[Mark_F]

Interesting piece online in Golf Australia magazine, with a reasonably detailed treatise on Yarra Yarra's 11th hole.

Well worth the read.


https://www.golfaustralia.com.au/feature/course-design-the-joy-of-3s-526475?fbclid=IwAR3QCP3tW_khaeqSerqmrhtgFiGeSaYwGBbDboBFKzCj4AJrs84mdGXH6fY

[Thomas Dai]

Very nice piece.
Oh to be in Melbourne!
atb

[Mark_F]

Very nice piece.
Oh to be in Melbourne!
atb

Not at the moment, Thomas, it's bloody freezing....

[Kalen Braley]

Mark, 


Surely you jest.  Its not getting anywhere near freezing overnight and those daytime highs are perfect. Where i come from that's a nice fall day! 


https://weather.com/weather/tenday/l/02d8bffb8e85d1880181a1ecd44587f82ed240d742cef8696b0fc93931d5686d

[Matthew Rose]

Good chance I'll be moving back there near the end of the year.

My biggest regret is not getting to play much golf the first time when I lived there from 2002-09. Apart from a (very) soggy trip around Commonwealth the day after I got married, I didn't really play anywhere much of note, although I did get to see some of the other sandbelt courses as a spectator.

If I can afford it I'm thinking of joining a lower-tier club... generally my wife (who is native) prefers to live and work on the opposite side of town, which is where I'm also a bit more comfortable, but there are far fewer options.

Also hoping President's Cup tickets aren't too expensive or hard to get.

[Mike_Clayton]

Mark


Not many cities are lucky enough to have as many great mid-length par 3s - including,
RMW 5 and 7
RME 16
KH 15
Commonwealth 9 and 15
Peninsula Nth 2 and 14
Peninsula Sth 14
Woodlands 5
Yarra Yarra 11
Victoria 4 and 7


Most impressive is few are made on dramatic pieces of undulating land. Commonwealth's holes are brilliant given they are jammed onto tiny pieces of 'filler land' many architects wouldn't have used.

[Peter Pallotta]

I generally prefer 4s over 3s, but with the best of them -- as per Mike's list -- coming down 'simply' to uniquely interesting surrounds and well-contoured greens, I suppose 3s are a better litmus test of an architect's talent, taste and imagination and a better indicator of his design philosophy/ethos. That I have encountered so few great Par 5s that I love doesn't surprise me too much, as I think they are inherently difficult to design well; but after reading Mike's article I am surprised that I've encountered so few great Par 3s that I love.

[Mark_F]

Mark, 

Surely you jest.  Its not getting anywhere near freezing overnight and those daytime highs are perfect. Where i come from that's a nice fall day! 

Kalen,
It's all a matter of acclimitisation...

Mark


Not many cities are lucky enough to have as many great mid-length par 3s - including,
RMW 5 and 7
RME 16
KH 15
Commonwealth 9 and 15
Peninsula Nth 2 and 14
Peninsula Sth 14
Woodlands 5
Yarra Yarra 11
Victoria 4 and 7

Most impressive is few are made on dramatic pieces of undulating land. Commonwealth's holes are brilliant given they are jammed onto tiny pieces of 'filler land' many architects wouldn't have used.

Mike,
I was thinking as I read it that you could easily subsitute;West 7East 13YY15Commo 9
Woodlands 17KH 10North 7South 3, 9 and 14
for your list and it is equally as good, and still not generally over great land.

[Ben Jarvis]

Good chance I'll be moving back there near the end of the year.

My biggest regret is not getting to play much golf the first time when I lived there from 2002-09. Apart from a (very) soggy trip around Commonwealth the day after I got married, I didn't really play anywhere much of note, although I did get to see some of the other sandbelt courses as a spectator.

If I can afford it I'm thinking of joining a lower-tier club... generally my wife (who is native) prefers to live and work on the opposite side of town, which is where I'm also a bit more comfortable, but there are far fewer options.

Also hoping President's Cup tickets aren't too expensive or hard to get.

Matthew,


Reach out when the time comes to relocating. I'm sure we can get a group together for a game or dinner (or both).


As for Presidents Cup tickets, they are available to purchase online - [size=78%]https://www.ticketmaster.com.au/presidents-cup-tickets/artist/1333236?gclid=cj0kcqjwl6lobrdqarisabllmsy4tmat57a9c5oyv62qlnexdlxzjtorfu82nj-auii6dovhqf64js8aamrmealw_wcb[/size]


Daily tickets are $115 for Thursday/Friday and $140 for Saturday/Sunday. If you have the entire week off, a weekly pass is $480. Keep in mind they play 36 holes on the Saturday, so that would be the pick if you were only going one day. I'll be there on the weekend, so sing out and we can catch up out there.


Ben

[Tom_Doak]

What a great article by Mike.


Also, I've known it for a long time - and it's true of short par-4's as well - but it is astonishing how many great par-3 holes there are around Melbourne.  Either that, or, how many people think that beautiful bunkering is the key to a great par-3.


I will send a link to Brian Slawnik so he takes that mound out of the back of #11 at Yarra Yarra.  We have tended to think of that hole as untouchable so it's timely to know that mound was a more recent addition.

[Thomas Dai]

A full round course comprising the best 18 par-3's in the state of Victoria would be rather nice to play .... and play again and again and again ....
atb

[Mike_Clayton]

Tom,


I may be wrong but I think the genesis of that mound was an affection someone of influence had for what was then the new 14th tee at The Dunes - a narrow tee bordered by high mounds on either side to discourage shots flying onto adjacent holes. I have a vague memory of what it used to be like and I'm sure Brian can easily fix it.


It'd be a worthwhile improvement to both holes and the safety issue was overrated anyway. It'd been fine all the way from Russell's time through to the mid 1990s. Aside from anything else, everyone knew to look and be aware of the occasional errant pull off the 11th tee.

[Pat Burke]

Mark


Not many cities are lucky enough to have as many great mid-length par 3s - including,
RMW 5 and 7
RME 16
KH 15
Commonwealth 9 and 15
Peninsula Nth 2 and 14
Peninsula Sth 14
Woodlands 5
Yarra Yarra 11
Victoria 4 and 7


Most impressive is few are made on dramatic pieces of undulating land. Commonwealth's holes are brilliant given they are jammed onto tiny pieces of 'filler land' many architects wouldn't have used.

It always amazed me that the holes I liked the most when I was around Melbourne were the par threes and short fours
There were just so many that struck the eyes, fit the ground and the routing.


Love reminiscing on these courses, miss going there

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