Royal Queensland Golf Club - Photo Essay

[Michael Taylor]

I recently took a short trip up to Queensland and while I was up there I had the opportunity to play at Royal Queensland, an experience I will remember for a long time.

The Royal Queensland Golf Club has just undergone an extensive redesign by Michael Clayton, who has done a magnificent job up here. I now rank RQ at number 4 on my list of favorite course, ahead of Royal Melbourne.

During the game I took 170 photos, so I should be able to complete a review of the course, and hopefully I can do the place justice. I will do the review hole by hole so that we can perhaps discuss some of the merits of the course.


1st hole: 463m, Par 5, Index 18.

The first hole of the day is a shortish par 5 that is definately reachable in 2 shots. The tee shot is relatively wide, and gives you ample width to negotiate the 3 bunkers on the left side of the fairway. However don't stay too far away from the bunkers because there is a tree to the right of the fairway which is very much in play.

The bunker on the left is 215m from the back tee.

Tee shot:



On the second shot you must decide where to hit your ball. Leave it out the the right and leave yourself a tough pitch over a bunker, or take on the bunker that is 60m short of the green on your second and be left with a nice and easy shot with no bunkers in play along the length of the green.

This shot here is from a short drive about 190m from the tee.



After a long drive this is the view that you are left with.



The 3rd shot after hitting it over the cross bunker.



Looking along the length of the green.



And looking back down this fine starting hole.



And the interesting flags that RQ use.



RQ isn't talked about much here (to my knowledge) but I hope after seeing this essay your opinion will change of it. I believe RQ to be the best designed course I've played, as I've never had to think so much about my shots on the golf course.

Enjoy.

Pup

[Rob Rigg]

Pup,

Is the entire course similarly flat? Did the architect have to use bunkering, undulating greens and trees to create strategic challenge?

I have never played in Aus but have pleasantly enjoyed the great reviews that have been done on KH, RM and others.

To say RQ is THAT good is quite a complement. Looking fwd to seeing the rest of the tour.

[Michael Taylor]

Rob,

Yes the entire course is flat. The biggest elevation change would be the slight uphill nature of the 10th hole.

To me, RQ is 'THAT' good. RM didn't blow me away as it should have, and RQ did completely the opposite. I love the place.

Hopefully you can see why by the time this is done.

Pup

[Kevin Pallier]

Michael

Maybe we could follow this photo review with The Lakes to show what Mike Clayton has done there ? 

[Mike_Clayton]

Mike,

I think we did  a pretty good job up there - and for me, at least, the course is really fun to play and it's easily wide enough to create lots of options of line and club. I suspect other architects would have build a much different course - both in terms of looks and play - and certainly there is nothing else like it in Queensland - which is why it has polarised many.
But - its not better than Royal Melbourne - a course that has blown me away every single time I have been there since my first time in 1972.

[Mark Chaplin]

I only played RQ once about 10 years ago so my memory of the course has faded. I do however remember the bird life on the course - it was like playing in an avairy, the bridge and the wonderful hospitality. Playing the par 3 around the 10th, the club captain arrives on a buggy driven by the secretary to say hello. As a reciprocal member from an overseas Royal club was playing the captain had been called at home and asked to come to the club and say hi!!

I do however remember every hole on RM west!

[Andrew Summerell]

I think we did  a pretty good job up there

Yes, you did, but where's the 4th at Woodlands? I thought you were incorporating it into all your designs these days, or didn't RQ pay the extra for a Mike Clayton signature course?  

..... and don't try & tell me it's the 7th. That's your Biarritz.

[Brad Fleischer]

Pup

Well congrats on putting yourself in the line of fire so quickly. I am looking forward to more pics and why YOU think it is better
than RM. Should be interesting to say the least.

Brad

PS

stick to your guns don't let them scare you  

[Andrew Thomson]

Mark,

10 years ago, the hospitality would have been the only memorable thing about the place.

It has changed substantially and is now a wonderful course, finally Brisbane has a decent course to be proud of, which is great for us residents who have lived in this wasteland for close to 15 years now.

It's truely a completely different layout to what was there before, with and outstanding focus on placement from the tee and many interesting shots around the greens.  Considering the flat swampland it's built on (admittedly with better sandy soil than most would realise) it is a fantastic result.  The strength of the course is the varierty of options you encounter on every hole all the way frome tee to green.  I've only been out there 3 times since the layout was completed, but will be out again this week and very much look forward to seeing how it has settled in.

Not sure I'd bracket it anywhere near RM though, it never really stood a chance given the site it's built on, it really isn't taking anything away from the course to admit it's significantly behind RM.

[Michael Taylor]

Mike,

I think RQ is a magnificent course and I reckon you don't have to be so modest.  You did a great job up here.

Kevin,

I'm just glad there is no hole here reminiscant of the 4th at Woodlands. It's no secret of my feelings towards Mikes rendition of that at The Lakes. 

Brad,

I don't really 'sugercoat' my opinions. I tell it exactly how I see it. RM was so disappointing on so many levels. First of all I went there with great expectations (and rightly so), seeing as how it's the undisputed "Number One" course in Australia. The conditioning of the course was very poor. There were no holes that 'blew me away' except for the stretch of 5, 6 and 7. All the par 5's were reachable for me with irons in 2 so they were not a challenge. The members weren't very nice. I seriously cannot wait to get back to RM because I know I'm giving it a hell of a tough time, and all you guys seem to think it's a great place, so I clearly must be missing something.

Andrew,

I agree 100% with your 2nd paragraph. The course has so many different playing lines and has so many available options to choose from. It's wonderful.

Also Andrew, in one sentence, can you explain to me why RM is so good?

Pup

[Michael Taylor]

2nd hole: 167m, Par 3.

The 2nd hole is a medium length par 3 to a massively wide green, the widest on the course (from memory). The green is protected by 5 bunkers and while the green is wide, it's only 22 metres at it's absolute deepest. There is sort of a backboard feature at the rear of the green to funnel your ball back, but the front section of the green slopes front to back, so hitting the target is quite hard. Albeiit an easy up and down from over the back. I'm not sure if the greens are normally firmish here, but none of our group could hit it and the shortest club used was a 7i. So only a perfect shot will suffice here.

There is a waste bunker off the tee on the right that isn't in play, however it seems to distort depth perception slightly.

The pin here is front left, with about 10m of room to the left, and about 30m of room to the right.

Tee shot:



The ladies tee, from 115m out:



Photo showing the enormous width of the green:



Looking across the green. We can see the entire width of the green from this angle. It's massive.



And looking back to the tee:



The 2nd is a strong par 3 and a par here will make you feel like you've gained half a shot on the field.

And I would say this is my 2nd favorite par 3 on the course, behind the 17th.

Pup

[Andrew Thomson]

Looking forward to your thoughts on the 3rd, great hole.

In regards to RM, did you play just RMW or all 36?  You're correct that the Par 5's aren't a challenge, particularly for someone with your ability, but surely you would agree that the approaches into both the 2nd on RMW and the 10th on RME are two of the more enjoyable shots in Australian golf, despite being long/mid irons 2nd shots into a Par 5?

Don;t let the thread get off track though, we can move the RM discussion elsewhere!

[Jason Topp]

Why do the par threes in Australia look so much better than those in the US?

[Emil Weber]

Pup,

I played RQ some 3 months ago, and agree with you that, relative to the property, it is one of the best-designed courses I've seen. I wanted to make a photo tour, too but somehow I've been to lazy to post the pics . Maybe I can add a few if you don't mind.

Even though 2 is a great par 3, I think 8 is better.

And thanks for stealing my title of the youngest GCAer .

Mike,

Is the 2nd Eden-inspired?

[Rob Rigg]

Why do the par threes in Australia look so much better than those in the US?

Jason,

I totally agree - everytime I see an "inland" course in Oz I am floored by the quality of the par threes - as many of these courses are on totally flat terrain there is no excuse why so many in the US fall short of the "avg" on the other side of the great big pond.

This looks like a fun one shotter with great bunkers and an interesting green - simple, challenging and enjoyable to play multiple times?

[Michael Taylor]

Emil,

It is the best designed course I've ever played. So many options to choose from on every single hole.

Jason,

I assume that was rhetorical Jason, but I still don't know. 

Rob,

It was a very enjoyable hole. I just wish the green was slightly easier to hold.

[Michael Taylor]

3rd hole: 292m, Par 4, Index 14.

This is one of the greatest short par 4's I've ever played. It probably has the most options to choose from on the tee as any other hole in the world. There are 5 bunkers in the landing zones that force you to choose a shot off the tee. While the hole is short, a large number can certainly be racked up here due to the amount of hazards you have to contend with.

The green is very, very interesting. There is a flattish section at the front left portion of the green which goes for about 15m, and then drops down into a tough bunker. The front right portion of the green has a massive collection area, so the best angle off the tee would be coming in from the left (depending on pin position of course). Then once you get over that collection area towards the middle of the green, it then takes a sharp dive and slopes front to back. An awesome green.

Tee shot - These were the options I was confronted with. Take a driver and go for the green, take a 3 wood and play to the right of the fairway traps in the middle of the fairway, use a 3i and go left of the first traps, but short of the ones in the middle of the fairway, play very safe with a 5i taking all bunkers out of play. Or even take a longish iron and keep to the right of the fairway bunkers.



Here is the view from about 130m off the tee. Those bunkers on the left are 170m from the tee, and 212 to carry the last one.



This is from 190m out from the green, on the extreme right side of the fairway. Note the water hazard.



These are the centerline bunkers, 226m from the tee and 50m left to the green.



Here is a look along the green. Note how the green falls away on the right (there is one pin position down there).



And looking back to the tee.



Probably my favorite hole on the course.

Pup

[John Mayhugh]

Pup,
Can you go ahead and convert meters to yards for us Americans?   (just kidding)  Looks like you have the course profile thing down pretty well. 

What club did you play off the tee on the third?
I love the look of that green and the course in general.  Looking forward to seeing more.

[Robin Doodson]

have to say the course looks in fantastic condition.

[Michael Taylor]

Pup,

I played RQ some 3 months ago, and agree with you that, relative to the property, it is one of the best-designed courses I've seen. I wanted to make a photo tour, too but somehow I've been to lazy to post the pics . Maybe I can add a few if you don't mind.

Even though 2 is a great par 3, I think 8 is better.

And thanks for stealing my title of the youngest GCAer .

Mike,

Is the 2nd Eden-inspired?

Emil,

You are more than welcome to post some photos to complement my own ones. However I don't think it's absoultely neccessary as I've got a photo from every spot on the course! 

John,

Even though you were probably kidding, I'll post in yards aswell for you yanks. This isn't the first review I've done, and hopefully not the last.

I used a 4i and played it to the right of the bunkers off the tee.


The next hole will be posted in an hours time. Feel free to discuss.

[Andrew Thomson]

 

I used a 4i and played it to the right of the bunkers off the tee.

How far right?  Would you go for a different option next time?

What sort of shot did you face and to what pin?

I just love this hole, and love to hear about how others play it.

[Emil Weber]

The 3rd really is a great short par-4.

After a lay-up ff the tee I had a 40-metre pitch from the middle of the fairway and played 6, that's about how tricky the green is...

2nd hole:


And this pic from about 190 metres from the tee at the 3rd gives you an idea of Mike's magnificent bunkering

[Michael Taylor]

I used a 4i and played it to the right of the bunkers off the tee.

How far right?  Would you go for a different option next time?

What sort of shot did you face and to what pin?

I just love this hole, and love to hear about how others play it.

I hit the extreme right side of the fairway and was left with a lob wedge (smashed it from 100m) and my ball landed pin high (middle left pin) and then ran into the back bunker. I made a 5.

Emil where did your T shot finish?

[Emil Weber]

Emil where did your T shot finish?

I hit a 2 iron just to the right of the 2nd centerline bunker. The pin was about where it is in your pic and my pitch was a tad short and right, caught the slope and bounced 90° to the right straight into the bunker. From there I didn't get the ball to stop, so it rolled back over the green into the chipping area, from there i putted it on the green, 2 more putts, double bogey...

[Michael Taylor]

4th hole: 375m (410 yards), Par 4, Index 6

The 4th hole is a medium length par 4, that in my opinion, is one of the lesser holes on the golf course. There is nothing wrong with it design wise, it's just that all the other holes or so good that it makes this one (still a decent hole) seem a bit boring.

There are two bunkers to be negotiated with on the tee shot, with one on the left side at 175m (195y), and the other at 245m (270y) on the right side.

The green is angled from right to left, so in that case a shot as close to the bunker on the right yields the best angle towards the green. The green slopes back to front and has a slope on the left side that pushes balls off the left side of the green, thus increasing the importance of hitting the right side of the fairway. Also if you keep if out the left, then I assume (assume since I didn't walk there) you would have a blind shot to the green as there are 2 bunkers to contend with that are 25m short of the green on the left side.

There is endless amounts of room to the left though, and the fairway is shared with the 3rd hole aswell.

Tee shot:



From 170m from the tee, with about 190m left. Photo taken parallel to bunker on left.



This photo doesn't show it so well, but there is about 50m of fairway to the left.



View of a green from a perfect drive.



From 40m out.



A look along the green. It's quite narrow.



And looking back to the tee.



The next hole is possibly the longest par 4 in Australia, if not the Southern Hemisphere at 456m long...

Pup