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Brett_Morrissy

  • Karma: +0/-0
RJ - I believe the SCUBA down there is incredible, and fishing in the same category - abundant life below the surface. Anything wind related would also be fun :) Some interesting historical and nature walks etc.
@theflatsticker

RJ_Daley

  • Karma: +0/-0
Michigander DeVries is almost a cheesehead.  Maybe he can start a nice Holstein herd or round up some of those millions of sheep down under and help your lot to produce some good cheese.  I assume you Aussies already know how to cut the cheese.   ;D
No actual golf rounds were ruined or delayed, nor golf rules broken, in the taking of any photographs that may be displayed by the above forum user.

Neil_Crafter

  • Karma: +0/-0
Thanks for the info Dickie, appreciate that.
Hope to visit King Island one of these days. You can be my sherpa :-)

Mike_DeVries

  • Karma: +0/-0
Niall,

Thanks for posting and thanks to everyone else for the kind words.  This is truly a great opportunity and the whole family is enjoying a wonderful adventure Down Under.

I will try to check in and post more regularly to update everyone on what is happening.  I will send a few photos to Niall to insert, as I seem to be quite inept at doing that.

Currently, we are grubbing holes 3-5, while 1-2 is pretty well shaped in.  Irrigation pond is in and big mainline is halfway in.  Entrance road is in with sub-base complete.  Range, 14, and 15 are in various stages of rough-shaping, done in combination with the road and mainline work.  Lots going on as we have requirements to do work that is near the mutton bird nest sites while they are in the Arctic (yes, these birds migrate to Alaska for 6 months!) and we are developing a separate bird sanctuary to replace nesting sites that are interrupted by hole construction.

A special kudos to Richard Chamberlain for all his help with the computer graphics and aerial overlay work -- great job!

Cheers,
Mike


Will Lozier

  • Karma: +0/-0
Niall,

Thanks for posting and thanks to everyone else for the kind words.  This is truly a great opportunity and the whole family is enjoying a wonderful adventure Down Under.

I will try to check in and post more regularly to update everyone on what is happening.  I will send a few photos to Niall to insert, as I seem to be quite inept at doing that.

Currently, we are grubbing holes 3-5, while 1-2 is pretty well shaped in.  Irrigation pond is in and big mainline is halfway in.  Entrance road is in with sub-base complete.  Range, 14, and 15 are in various stages of rough-shaping, done in combination with the road and mainline work.  Lots going on as we have requirements to do work that is near the mutton bird nest sites while they are in the Arctic (yes, these birds migrate to Alaska for 6 months!) and we are developing a separate bird sanctuary to replace nesting sites that are interrupted by hole construction.

A special kudos to Richard Chamberlain for all his help with the computer graphics and aerial overlay work -- great job!

Cheers,
Mike

Mike,

Looks amazing!  How disruptive is the walk from 13 to 14?

Cheers

RJ_Daley

  • Karma: +0/-0
I was looking at average monthly temps, and it almost seems like this area might be similar to Seattle or PacNW.  If so, would fine fescue turf be seeded?  I believe M DeV had worked on High Pointe, and thus wonder if he has strong feelings one way or other about using fescue?

Looking forward to Mike's updates about the course and his living experiences there.  The more I read about the island, the more intriguing it becomes.  Have you tried the Muttonbird - Shearwater foul yet Mike?  Jetty fishing???  ;D 8)
No actual golf rounds were ruined or delayed, nor golf rules broken, in the taking of any photographs that may be displayed by the above forum user.

Bill Seitz

  • Karma: +0/-0
I was looking at average monthly temps, and it almost seems like this area might be similar to Seattle or PacNW.  If so, would fine fescue turf be seeded?  I believe M DeV had worked on High Pointe, and thus wonder if he has strong feelings one way or other about using fescue?

Kingsley is pretty much all fescue except for the greens, so my guess would be that Mike certainly doesn't have a problem with using fescue.  A side note to that, the fairways at Kingsley in the two trips I've made this year (late May, mid to late June) have been in the best shape I've ever seen. 

Jud_T

  • Karma: +0/-0
Whoa,

Prime scuba diving AND Devries links golf?  A man could get lost down under....
Golf is a game. We play it. Somewhere along the way we took the fun out of it and charged a premium to be punished.- - Ron Sirak

Colin Macqueen

  • Karma: +0/-0
Jud T,

I did and never found my way back up over!!!

I am really looking forward to this King Island course.

Cheers Colin
"Golf, thou art a gentle sprite, I owe thee much"
The Hielander

Howard Riefs

  • Karma: +0/-0
Whoa,

Prime scuba diving AND Devries links golf?  A man could get lost down under....


Please sign me up for the 2015 golf and SCUBA trip in Tasmania and Australia.
"Golf combines two favorite American pastimes: Taking long walks and hitting things with a stick."  ~P.J. O'Rourke

Richard Chamberlain

  • Karma: +0/-0
Yeah the golf course will be awesome...and the cheese...and the fishing and surfing....blah blah blah...
But trust me, this is the real highlight of the place.....






Scott Warren

  • Karma: +0/-0
When is the course expected to be open?

Chris Buie

  • Karma: +0/-0
These photos have been uploaded by request from Mr. DeVries.

Photo A


Photo B


Photo


Photo C


Photo D


Photo E


Photo F


Photo G





Eric Smith

  • Karma: +0/-0

Photo E



As Jim Nantz would say, "OH MY."

George Freeman

  • Karma: +0/-0
Wow.  Great pictures.  This is a REALLY exciting project for Mike and us GCA nerds.

The only problem for me is the location on the other side of the world!
Mayhugh is my hero!!

"I love creating great golf courses.  I love shaping earth...it's a canvas." - Donald J. Trump

Jimmy Muratt

  • Karma: +0/-0
What a stunning site, you can't have a canvas to work on much better than that.....  The combination of the sandy dunesland with the jagged coastline, wow.   I'm thrilled to see Mike getting this opportunity and can't wait to see the finished product.

JC Urbina

  • Karma: +0/-0
Mike,

Good luck with your new adventure.  The land looks pretty amazing and the texture is really different.  Please keep us updated with your progress.  Who is helping you shape the golf course?

This will be so refreshing to read someone else creating golf holes on topography as unique as Cape Wickham.


Jud_T

  • Karma: +0/-0
Photo C has a particularly interesting convexity to the land form.  What is routed here?
Golf is a game. We play it. Somewhere along the way we took the fun out of it and charged a premium to be punished.- - Ron Sirak

Andrew Lewis

  • Karma: +0/-0
The photos that Chris posted are as follows from top to bottom.  Probably easiest to follow along with the topo/routing overlay from http://www.planetgolf.com/index.php?id=1833.

1) Lighthouse at north end

2) 2nd tee

3) 3rd tee

4) 3rd tee to 2nd green

5) 1st tee

6) 10th green

7) 11th tee

8) 17th tee to 16th green

Brett_Morrissy

  • Karma: +0/-0
Andrew - I am assuming Photo E is your 6) - the 10th hole?

Do you think the bush on the RHS of the image, is indicative of the prevailing and strength of the wind - SW?
@theflatsticker

Mike_DeVries

  • Karma: +0/-0
Many thanks for all the new comments.  A special thanks to Chris for posting the photos and Andrew for labeling them.

Jim - it is a very diverse piece of property and the light is truly amazing, constantly changing with passing clouds, storm fronts, time of day, etc. that makes the texture of the ground and the coastline very dynamic.  I really have never seen a site that does this as frequently as here.  It is an honor to be given the responsibility to build this course.

Photo C / 4 shows the ridge line that the second green sits upon.  Its severity is accentuated by the African boxthorn (one of the worst plants in the world, it is a native of Africa and the thorns will pop tires and pierce into your boot soles.  You don't want a prick, as it will irritate you for 3 days!) - boxthorn is removed and ridge is knocked down to make the green playable.

E/6 is the 10th, facing west.  The wind will blow from all directions and can do so with force - today it was out of the north, which is more common in the winter, while S, SW, W is more the summer wind.  From my experience in Jan, May, June, July, it blows all directions and with a variety of force year-round.

Course will open sometime in late 2014 or 2015, depending on seeding, which is affected by the bird nesting and affects our grow-in timing

Richard, great photos . . . what was more important - the Lobster/Cray or the beer?!? 

Turnpoint isthe golf construction company building the course.  I will be shaping, as will some of their people, the main one being Lindsey, who is pictured chomping on the Lobster in Richard's photo!

Cheers,
Mike

Tim_Weiman

  • Karma: +0/-0
Mike:

Congratulations on this commission. Very exciting to say the least!

Part of being a golf architecture junkie is the adventure of travel to see the world's great venues for golf. Cape Wickham is one journey I really look forward to making.

Best of luck with the project.
Tim Weiman

Brett_Morrissy

  • Karma: +0/-0
Construction  update and some commentary from owners
http://www.turfmate.com.au/article/1496/the-latest-from-cape-wickham
@theflatsticker

Colin Macqueen

  • Karma: +0/-0
Brett,
Mouthwatering ...... just like so many of the other victuals on this wee piece of paradise.

Cheers Colin
"Golf, thou art a gentle sprite, I owe thee much"
The Hielander

Ash Towe

  • Karma: +0/-0
There is another course being developed on King Island.

Have a look at ocean dunes.com.au