played there around Grand Final time with a very good friend of mine who has been a member there for around 30 years.

On the 7th hole (the beautiful and demanding par three), I happened to notice a "new" bunker around 80-100 metres from the tee.

I don't recall seeing that bunker on my previous visitations. After a close inspection of it it I concluded that it looked like an old bunker that had been rediscovered or refurbished.

I asked my friend if he knew the history of it and to my horror he said "that's the first time I've noticed it." And he plays there at least three times a month!

Am I right Mike, in respect to it being an old bunker, or has it always been there and it is me who has only just recently noticed it?

By the way, I happen to like the work you and your crew have carried out there. Renovation - not redesign - should always be the credence for the classic courses of the sandbelt.

[Mike Clayton]

Mike

The bunker at 7 was always there but had lost its origional shape completely so we put it back off the 1933 ariel - the same thing happened to all the bunkers at that hole.

5 I think is a better hole with the extra 20 yards -the bunker is relevant for almost all -reachable for most and a huge carry for the smashers.I thought 9 was fine but the AGU wanted 30 yards and it finished at 15 which still gives a few a reason to have a go.
The real problem is the ball runs too far on the santa ana fairways even in the winter so equipment aside the course plays shorter all year round than it ever did.

I think history will prove RM made the right decision sticking to the two grasses.
Bruce Grant is experimenting with oversowing fescue into some fairways at Portsea and the National to try and slow it up a bit as well as striving for a more natural look. We are all tired of the reverence of 'perfection'

[Chris Kane]

Mike,

Agree with Mike Duffy that the focus should be on renovation and restoration rather than redesign.

[Mike Clayton]

Chris

Absolutly but I assume I'm not flavour of the month there because I've been critical in some articles about what went on.

I'm not sure they would let me or anyone else do what really needs to be done to get it even close to its former glory.

[Chris Kane]

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