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Matthew Mollica

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Ocean Dunes, King Island, Australia.
« on: November 26, 2015, 05:58:07 AM »
 
The catalogue of layouts vying for a place within Australia’s top ten golf courses just got more crowded.
 
Ocean Dunes is the realisation of Graeme Grant’s long-held dream. He has scoured the Australian coastline looking for a suitable site on which to bring his design ideas to life. After years of searching, he extended his view beyond the mainland, and considered the rugged, isolated shores of King Island.
 
Grant’s pedigree as a grass man is well recognised. Having worked alongside Claude Crockford at Royal Melbourne, he later held the head super role at Kingston Heath for many years. He was integral to the course improvements at The Heath (not just agronomy but green complex reconfiguration and construction), and oversaw presentation of the course for many professional tournaments, including the Australian Open. During this time Graeme was a principal at Newton Grant & Spencer, clocking up many years at the coalface of the course design and construction industry.
 
Graeme has been battling the elements on the west coast of King Island for more than two years, steadily toiling and breathing life into his vision.  His own design, on a stunning coastal site, is nearly complete. His experiences would be a wonderful read should they ever form the focus of a forum feature interview.
 
King Island is home to under 2000 people. The island sits in Bass Strait, between the Australian mainland, and the north-west coast of Tasmania. Small planes take 40 or so minutes to fly from Melbourne to the island. Beef and dairy farming, wonderful cheese, and crayfish have been the strong suit of the island - until now. Golf on King Island is soon to be up in lights.

King Island boasts two mains towns - Currie (the larger of the two) and Grassy. Ocean Dunes Golf Course is located a few minutes by car from King Island airport, and the main street of Currie.
 

 
There is no accommodation on course at this time, yet the owners of Ocean Dunes have purchased the pub in Currie, where beers, wine, and wonderful King Island beef are served.  More than a dozen recently refurbished rooms await tired golfers.
 
The course at Ocean Dunes occupies a glorious plot - undulating, dramatic and right on the shore. It has been routed to maximise proximity to the crashing waves, to take in many sizeable dunes on the property, and provides many thrilling shots. The fairway grasses (fescue) and greens (bent) are a delight, and up to Graeme’s high standards. The native vegetation provides a wonderful contrast, and most likely exceeds the expectation anyone may have reasonably held pre-visit, with a wonderful raw natural beauty, and many different colours and textures.
 
There’s the belief among one or two judges that the collection of holes making up the back nine may be better than those on the front side of the course, which is a very exciting prospect. Many of these holes are grassed, while one or two were near final construction tweaks at the time of my visit.
 
And with that – let’s get into a simple pictorial review of those holes already in play.
 
A copy of the card of the course –

 

 
1st hole, Par 5, 479m

The first tee is set beside a large, undulating bent grass practice putting green. Views of the shore are stunning, and are equally grand from the future clubhouse site, which is a lag putt distance away. The opening hole is a par 5, and plays around a massive solitary bunker cut into a vast dune on the right of the hole. The green is visible off to the right of this, down on the shore line.
 
The play seems to be to stick left all the way along the hole, which is a little counter-intuitive to me. Keeping well left of the drive bunker yields this look.

Nearing the hazard, and sneaking round the bunker’s edge yields this looks for the second.

The green seems receptive to a ball fed in from the left, and is hard to approach from the right.

 
The walk to the shoreline has not taken long at all, and there it stays for several holes.
 
2nd hole, Par 4, 265

A really cool short four, with ample fairway width, and a secluded green, which lies beyond a small dune, into which several bunkers have been cut. The best approach angle is from the far right edge of the fairway.  Those who elect to play their tee shot safely away from the water ensure a more difficult second shot. Flirt with the shore and approach play is far easier.
 

 
And from the left, the approach looks like this
 
The second green is interestingly contoured and shaped, and it pays to take a peek over the dune prior to playing the approach. The image below is taken from the back left portion of the green, looking down the putting surface, with the fairway off to the right.

 
3rd hole, Par 4, 414m

A long four, with a thrilling drive. Those playing left, opting for the safety of a modest carry, almost certainly render the green unreachable, as this view demonstrates.
 

 
Drives can be played further right, and closer to the rocks and waves, to bring the green into much closer range.

 
The putting surface is deceptively large, gently undulating, and occupies a wonderfully dramatic site. Waves crash into the rocks right next to the green, as they do at Pebble Beach’s iconic 7th. King Island’s shore line is more rugged and wild, with vegetation, craggy rocks, wind and skies all imbuing a sense of isolation, escapism, and natural beauty.

 
A view of the third fairway and green from the elevated 8th tee.

 
4th hole, Par 3, 125m

 
I’d eagerly anticipated seeing this hole, from the time I first saw a route plan for the course more than a year ago. “Mini Cypress Point 16th” was the vibe, and while obviously different to the 16th at CPC, I was not disappointed. Playing shorter, the location is superb, and the drama is high.  The tee shot flies over a tiny inlet, and the rocks of King Island’s coast line - it is an exhilarating golf hole. The green is more intricately shaped than first appearances from the tee suggest too, which adds to the fun, interest and challenge after the tee shot has been struck.
 

 
« Last Edit: November 28, 2015, 05:16:46 AM by Matthew Mollica »
"The truth about golf courses has a slightly different expression for every golfer. Which of them, one might ask, is without the most definitive convictions concerning the merits or deficiencies of the links he plays over? Freedom of criticism is one of the last privileges he is likely to forgo."

Matthew Mollica

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Ocean Dunes, King Island, Australia.
« Reply #1 on: November 26, 2015, 06:13:05 AM »
5th hole, Par 5, 504m

 
The course veers inland and uphill at this point. A simple drive is played to a wide fairway, where the impetus is to make a true strike, allowing a chance for the second shot to crest a rise much further up the fairway. Fail to make it over the rise with the second shot, and the green is not sighted on approach.

 
Worse yet is the play to the left of the bunker, on the left of the rise!

 
Make it over in two, and the third is a straight forward affair.

 
The fifth green seems a little fussier and a bit less organic than others on the course, but it provides interesting golf, with lots of different shots and putts on offer.

 
6th hole, Par 4, 352m

 
A high road right and low road left await, but are not clearly sighted from the sixth tee. The approach from the right is suggested to yield a more advantageous approach angle.

 
A little closer look at the approach from the right.

 
Tee shots to this point must be accurate, with fairway bunkers left and right. The left side affords more latitude, and also occupies a more pronounced downslope and continuation of fairway. The angle of approach didn’t seem so bad from here, and would likely be the place I’d play to on a return visit.

 
The sixth green sits nicely in a natural little bowl, where slopes all around the putting surface can be employed to feed approaches close to the pin. Another open fronted green ensures those wishing to employ the ground game (especially on a windy day) can certainly do so.

 
7th hole, Par 4, 351m

 
A mid length par 4 that gently yet steadily climbs to a deep, terraced green – this is an elegant, simple and attractive hole. On a site veering away from the water, the temptation would no doubt have been to throw some extra herbs and spices into the recipe at this point, yet the designer has refrained – much to his credit.  The seventh green is a large one, and exact pin positon will be difficult for some to gauge from the fairway.
 
The green looks like this from the right side of the fairway, where a natural sand blowout lays beside a desired point of approach play.

 
A closer look at the green.

 
8th hole, Par 3, 163m

A daunting looking one shot hole when the wind is up.  Initial appearances suggest the tee shot much be precise, yet the green is far larger than it seems from the tee.  Still, the shot needs to be straight! The putting green features an interesting little lobe front right with a bunker nestled close by. Despite finding the back portions of the green, some will struggle to putt close to front right pins by virtue of the manner in which the bunker eats into the green. With a little thought and good execution however, the task can be accomplished!
 

Image taken from www.oceandunes.com.au
 
9th hole, Par 5, 497m

 
The ninth is the third par 5 hole on the front side at Ocean Dunes. Like the first, it too features a break in the fairway, with a 30 yard deep ribbon of sparsely grassed broken ground cutting across the entire fairway width, perpendicular to the line of play. This swathe will influence the second shot for most players, and on really windy days, might be reached by big drivers. This is what it looks like from the point of a reasonable drive.
 

 
And the green looks like this from the middle of the broken ground.

 
The green complex in the distance is a two-tiered affair, with the smaller left portion higher than the right.  A front hazard guards pins here, while short grass and slopes at the front, right and rear of the green’s right flank serve as seemingly benign but no less important factors when considering the approach shot.
 

 
The long second shot towards this green is likely on in some winds, but would be a very difficult shot to stick.
 
Lastly - the 10th hole  – for sake of a tease – is a fair hike from the 9th green, but the walk is worth it. A par three (193m) with the sea on the left – and really close to tee and green!
 



The back nine of Ocean Dunes should be in play early 2016 – and it will be a treat to see those holes. The opening nine are a joy to play. Having only toured it once to this point, I imagine it presents great variety in play as a product of winds acting over the site. Hole lengths seem appropriate and the holes themselves elastic. King Island winds can be strong, and no single cardinal compass point seems to dominate. I guess there are few days where the wind is not a consideration.  Grant’s work is to be admired. Ocean Dunes is a beautifully constructed course, on a tremendous site. The holes are varied, the greens most interesting, and several tee shots provide sheer exhilaration. The course will surely find a home within the nation’s Top Ten.
 
Come March 2016 – I’ll be getting back on the plane to see holes 10 – 18. I’m looking forward to it already. Grant and his team have given birth to a must-see course. It is an essential port of call on any golfer’s odyssey to Australia - especially so with Cape Wickham also on King Island.  Ocean Dunes is a visually striking, memorable course, packed with thrilling shots. The splendour of the location is repeatedly matched by the quality of the golf experience, which is no mean feat. It is an achievement which should provide its creators with great pride.
« Last Edit: November 28, 2015, 05:22:56 AM by Matthew Mollica »
"The truth about golf courses has a slightly different expression for every golfer. Which of them, one might ask, is without the most definitive convictions concerning the merits or deficiencies of the links he plays over? Freedom of criticism is one of the last privileges he is likely to forgo."

Colin Macqueen

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Ocean Dunes, King Island, Australia.
« Reply #2 on: November 26, 2015, 06:19:06 AM »
Yes Matthew.


Ocean Dunes in combination with Cape Wickham and the wonderful food and ambience have captured me!  In the next couple of years I will make a round trip thru Tasmania and King Island and experience what I think will be some of the most wonderful golfing the world has to offer!


Terrific pictures which just whet the appetite.


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

Adam Lawrence

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Re: Ocean Dunes, King Island, Australia.
« Reply #3 on: November 26, 2015, 06:24:51 AM »
Wow. Thanks Matthew, I have had quite a lot of communication with Graeme's PR team, but this is by a distance the best look I've had at the course so far.
Adam Lawrence

Editor, Golf Course Architecture
www.golfcoursearchitecture.net

Principal, Oxford Golf Consulting
www.oxfordgolfconsulting.com

Author, 'More Enduring Than Brass: a biography of Harry Colt' (forthcoming).

Short words are best, and the old words, when short, are the best of all.

Charles Lund

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Re: Ocean Dunes, King Island, Australia.
« Reply #4 on: November 26, 2015, 07:42:55 AM »
Thanks for posting this information.

I'll be back Downunder in March   I've been doing some research on a stay on King Island.  Think it will make for a great side trip.

Charles


Tom_Doak

  • Karma: +2/-1
Re: Ocean Dunes, King Island, Australia.
« Reply #5 on: November 26, 2015, 09:02:12 AM »
Matthew:


I'm glad to see Graeme is finally getting his course finished.  He was a most gracious host to me the first time I got to Australia back in 1988, and I'm interested to see what he's built ... which is one of the reasons I didn't try to get to King Island on this last trip.


But, a word to the wise:  never compare any new golf hole to the 16th at Cypress Point.  That's always a losing proposition.   ;) [size=78%]  [/size][/size]There are other oceanfront par-3 holes that set a more reachable bar, if you insist on comparison.[size=78%][/size][size=78%] [/size]

David Davis

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Re: Ocean Dunes, King Island, Australia.
« Reply #6 on: November 26, 2015, 09:27:16 AM »
Matthew,


Thanks great stuff there. Looks like an excellent course. So glad I never made it to Taz before. Now I'll happily wait till summer 2016 or fall 2017 to combine that with NZ.


Exciting trip it looks to be!



Sharing the greatest experiences in golf.

IG: @top100golftraveler
www.lockharttravelclub.com

Thomas Dai

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Re: Ocean Dunes, King Island, Australia.
« Reply #7 on: November 26, 2015, 01:28:32 PM »
Thanks for posting Matthew. Looks terrific. Did you play it with your hickories?



Have any special/unusual/non-native grass types been used or are the native grasses when mowed-out and cut okay for the fairways and greens?


Atb




Benjamin Litman

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Re: Ocean Dunes, King Island, Australia.
« Reply #8 on: November 26, 2015, 01:36:37 PM »
An excellent, informative tour, Matthew. The course comes across as particularly undefined (and not just because it's still in the final stages of construction), a feature I love in course design.

Thank you for your efforts--and for accelerating my decisionmaking process on when to journey back to Australia. The pictures are great, but I especially enjoyed your writing. One more thing to be thankful for on the American Thanksgiving.

Hope all is well,

Benjamin
« Last Edit: November 27, 2015, 08:10:03 AM by Benjamin Litman »
"One will perform in large part according to the circumstances."
-Director of Recruitment at Agahozo-Shalom Youth Village in Rwanda on why it selects orphaned children without regard to past academic performance. Refreshing situationism in a country where strict dispositionism might be expected.

James Bennett

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Re: Ocean Dunes, King Island, Australia.
« Reply #9 on: November 26, 2015, 07:01:54 PM »
Ocean Dunes is fescue fairways with PURE bent grass greens.

I think #4 is more reflective of CPC #15 than #16.

Tom Doak - Graeme also built Links Lady Bay just prior to 2000 (in conjunction with Newton and Spence).  It is an hour south of Adelaide, on ex-farmland about 400 metres from the coast.  Quite a neat 'faux links'.  Graeme has eminently superior land and sand to play with at Ocean Dunes.  However, there are some similarities in style with the greens (I emphasise the 'some').

James B
Bob; its impossible to explain some of the clutter that gets recalled from the attic between my ears. .  (SL Solow)

Ash Towe

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Re: Ocean Dunes, King Island, Australia.
« Reply #10 on: November 27, 2015, 01:21:24 AM »
Matthew,


Thanks for the comprehensive review of the first nine holes and the teaser tenth.


Look forward to seeing the full 18 in April next year, along with Cape Wickham.




RJ_Daley

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Re: Ocean Dunes, King Island, Australia.
« Reply #11 on: November 27, 2015, 02:45:14 PM »
Matthew, your write up is giving Ran some serious competition for well written prose.  I must say that on the photos where the ocean is not in view, I might ask if Nebraska has yielded another course because many of these photo views bring to mind looks at Dismal River Nicklaus course, and Prairie Club.  That is a good thing in my view, as great dunesland golf is great dunesland golf.  :)
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.

James Bennett

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Re: Ocean Dunes, King Island, Australia.
« Reply #12 on: November 27, 2015, 03:26:13 PM »
Dick

Hole #7 certainly has that feel to it, although I've never been to Nebraska myself.
At the same time, the rocky coast and colourings nearby could have you on Monterey Peninsula by the coast - think MPCC or perhaps CPC #15 for the style of coast.  Then, 100 metres away are the Nebraska like dunes.

James B
Bob; its impossible to explain some of the clutter that gets recalled from the attic between my ears. .  (SL Solow)

RJ_Daley

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Re: Ocean Dunes, King Island, Australia.
« Reply #13 on: November 27, 2015, 03:37:50 PM »
A two-fer!  What could be more alluring than that!
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.

Brett_Morrissy

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Re: Ocean Dunes, King Island, Australia.
« Reply #14 on: November 29, 2015, 09:05:56 PM »
Thanks for all the work you put in there MM!


Is that the 10th green in that first photo?


Do the 'inland' holes still feel connected to Bass Strait or at least the coast?  Do those holes still have views of the ocean? With Barnbougle in mind, even walking below the dune peaks along the holes, there is still a strong sense that the ocean is a 5i away. Maybe it is a sea level elevation factor, as some of this is lost on holes at NGC for example.


Initial routing plan looked to have some decent treks from green to tee, is this the case, apart from the obvious one there at 9?

« Last Edit: November 29, 2015, 09:07:28 PM by Brett_Morrissy »
@theflatsticker

James Bennett

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Re: Ocean Dunes, King Island, Australia.
« Reply #15 on: November 29, 2015, 09:20:41 PM »
Brett

you have your back to the Ocean when you play 5 and 7.  Turn around, and the ocean is there.
The views from 8 green are exceptional - one view to the northwest overlooking 3 tee and the ocean, the other looking south-west down over the 3rd green,  I think you will see this a a prime picture in future.

I expect that is 10 green in the first pic, and then 11 going along the coast.  16 will feel near the ocean as well - I don't know about 12 through 15.

The holes which will be more removed from the ocean are 9, 17 and 18.  You have a damn big dune between you and the ocean.  Great sandhills though, Nebraska-like as discussed earlier.

James B

PS  Brett, I suspect you might hear a bit more of the Ocean at 13th Beach than you will at Ocean Dunes on those three holes.  I am only talking about three holes though (and no comment on 12 to 15).
Bob; its impossible to explain some of the clutter that gets recalled from the attic between my ears. .  (SL Solow)

RJ_Daley

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Re: Ocean Dunes, King Island, Australia.
« Reply #16 on: November 29, 2015, 11:15:09 PM »
surely, the reason for the term, "the roaring forties" will leave little doubt many days where you are in relation to Bass Strait; me thinks. 
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.

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