Sandbelt trip

[Doug Hodgson]

Sitting in LAX waiting for my connection to Melbourne.  Booked on both courses at Royal Melbourne.  Also Victoria, Yarra Yarra, Commonwealth.  Then on my way home a stopover in NZ for Tara Iti, Kauri, Titirangi, Kinloch, Wairakei.  Sometimes life doesn't seem so bad! 

[Pete_Pittock]

Have fun. Looks like you missed Tasmania, King Island and the Mornington peninsula, so you'll go back.  That is a trip I am looking at for early next year. Hope for you the courses are cheaper in their "winter".

[Alan Ritchie]

Hopefully the weather holds up for you! interested to hear your thoughts post trip, particularly the NZ portion that will take in quite varied tracks.. enjoy

[Thomas Dai]

Jealous is the word I would use to describe such a trip.
Enjoy!
Atb

[Steve_Roths]

Has anyone identified the best way to travel from Melbourne to King Island and Taz?

I can't really tell what the best airline, etc. would be to do that portion of the trip.


Thanks.

[Pete_Pittock]

A question of mine, also.  Assuming I make the trip early next year I will HQ on the Mornington Peninsula and make two separate overnight trips, one to Taz, one to KI with a couple of days in between. Leave the bulk of my luggage at the MP hotel.

[Joe Zucker]

I spent 10 days in Australia last September mostly playing around Melbourne and then over to Barnbougle.  As far as I could tell, the only way to get to King Island is a private charter, which is quite expensive if you don't have two foursomes.  Tasmania, on the other hand, has a lot of options.  The same private plane can drop you off right at Barnbougle. 


Since that wasn't an option for me, I flew into Launceston and drove the hour up to Barbougle.  This flight was very easy and cheap.  It also allowed me to spend a night in Launceston and to hike around the Cateract Gorge, which was one of the coolest things I saw on that trip.  I highly recommend walking to the chairlift if you can spare an afternoon away from the course.

[Daryl David]

I spent 10 days in Australia last September mostly playing around Melbourne and then over to Barnbougle.  As far as I could tell, the only way to get to King Island is a private charter, which is quite expensive if you don't have two foursomes.  Tasmania, on the other hand, has a lot of options.  The same private plane can drop you off right at Barnbougle. 


Since that wasn't an option for me, I flew into Launceston and drove the hour up to Barbougle.  This flight was very easy and cheap.  It also allowed me to spend a night in Launceston and to hike around the Cateract Gorge, which was one of the coolest things I saw on that trip.  I highly recommend walking to the chairlift if you can spare an afternoon away from the course.

Rex Air and Sharp air fly commercial from Melbourne. Usually 2 to 3 flights day. Vortex charter is the way to go as it is not that expensive with 4 golfers and you call the shots on times.  It comes out to about $425 AUS a player round trip. Only about $130 more than commercial. Well worth is as you also fly out of Morrabbin which is a breeze and right in the Sandbelt.

[Cort Sylvester]

I flew King Island Air for my day trip to Cape Wickham in 2016. It was scheduled service out of Moorabbin. For a lone flyer it was far cheaper than a charter.

[Doug Hodgson]

Probably a bit cold right now to do Tasmania and King Is but with so much to do in and around Melbourne I'm happy to leave those for another time.  As for the Mornington it's not too far for a day trip from the city.  Last year I was in Melbourne and played St Andrew's Beach which is a wonderful.course.  Might have time to try the Dunes this year which looks interesting.  Last year I also played Metropolitan and Kingston Heath which are sandbelt classics, as well as both RM courses where I can benefit from the "Royal Reciprocal"

[Alan Ritchie]

The dunes is absolutely worth a trip. Great value for money, great land and a course I personally rank higher than St. Andrews beach.

[Charles Lund]

The Dunes was the first course I played on my first trip to Australia in 2007.  I played five other courses there, including two sandbelt courses, and two at The National.  I got in two additional rounds on that trip at The Dunes.  Have probably played 30 rounds there and always look forward to playing it.  It has to be one of best values for golf anywhere.


I've been back to Australia twelve more times.  Went to Barnbougle Dunes on arrival in 2008 and returned in 2012 for a week after Lost Farm was completed and got in three rounds at each course.


The logistics of getting to King Island kept me away, even though a friend worked there when it first opened.


Have a great trip.


I'll be back down there again in November and December for about a month and again in March and April for up to six weeks.


Charles Lund

[Doug Hodgson]

Thanks for those Dunes recommendations...I still have an open day in my agenda so guess I know how I'll fill it!

[Mike_Clayton]

Doug,


If you have time on the Mornington Peninsula, Portsea is well worth a game.

[Doug Hodgson]

Doug,


If you have time on the Mornington Peninsula, Portsea is well worth a game.

Thanks Mike sounds great but guess I'll have to keep it on my list for next time.  I played 8 courses in Melb area last year and 5 new courses on tap for this visit but still so much left to see!  Seems like it would take a few more visits before I felt like I was even starting to scrape the barrel.  What a rich area for great golf courses.  Funny because these are business trips but my non-golfing colleagues who have lived here their whole lives have no idea whatsoever what an international golfing mecca Melbourne is and are surprised to hear how exciting it is for me to be here   

[Doug Hodgson]

Well I'm once again at LAX but now waiting for my homebound flight and lots of golf at Royal Mtl next few weeks.  As for my trip down under, 14 rounds in 18 days on 13 different courses.  An extraordinary experience.  One unique and interesting course after another.  If there is a golf-architectural version of the Stendhal Syndrome then I probably have it now.  I'll try to provide some more detailed reflections in the days to come. For now, here is the roster: 
Australia:  Moohan Links (Legends), Dunes, Victoria, Yarra Yarra, Commonwealth, Royal Melbourne (East and West). 
New Zealand: Tara Iti (twice), Carrington, Kauri Cliffs, Titirangi, Kinloch Club, Wairakei International
Whew!

[David McIntosh]

Doug,

Sounds like you had a outstanding trip. I hope to make it to Australia and New Zealand for golf myself someday and look forward to your reflections when you’ve recovered from the travel and find the time to post them.

Last year I also played Metropolitan and Kingston Heath which are sandbelt classics, as well as both RM courses where I can benefit from the "Royal Reciprocal"

As a fellow Royal club member, I was intrigued see your reference to the “Royal Reciprocal” and wondered if that agreement was available to members of all Royal clubs or if it was something specifically between yours and RM? Please send me a PM if easier to discuss that way.

[Wayne_Kozun]

Sitting in LAX waiting for my connection to Melbourne.  Booked on both courses at Royal Melbourne.  Also Victoria, Yarra Yarra, Commonwealth.  Then on my way home a stopover in NZ for Tara Iti, Kauri, Titirangi, Kinloch, Wairakei.  Sometimes life doesn't seem so bad! 

Why not Cape Kidnappers since you are going all that way?

[Mike_Clayton]

David,


I may be wrong but I think there is an arrangement between 'Royal' clubs - many of them anyway.
At the very least you are likely to be charged a 'member-introduced' fee versus a full green-fee.
At Royal Melbourne that's a very significant difference.

[Doug Hodgson]

Cape K was closed last week.  Hopefully on another trip.  This was my first time to NZ and I was very impressed overall and hope to visit again sometime.


  I believe that the nature of reciprocals depends on the specific clubs...it may be full or partial depending on the case.  If you belong to a Royal and are travelling to a place where there is another Royal you are interested in visiting you should ask your club secretary to contact the other club on your behalf...
Also, the "Royal reciprocal" network seems to include only clubs whose Royal designation was accorded by the British monarchy.  I would like to see it expanded to include other legitimate Royal clubs in other places, like the Low Countries and Spain...don't know how that could be arranged...

[Matthew Mollica]

Well I'm once again at LAX but now waiting for my homebound flight and lots of golf at Royal Mtl next few weeks.  As for my trip down under, 14 rounds in 18 days on 13 different courses.  An extraordinary experience.  One unique and interesting course after another.  If there is a golf-architectural version of the Stendhal Syndrome then I probably have it now.  I'll try to provide some more detailed reflections in the days to come. For now, here is the roster: 
Australia:  Moohan Links (Legends), Dunes, Victoria, Yarra Yarra, Commonwealth, Royal Melbourne (East and West). 
New Zealand: Tara Iti (twice), Carrington, Kauri Cliffs, Titirangi, Kinloch Club, Wairakei International
Whew!

I’m curious[size=78%] Doug - what led to you choosing to play Moonah Links (Legends) on your trip?[/size]
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[/size][size=78%]Matt[/size]

[Doug Hodgson]

I’m curious Doug - what led to you choosing to play Moonah Links (Legends) on your trip?



I suppose this course is less celebrated than the others listed, but in planning this kind of trip and filling out an itinerary there are several factors to consider.  One of them is that the private clubs generally don't provide times for visitors on weekends.  I had two Sundays open for golf in my schedule and my only options on these days were public access courses.  I played Dunes on one of these. Another factor is to seek out courses I hadn't played before.  When I was in the area last year I played St Andrew's Bay, Moonah Links (Open), and 13th Beach (Links) on weekends. So Legends seemed the most interesting of the remaining options.  I also played there on my first day in Australia to help shake off the jet lag.  Having said all that I found the course to be quite enjoyable.  It is built on the same terrain as Dunes and St Andrews Bay and I would have no problem recommending it to someone who was working within the constraints I mentioned above.  My main problem with the course is that the housing is too close to play and there is out of bounds in play on both sides of many of the holes.

[Doug Hodgson]

I'll be posting my observations in an irregular and piecemeal fashion...
Aside from the courses themselves, I was impressed by the clubhouses in the sandbelt.  They all bear a strong family resemblance but are unlike clubhouses I have seen elsewhere.  I don't know why this is and know nothing about the history of clubhouse architecture in Melbourne but I'd be interested in hearing about it.


The clubhouses all have a clean, elegant, unostentatious, modern look to them. There is a tendancy to have a strong horizontal accent to the building profile.  The grillrooms are spacious and well lit with mainly plate glass windows looking out on the course.  The food is very satisfying and the shiraz excellent. The company and good cheer are excellent.


One curious disappointment is in the range balls.  Unlike a North American club, there are no pyramids of high quality balls stacked across the practice tee.  Visitors are provided with a smallish bucket of balls, and in some cases are asked to pay extra for them (on top of the several-hundred-dollar overseas-visitor green fee). At many clubs, even some of the most elevated, you are given a token and receive your balls from the kind of machine that is only found at low-end public courses in Canada.  The balls themselves are usually of inferior quality.   It is like this at practically all the clubs.

[Matthew Mollica]

Don’t get Clayts started on the poor quality of range balls. He’s been upset about this at Sandbelt clubs for as long as I can recall.

[Mike_Clayton]

Doug,Matt


The balls are just an embarrassment.
It's surely not too much to ask to have a ball do what the club face tells it to - and not 80% of it. What's the point?
Can you imagine if they served similar quality wine for lunch in the clubhouse? Petrol would taste better.