Australia Golf Trip

[David_Elvins]

I went ahead and booked my flights from Lafayette - Melbourne for March 4 - 11.

Wow, you don't muck around.

Flights Melbourne to Launceston will probably be on special at some time.  Virgin and Qantas are best for golf clubs (free).  Jetstar are ok as long as you have under 45 ponds of luggage.  Tiger charge you $40 each way for clubs.

[Paul Jones]

So my update wish list / itenirary:

Sunday - Tuesday: Travel to Melbourne and Site See (Depart Sunday, and arrive on Tuesday)
Wednesday: Play Royal Melbourne (East and West)
Thursday: Play Kingston Heath and Royal Melbourne West
Friday: Fly and Play Barnougle Dunes (36 if I can)
Saturday: Fly back to Melbourne, Site See - Might Play another at Royal Melbourne (Might be too expensive)
Sunday: Fly Home

I went ahead and booked my flight and hotel in Melbourne today.

Paul

[Ben Jarvis]

March is a great time of the year to play on the Sandbelt! Enjoy the experience.

[Mark Bourgeois]

Mark,

Good advice -but i am not sure how many times they will let you play it.

Mike, where would we be without stretch goals?

Re Barnbougle, Paul that might be best done as a Saturday night overnight. You'll probably be locked out of the Melburnian privates at the weekend anyway. BTW I thought the restaurant at the Bridport Resort (more accurate: "resort") was pretty good, preferred it in fact to the Barny kitchen. Excellent wine selection.

Barnbougle indeed is an excellent course. I think though my deathbed memory of the place will be one of the greatest star fields you ever will see. (Kauri's got a great one, too.)

If you stay at Victoria, they'll set you up nicely for dinner / barbie, although in Melbourne you must plan meals as thoroughly as your golf -- be sure not to waste a meal opportunity in a fantastic restaurant city!

Here is a good site to help coordinate: http://www.sandbeltgolf.com/welcome/index.mhtml#

If you play Yarra Yarra, ask if you can be paired with one of the older members, one who can tell you all about the junior exploits of little Stuey Appleby and Robbie Allenby. Be sure to read the list of club champions on the board in the bar.

Good luck.

[Paul Jones]

I will probably be traveling by myself - as my wife thinks I am crazy to spend that much time in a plane to play golf and so do all of my friends.  Therefore, if anyone lives there and wants to join me for golf or just meet up for dinner and/or drink please send me an IM/Private Message.

Paul

[Bill Brightly]

I will probably be traveling by myself - as my wife thinks I am crazy to spend that much time in a plane to play golf and so do all of my friends. Paul

You are only crazy if you are a few hundred yards from Lost Farm, but return to Melbourne to sightee And when you look across the water from Barny Dunes and just catch a glimpse of Lost Farm...that's gonna be tough...

Bag the sightseeing, return some day with your wife and see Sydney, Melbourne and drive the Great Ocean Road...all great to see and not to be rushed.

[Paul Jones]

Bill,

My wife (and kids) do not like to be on an airplane for more than 2 - 3 hours - nor do I have enough Sky Miles to fly them also.

Will Royal Melbourne let me play 2 rounds on the West Course in one day?

If so, I could due 2 Rounds on the West Course, then play Kingston Heath and RM East Course on the next day.

[Paul Jones]

I will probably be traveling by myself - as my wife thinks I am crazy to spend that much time in a plane to play golf and so do all of my friends. Paul

You are only crazy if you are a few hundred yards from Lost Farm, but return to Melbourne to sightee And when you look across the water from Barny Dunes and just catch a glimpse of Lost Farm...that's gonna be tough...

Bag the sightseeing, return some day with your wife and see Sydney, Melbourne and drive the Great Ocean Road...all great to see and not to be rushed.

Good Point... I did not realize that Lost Farms was that close.  I will definetly fit that one in when in Tasmania.  Would you recommend I lodge at Barnbourgle Dunes or Lost Farm?

Thanks,
Paul

[Scott Warren]

Depends on your preference, Paul.

Barny Dunes is cheaper, Lost Farm is fancier.

[Paul Jones]

Depends on your preference, Paul.

Barny Dunes is cheaper, Lost Farm is fancier.

Barny Dunes it is !!!

 

[David_Elvins]

paul,

There is no daytime sightseeing in Melbourne that is better than playing golf.

There is no better jetlag cure than 18 holes of golf. 

Scrap your sightseeing for golf, IMO. Get off the plane on the Tuesday and get straight into it.

Definitely stay in Barny for Saturday.  Private golf in melbourne is hard to doo on a weekend. 

[Kevin Pallier]

What sightseeing is there to do in Melbourne ? Other than a sporting activity at the MCG or the like 

Paul

If I were you I'd begin to make contact with the golf clubs you listed and start sounding them out on dates etc. Some have member comps. on the dates you list and whilst the 2 course per day planning thing sounds good in theory - it's a little bit different in reality. They also have charity days booked well in advance as well.

Why travel interstate on the same day ? I reckon you are better traveling to Tas the night before - stay at Launceston or drive out to BD (watch for wildlife) do both BD and LF then fly back to Melb. that night.

[Brett_Morrissy]

Paul,
My recommended itinerary.
Arrive Tues early am-
36 holes at RM West - stay at Victoria GC
Wed am: play Vic, play The Heath pm
Thurs, 6.30 am small plane flight out of Moorabin, land at 2nd hole Barnbougle Dunes at 7.45, tee off by 8.00am BD x 36 a stay in single cabin at BD, garlic prawns and steak for dinner
Fri: 36 Lost Farm - fly back to Moorabin, if possible, drive down to Mornington Peninsula.
Sat: play St Andrews Beach in am, play National Moonah in pm.
Sun: drive to Tullamarine, fly to Syd, play NSW GC in the late afternoon
Fly home
Whew!
Recommend that you train hard starting now, walking 36 every couple of weeks, more as you get closer, get fit. This will ensure that you are in physical shape to make the most of such a big trip.

Pay more to fly and shorten your travel as much as possible, and avoid long drives, life is too short.

Get your wife to then fly out for 5 days, and sight see for the following week.

[Brett_Morrissy]

I have flown down to Barny with these guys, they were great: http://www.vortexair.com.au/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=93&Itemid=161

[Mark Chaplin]

Paul - it is fair to point out not only are some of the Sandbelt clubs in the worlds finest clubs bracket they are also very busy member clubs. One of the reasons greenfees are so high is to keep visitor numbers down. You have little chance of playing top courses at weekends without a member hosting you.

The high end Australian courses are not Scotland or Ireland where access is far easier.

[Matthew Mollica]

Paul, Brett's proposed itinerary is a good one. Hard to find fault with it, except for the prawn entree. Bridport's scallops are great.

MM

[Mark Bourgeois]

paul,

There is no daytime sightseeing in Melbourne that is better than playing golf.

Oh there most certainly is, David! (Well, as good as or better than most courses.)

Paul, being you're from Acadiana I would put these on your sightseeing agenda:
Vue de Monde
Jacques Reymond
MoMo
Cutler & Co
Crown
Flower Drum

I would say with the right planning it's possible to hit these sights and still get in 36 a day.

Enviously,

[David_Elvins]

Mark,

I did say daytime sightseeing for a reason! 

You can add Ezards to the top of that list too. 

[Mark Bourgeois]

That's the spirit David!

As I wrote, though, with good planning this sightseeing can be done midday as well as in the evening.

Not sure how I forgot Ezard, except there is so, so much sightseeing of this nature to consider. I have done serious damage at Ezard over the years as it is dangerously close to my std hotel -- plus every time I hear the name I think of Eddie, a good thing.

Let's go ahead and add Taxi to the list -- so you hop the train from Cheltenham to Flinders after your first 18...after the second 18 you hit the giant cheese wheel, have a pot or two, close the club, and return to downtown to play your second culinary course. Or maybe Prahan or St Kilda...put that to music:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c3MKsTLnTKc
One more: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PxZiae16Ry8

While we're at this, let's have some fun. I've eaten and golfed my way through Sydney and while unquestionably a more than decent city filled with great people, that Sydney, shed a tear fellow readers for the Sydneysider: whilst we could go on and on, page after discussion-board page, on Melbourne's culinary and golfing charms, we would much more quickly exhaust the topic for the NSW capital. The gap grows if we add neighborhoods to the mix.

Not saying we'd be done in a couple of pages on Sydney, but...

Those who say Sydney's a town for the daytime and Melbourne for the nighttime clearly neither lunch nor play gowf.

Right, have at me, Sydneysiders!

[Jason Topp]

I suggest Woodlands.  The price was significantly lower than the other Sandbelt courses (at least five hears ago) and the course is terrific. 

If I were to return, I would stay in Melbourne and probably skip Barnbougle (the Coore course was not built at the time).  I really enjoyed the course but did not consider it significantly different than links golf in the UK or at Bandon Dunes. Sandbelt golf, on the other hand, is a truly unique experience that is about as good as it gets.

Also - Matt Cohn's IMO piece on this site is a terrific travel guide.

[erichunter]

Is the RMGC Composite Course available only for member tournaments?  I seem to recall it being available for charity events.

[Paul Jones]

paul,

There is no daytime sightseeing in Melbourne that is better than playing golf.

Oh there most certainly is, David! (Well, as good as or better than most courses.)

Paul, being you're from Acadiana I would put these on your sightseeing agenda:
Vue de Monde
Jacques Reymond
MoMo
Cutler & Co
Crown
Flower Drum

I would say with the right planning it's possible to hit these sights and still get in 36 a day.

Enviously,

Thanks, I will definetly look up those places.  I would like to spend 1 morning sight seeing and 1 afternoon sight seeing. 

It is amazing how helpful everyone is.

Thank You.
Paul

[Mark Chaplin]

Eric - the Composite Course is used by the members around six times a year. I guess it would be available for corporate or charity events but with both courses having to close there is a massive impact on the members.

The opportunity to play the Composite Course was one of the main reasons I travelled to Melbourne in March.

[Paul Jones]

My trip is almost complete.  I was able to confirm Royal Melbourne West this week :-).

Monday: Arrive
Tuesday: Play Royal Melbourne West
Wednesday: Not Confirmed, but will probably play Victoria
Thursday: Play Kingston Heath
Friday: Play Barnbougle Dunes
Saturday: Play Lost Farm
Sunday: Depart

Thanks again for everyone's help.

Royal Melbourne East will be closed for 6 months.  Does anyone know what they are doing to the course?

[Ben Jarvis]

My trip is almost complete.  I was able to confirm Royal Melbourne West this week :-).

Monday: Arrive
Tuesday: Play Royal Melbourne West
Wednesday: Not Confirmed, but will probably play Victoria
Thursday: Play Kingston Heath
Friday: Play Barnbougle Dunes
Saturday: Play Lost Farm
Sunday: Depart

Thanks again for everyone's help.

Paul, enjoy the trip. You're playing the best we have to offer, IMO.

I don't know for certain, but I think RM East will be closed while they convert the fairways on holes 5-15 (non-Composite holes) to legend couch and green surrounds to fescue. I stand to be corrected though.

Royal Melbourne East will be closed for 6 months.  Does anyone know what they are doing to the course?