Shane/Chris
I don't think that there are really that many courses that would be greatly improved by a sympathetic restoration in the country, as the bulk that have been changed probably weren't that great to start with. The obvious exception is Commonwealth, hence your interest, which was once one of our greatest courses and ought to be amongst the top five in the country. Another that has suffered over the years, although to a lesser degree, is Yarra Yarra. New South Wales also sounds like it emerged from the war in a significantly different state, and could be a possible candidate. It would be interesting to see some old photos.
Mike
I read the article in The Age that Chris referred to and got the impression that all the work done at Victoria was done by Thommo. Indeed, since Thommo fixed the course up in the early sixties, little has changed, to quote "The course has been given a once-over to bring it up to international scratch, rearranging the normally weak first hole into a worrying par three, allowing the extension and straightening of the 10th.
Further afield, little has changed. The bunkering we did in the early 1960s (under the watchful eye of the erstwhile secretary/manager Jack Merrick), has stood the test of time and stands as the principal obstacle to absurd low scoring.
Seventeen fairway bunkers of varying shapes and sizes were added, making Victoria the most difficult and awkward driving test on our roster of championship layouts"
They probably wouldn't have had any trouble with the 1st hole if he hadn't have built such a poor green to start with, which hopefully will be replaced by something that works in due course. And c'mon Thommo, how about giving a bit of credit where credit is due.
Chris
I know that firm and fast has become the mantra around here, and I love it around the greens, but I'm not convinced it is that great on the fairways, especially on a flatter course where it is unlikely to roll into any trouble.
And do you really think that Moonah Links isn't unique? Sadly, I think it is unique in a number of ways.