Royal Melbourne Golf Club - West Course: A Pictorial!!! (18th hole posted)

[Bill Brightly]

Do you think the hole would be improved by removing the trees/vegitation on the left, short of the bunkers?

The (416 meters/455 yards) 11th hole proceeds downhill and to the left from the tee.

[David_Elvins]

Bill, if you look at the overhead view, there are a couple of houses very close to the left side of the hole, short of the bunkers.

[Jeff_Mingay]

What a hole. One of my favourites.
As well as any hole in the world it shows why MacKenzie would have adored the way Severiano Ballesteros played golf.
I saw him play 4 days of the 1978 Australian PGA and it was a time when no one ever went for the green. Not even Norman.
Seve stood there every days and ripped a driver straight at the green.He never made it, coming down in the heathy waste land just short of the green. From there he played the most magical of shots and made three birdies and a par.

Seve is the only player to have won at Royal Melbourne,Augusta and St Andrews - and they are the  three best courses pro golf goes to with any regularity.
MacKenzie never knew it, but he was building courses for Seve and this hole is a perfect example of reward for boldness,flair,spirit and talent.

This gets my nomination for Golf Club Atlas post of the year.

[Jeff_Mingay]

[/quote]

What a great hole, yes. And look at the horizon line of the green. Breathtaking.

[Kyle Henderson]

Dave/Matt,
I resisted the urge to comment on the 11th fairway bunkers in my initial post. I agree with many of your points, Dave.


Aesthetically and functionally, the bunkers are simply too small relative the scale of the fairway and the bunkers up near the green. I would prefer that the bunkers were used in a way that influenced aggressive drives a bit better and shaped/maintained to soften the transition from fairway to native area (e.g. long/dry grasses on the outside edges), as seen elsewhere, including near the 11th green...



and next to the 5th green.


Then again, I thought Cypress Point had room for a few tiny improvements to a couple of holes, so I'm probably out of my gourd.

[David_Elvins]

Not my point David. When you wrote -

the first bunker is almost blind from the tee. This is definitely not a common feature

I felt that comment was not entirely correct.

MM

Matt,
Here is the bunker on two.


I have always felt that 17 had a pretty clear lip on the horizon, as did 12. 


Worht pointing out that the second bunker on 11 is probably quite blind too because of the trees. 

[Matthew Mollica]

You might like to post the photos from the 17th tee, and the 12 too Dave.
And maybe 14 while you're at it.
An uncropped photo from the 2nd tee would also be good.

Several drives bunkers are not totally visible to those on the tee, which is the point I'm trying to make.

One other point to consider when discussing the traps on the inside of 11, is the priority they'd take,
particularly considering holes like 6, 7, 8 15 and 17 East.

MM

[David_Elvins]

Several drives bunkers are not totally visible to those on the tee, which is the point I'm trying to make.

Yep, that is fine, but I believe the bunkers are 11 are the only ones that are totally blind from the tee.  

11th tee


Actually, after looking at that, perhaps the whole tee shot needs to be looked at. 

[Ben Jarvis]

I played from the back plates last time and remember some of the bunkers being visible. I might be wrong though.

Agreed - the 11th would be a better hole if the bunkers were pushed back a bit.

[John Mayhugh]

With this sort of mounding beside the bunkers on 11, perhaps it's best that they are hidden from the tee.

[Mark Chaplin]

David/Matt the bunkers force you out right, with the boundary and houses tight left the club will want the golfer to go as far right as possible!

[Kevin Pallier]

Well picked up John - that mounding is terrible

I also agree with David on the bunkering scheme on the inside of the dogleg on 11. I think I recall only seeing a little bit of one of them off the tee. It must be a thing about the Sandbelts premier courses - the 11th at KH also has a terrible bunker placement off the tee.

[Mark_F]

I also agree with David on the bunkering scheme on the inside of the dogleg on 11. I think I recall only seeing a little bit of one of them off the tee.

Well, if you can only see a little bit of one of them Kevin, then the rest of us have no bloody chance!

[Scott Warren]

Well bowled, Mark!

[Bill Brightly]

I think the houses are far enough back to at least cut down the trees that block the view of the bunkers. Wonder what Tom Doak will say? I'm thinking his comments matter more than ours...



11th tee

[John Mayhugh]

Well picked up John - that mounding is terrible

Elvins pointed that out before me.  I just remembered noticing it and taking a photo.


As for being able to see the bunkers from the tee, Ferguson nailed it.

[Kyle Henderson]

A reachable par five (435 meters/476 yards), the 12th hole sweeps left as it ventures over a subtle ridge before dropping gradually down to the green.

This view is from just behind the 11th green. The 12th tees are down to the left and offer less visibility of the 12th fairway.


This fairway bunker complex is easily carried with modern equipment unless a strong wind is blowing in. That tower in the distance offers a nice aiming point for the semi-blind tee shot.


Many players can fire their downhill second shot at the amply-proportioned green after a solid tee shot, but native grasses or a bunker will punish attempts that fail to make the carry on that line.


Looking back at the entrance to the green, with Tyler kindly providing a sense of scale (he is ~2 feet tall).

[Mark_F]

Well bowled, Mark!

Scott,

Kevin could see every flag at St Andrews Beach from his knees...

[Kyle Henderson]

Well bowled, Mark!

Scott,

Kevin could see every flag at St Andrews Beach from his knees...

Dare I ask how this was discovered...?

[Kyle Henderson]

The 13th hole is set across a motorway, requiring golfers to walk several hundred feet around through paired gates to finally reach a tee that is quite near the 12th green as the crow flies. This then is one of a handful of holes not included in the Composite course used for major tournaments (along with 8, 9, 14,15, and 16).

At 134 meters (147 yards), on flattish ground, and featuring exquisite greenside bunkering carved from the edges of a raised green, the 13th seems quite like many other par 3 found in Melbourne’s Sandbelt. However, in reflection, I see just how quickly one gets spoiled by the vast number of terrific short holes in this part of the world.


For those failing to find the green with their tee ball, short grass is found short/left and long. Bunkers are found on both flanks, though only one is to the left.


The firm, sloping green will test recovery shots. Many players will unwittingly play scotch hockey from bunker to bunker to bunker.

[Matthew Mollica]

I've always thought this hole is a real achievement on a pretty flat featureless stretch of land.

MM

[Neil_Crafter]

MM
certainly an under-rated little gem this one. A lovely little green and very easy to walk off with a disappointing four.

[Ben Jarvis]

Don't talk to me about disappointing fours!! Exactly what has occurred the last three times I've played this hole. Must hit the green!

[Matthew Mollica]

Not all the green surface is visible from the tee. There's some good moevement in it, and a nice ridge which divides the front and back halves. Each year on Caulfield Cup day, there's a Charity Day at RM. A bookie sits at the 13th tee, and asks for $20 from each foursome. 3 balls on the green and it's money back. All 4 on, and it's $100 back! Needless to say, the bookie makes a tidy profit each year...

MM

[Kevin Pallier]

For mine the P3's (13 and 16) are the only real good holes over the road. 16 in particular is worth seeing on its own and is close to the best long P3 in Australia.