Resurrecting the Melbourne Sandbelt, Part III (Kingston Heath GC) (w/pictures)

[Benjamin Litman]

Kingston Heath was so much fun the first time, we managed to play it again before we left. Despite having also played Royal Melbourne (West), Royal Melbourne (East), Victoria, and Metropolitan, Kingston was our only double play. That, alone, is telling. Many thanks to the staff for accommodating our request, especially at a reduced rate.

As I've noted, I'm still very much on the fence (in the unreality that occupies my golf mind) about whether I'd choose Kingston or Victoria if I could join a club for regular play in the Sandbelt. When I was there, Kingston came out ahead after much debate. Now, after the responses to my Victoria thread, I'm again having trouble choosing. I still lean Kingston, but that's a tribute to the course more than to the club. As much as I like the clubhouse at Kingston (and even though the pro shop is far superior to the one at Victoria, which is the worst of any of the clubs we visited), it's very much an afterthought. Kingston is all about the golf, and you get that impression immediately, as the "entry" to the clubhouse is actually an open walkway that leads directly to the first tee. Once you make it to the end of the walkway, an amazing expanse of golfing land opens before you--the first hole straight ahead, the sixth hole running parallel, in the opposite direction, to the right of the first, the warm-up driving range to the left of the first, the seventh and eighteenth holes to your right, and the third and fourth at approximately two o'clock. Flatness has never looked so enchanting.

A few general comments about the course before I get to the photo tour. The famed par-3 15th hole was closed for play during both of my rounds, so I can't comment on it. I walked it and shook my head at the dastardly bunkering by the green, but I didn't feel I missed much. That's how good the rest of the course is. People say the 15th is by far the best individual golf hole at Kingston, and given that the other par-3s all play along flat ground and that none of the other holes have any "wow" factor to speak of, that might well be true. But Kingston still has other standout holes; they are just overlooked because of what could be one of the greatest, and most intimate, course routings in the world (enhanced by the near-total absence of views of the outside world, with the minor exceptions of the left of 12 and the left of 16). In my opinion, the following holes are all legitimately world class: 1, 3 (albeit with one of the worst/blandest/least-strategic tee shots on the course), 5, 9, 10, 12, 14, 15, 16, 17, 19 (which we played as the second hole--it's between the first green and the tee of the normal second hole). The 10th has to be the best par-3 after the 15th. It's short, gorgeous, and incredibly difficult. Even though it took me two playings to figure this out, the miss is short or long. Given how narrow the green is, any miss a few feet on either side means some adventures from the bunkers. I generally played well out of the bunkers at Kingston, but 10 ate me alive, as the narrowness of the green and the hardness of the bunkers meant I visited bunkers on each side of the green on consecutive shots both times I played it.

Despite being a very flat piece of land (the uphill 15th hole has by far the most elevation of any on the course), Kingston is blessed with wonderful natural undulations, including several large enough to create enticing blind shots throughout the course: the tee shots on 1 and 6 (both playing slightly uphill over the same ridge in opposite directions), the tee shot on 8 (uphill over a ridge), the second shot on 14 (up a gradual hill), the tee shot on 16 (uphill over a ridge, turning hard right), the second shot on 17 (downhill over an Alps-like rise in the second half of the fairway). Bunkers are absolutely everywhere and in large numbers--often in large clusters--but they have less sand in them than any of the other bunkers on the Sandbelt (at least of the courses I played). The greens are very fast, so subtle ridges, and there are many of them, propel balls away from the hole more than you might think. It's a course that commands your attention on every shot (the flatness--and lack of Metropolitan-like playing corridors--makes many of the landing areas on the tee shots hard to see, even if they are generous), but yet is not so hard as to wear you down. In fact, it's just about the most pleasant walk in all of golf.

N.B.: My pictures are largely from our first round at Kingston, when it was mostly sunny, but I have also included several from our second round, when it was mostly cloudy.

Love at First Sight (View Through the Open-Air Walkway to Hole 1 and the Course)


Clubhouse View (1st Hole to the Left, 6th Green to the Right)


Hole 1 (Tee) (My favorite opening hole and tee shot on the Sandbelt)


Hole 1 (Right Fairway Bunkers)


Hole 1 (Fairway)


Hole 19 (Tee) (Not a bad "backup" hole)


Hole 2 (Fairway) (The green is left after a sharp turn in the fairway; the hole needs some more length to play to its true potential)


Hole 2 (Left Fairway Bunkers, Green in Distance)


Hole 3 (Tee) (N.B.: I'm not sure I can think of a world-class hole with such an uninspiring tee shot, a mid-long iron to a bland, undefined wide fairway; the green is the saving grace of this hole)


Hole 5 (Tee) (It might look a bit like the 10th, but the 5th green is far wider and more forgiving)


Hole 6 (Right Fairway Bunkers) (Note that the ridge over which the bunkers are draped extends right across the 1st fairway, creating the blindness of that hole's tee shot)


Hole 6 (Right Greenside Bunkers, with Clubhouse)


Hole 6 (Looking Backward from Behind the Green)


Hole 7 (Tee)


Hole 7 (Fairway) (One of the more pleasing-looking approach shots/green complexes on the course)


Hole 7 (Green) (A great green complex for a par-5, not unlike the 2nd at Royal Melbourne (West))


Hole 8 (Fairway, Looking Backward, with the 17th Fairway on the Left)


Hole 9 (Fairway)


Hole 9 (Green, Looking Backward up the Fairway)


Hole 10 (Tee) (For a flat course, Kingston has eye-candy galore, none more appealing than the tee shot at the short 10th)


Hole 12 (Center Fairway Bunkers)


Hole 12 (Right Greenside Bunkers, Looking Backward with Hole 13 to the Left)


Hole 13 (Left Fairway Bunker, Looking Backward across the 14th Fairway)


Hole 14 (Tee) (A great par-5 that gradually winds, and narrows, uphill to a blind green)


Hole 14 (Right Fairway Bunkers)


Hole 14 (Left Fairway Bunkers)


Hole 15 (Tee)


Hole 16 (Fairway, Right Fairway Bunkers) (This is after a blind, uphill sharp-dogleg-right tee shot)


Hole 16 (Right Greenside Bunkers, with Hole 8 in the background)


Hole 16 (Looking Backward from Behind the Green)


Hole 17 (Tee)


Hole 17 (Fairway) (One of the most beautiful, peaceful spots on any golf course I have ever played)


Hole 17 (Right Fairway Bunker)


Hole 17 (Left Fairway Bunkers)


Hole 18 (Fairway)


Hole 18 (Left Greenside Bunker, with Clubhouse)


Hole 18 (Left Greenside Bunker, with Clubhouse)

[Jeff Taylor]

Wow. You made excellent choices with composition in these images. Just think what you could have done with a 10 foot ladder. The image of #10 is art.
It is my dream to one day get to the Sandbelt. Thank you for keeping that dream alive.
Architecturally, flat ground needs something and I am somewhat concerned that trees are kept so close to the bunkers. Maybe I am quibbling. Where else should they be?

[Benjamin Litman]

Thanks for the kind words, Jeff. Much appreciated. I have thought about a ladder before, but I'll have to make do with the drone I received as a gift over the holidays I haven't used it yet, but living in NYC, let's just say a trip out to a certain trio of adjacent courses in Southampton might be on the agenda this summer. If there was ever a golf site made for a drone, that's got to be it.

That said, I love my camera, and I love the player's on-the-ground perspective, which is the architect's focus at the end of the day. Flat courses that are beautiful are especially impressive to me; most courses require elevation changes to showcase their beauty. Kingston Heath has to be the most beautiful flat course in the world.

I didn't find that the trees at Kingston Heath (or anywhere on the Sandbelt, for that matter) came into play at all (unless you hit a truly awful, offline shot). They frame holes beautifully without interfering with play.

[Jeff Taylor]

Thanks for the kind response Benjamin.
I often argued with fellow committee members about vertical hazards placed next to ground level hazards. Maybe the images make that connection more than it plays like.
As for the drone, please tell me you are kidding. If true, please keep us all posted on your progress with it's use. If these are two of the three courses you referred to, check out my galleries.
http://www.pbase.com/jstaylor/shinnecock_hills
http://www.pbase.com/jstaylor/ngla
All the best.
JT

[Benjamin Litman]

Of what committee do you speak, Jeff? You are right that a few of the bunker complexes at Kingston have trees on the outside of them, especially the clusters on the right side of the 1st fairway/left side of the 6th fairway. (Apart from those, though, I can't think of a tree that actually comes into play--out of curiosity, which holes make it appear otherwise to you in my pictures?) Perhaps they are there to add definition that otherwise would not exist from the tee? As I mentioned in my original post, one disconcerting thing about many of the tee shots at Kingston is that you can't really tell where the landing area ends and the bunkers begin--again, due to the flatness. The only hole at Kingston that feels "tight" is 9, but it's a shortish hole, so the slight claustrophobia didn't bother me much.

As for the drone, I'm dead serious--both about having received a drone for the holidays and about my plans for using it. I was lucky enough to walk NGLA for the Walker Cup and Sebonack for the U.S. Women's Open two years ago, and I've gazed longingly at Shinny for years (including from the range, where I once had a lesson). But seeing that stretch of golf heaven from above already has me salivating. I will keep you posted.

Many thanks for the galleries. You, too, have a great eye.

[Jeff Taylor]

Maybe I was projecting my own fears about trees. Greens and grounds committees for novices are just fodder for argument. This site is where I tried to get some perspective about what a course should play like and look like. You are probably correct that I focused on images that featured trees rather than those that didn't.
I am very interested in how drones are used and what photographic equipment would be used on them. After that, there is post production. Is it video, are they stills, how do you manage the data.
Probably boring for the rest but I am intrigued.
All the best.

[Michael Wharton-Palmer]

More marvelous delivery, once again many thanks for taking the time to share and to not only educate but with the qulaity entertain.
More licking of my chops for the upcoming trip.cheers

[jonathan_becker]

Benjamin,

So did you skip all of #11 and the approach on #17?! 

It looks like KH is bringing back the scruff in some spots.  I knew of a couple places but I didn't know about the tee shot on #13.

Here's the 13th tee from January 2013....

[Michael Wharton-Palmer]

How wide are the fiarways?
Everytimg looks narrow, or is that just the photos?

[jonathan_becker]

How wide are the fiarways?
Everytimg looks narrow, or is that just the photos?

More than wide enough

[Adam_Messix]

MWP--

You could consider Kingston Heath to be "narrow" on the 9th hole, otherwise it's plenty playable.  It's the ultimate change of pace from the grandness and width of Royal Melbourne though and the routing here is genius.

To me, Kingston Heath is the kind of course we should celebrate more.  Those involved in the design here did a masterful job of maximizing a property limited not only in size but also in movement.  It's a course that is truly worth of study if you're interested in an architects work, not just celebrating great property. 

[Benjamin Litman]

Jonathan, I didn't whip out my camera on 11, probably because I was still fuming after going bunker to bunker on 10. But here's a photo still of my second shot on 17 during my first round. You are right about the scruff--the plantings are clearly new in front of, to my recollection, 8, 13, and 18 tees and perhaps elsewhere as well. (Thanks for the photo; it's clear the conditions are more lush in the Australian summer than in the Australian winter, when I was there.)

Hole 17 (Second Shot) (Note I'm right where the 17th fairway and 8th fairway fuse)


MWP, if you read up to my initial exchange with Jeff, you'll see that, while 9 feels slightly "tight," no other hole on Kingston Heath does. The trees only make it appear that way; almost none of them come into play. In addition to general width, many of the holes have sides that, due to gentle or sharp doglegs or fused fairways with adjacent holes, are wide open. Missing to those sides leaves a much harder second shot, of course, but the misses are available for the high-handicap player. As Adam notes, it is a truly brilliant design.

[jonathan_becker]

I totally forgot that #17 and #8 join fairways....that's a cool photo, Benjamin.

And if I was going to nitpick a spot I would say to clear out parts of #18 on the right and make that fairway join with the fairway on #7.  I know it's the final hole and all but it's a little tight in the landing zone on #18 given the rest of the course.  #9 gets tight when trying to force it into the dogleg off the tee but all the Aussies know that's another thread topic for another day!

[RJ_Daley]

Yes, I think the difference in Jonathan's photo of 13 and Benjamin's is the summer native growth.  Matthew Mollica has a fine thread if you search for it, of the various native plants and grasses found there.  Whilst not golf architecture, one aspect that lingers in my mind of KH and my day at RM was the soundtrack of the birds.  Combine the design routing, the feature shaping, of a lovely walk, with the blend of native plants and trees plus the soundtrack and I can't think of a better place to be.

[jonathan_becker]

Yes, I think the difference in Jonathan's photo of 13 and Benjamin's is the summer native growth.  

This is true with the native growth but Benjamin's photo has turf cleared out in front of the tee with exposed sandy areas where in my photo it's just straight up turf/grass.

Regarding the birds....magpies and kookaburras signing throughout the round creates one of the most unique natural soundtracks for strolling the fairways in all of golf!

[Benjamin Litman]

Here are clearer views of the new plantings off the tees on 8 and 13.

Hole 8 (Tee)


Hole 13 (Tee)


And, finally, some of everyone's beloved Sandbelt fauna.

[James Bennett]

A local Australian lad played Kingston Heath for the first time recently.  His inciteful comment was

'Not sure why but I expected grandeur. Instead I found serenity and in a way that was more rewarding, as i've seen a lot of tacky grandeur in Asia.'

The Heath is more about serenity than grandeur.

James B

[Thomas Dai]

'Not sure why but I expected grandeur. Instead I found serenity and in a way that was more rewarding, as i've seen a lot of tacky grandeur in Asia.'

What a perceptive comment. Not what you'd generally expect from youth so more praise to him for it.

I've enjoyed seeing and reading the various Melbourne sand-belt course photo-tours that are currently on the Discussion Board. I was in Melbourne for several weeks many years ago but injury meant very limited opportunity and I ultimately only played a few holes at RACV-Healesville. One of life's regrets being within walking distance of so many great courses but not being able to play.

By the way, does the gentleman in the yellow hat use the 10-finger/baseball grip?

Atb

Atb

[Benjamin Litman]

I certainly agree with the serenity-instead-of-grandeur comments.

Thomas, I'm glad you've enjoyed my photo tours of the Sandbelt. Royal Melbourne is coming soon. And I'm very impressed that you picked up on my 10-finger grip (yes, the "gentleman in the yellow hat" is yours truly--my girlfriend is kind enough not only to play golf with me, but to video and photograph most of my swings). Before I picked up golf, I played baseball for many years. I started with an interlocking grip, but I began to feel--and think about--my right pinky during my swing, and it distracted me greatly, to the point where I began to flinch at times. So I went back to what felt natural, which is the 10-finger grip. I am a very handsy player anyway, and I have way more control with all ten fingers on the club--"saving" shots is much easier now.

[David_Elvins]

To me, Kingston Heath is the kind of course we should celebrate more.  Those involved in the design here did a masterful job of maximizing a property limited not only in size but also in movement.  It's a course that is truly worth of study if you're interested in an architects work, not just celebrating great property.  

I can't remember the thread I posted this in before but my guess would be that there is nothing masterful in the Kingston Heath routing.  

The aim was to build a long course and this was simply done by building as many long holes as possible in and out of the corners of the property.

It is almost as if the course was routed with no regard to the topography of the property.  Very few of the greensites are what you would call classic green sites.  Only maybe 7 and Mackenzie's change to 15 stand out as classic green sites that an architect would look for.  It works because the scale of the undulation is enough to create great golf but not so big as to make anything funky or awkward.  The end result is wonderful variety.  

My assumption would be that long holes such as 1, 6, 17, 18, 7, 8, 16, 12 were routed first and the rest were fitted in around these.  I know the architect talked about siting the 10th first but I think the reason he did that was because from the tenth it was a long two shotter t both the north and south property boundaries. 

[Benjamin Litman]

Thanks for your fascinating insight, David. I've been rethinking the course ever since you posted. You're right about green sites--many of them sit in the middle of nowhere, as if they were plopped down once the hole had reached a given desired length (especially 2, 4, 6, 8, 11, 13, and 16). Others might not be "natural" per se, but at least they make some sense given vegetation and property constraints (1, 3, 9, 12, 14, 17, 18).

I had heard about the initial focus on length (so much so that MacKenzie apparently complained that the course was too long), but I never considered the import on the routing until I read your post. Given that the shortness of the course is today lauded by almost everyone, especially the pros, could Kingston Heath be the best accidentally great routing in the world?

[Adam_Messix]

A couple of interesting comments and again, the one thing I find so terrific about Kingston Heath is the ability to create (or evolve) such an interesting and challenging golf course; something that creates subtle angles and requires shots of all shapes and sizes to succeed is something to be studied.  Kingston Heath is about shot values, strategy, and challenge; not so much celebrating property.  It has to be a great change of pace for the good Doctor from Melbourne! 

The aerial illustrates quite well how Kingston Heath works into every nook and cranny of the property, that's what I like about the routing.  To get that much course out of 125 acres is impressive.  Perhaps it was too long when it opened, but it works well now.  The property has few natural advantages other the soil, which fits the profile of the other sandbelt courses and makes for a great playing surface.   

I have to wonder whether there was any thought to vegetation when the course was originally laid out or as it was revised over the years or if it was even there or it has simply been part of the evolution of the course. 

It's funny, but for whatever reason, I even found the blind shot on 17 to work well.  It seemed apparent as to where to hit your approach and the green is not strictly bunkered as most of the other greens are.