[Kyle Henderson]

Links to other pictorials of my Australian exploits:
Barnbougle Dunes
http://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,47613.0.html
Barnbougle Lost Farm
http://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,47929.0.html
Royal Melbourne - West
http://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,48238.0.html
St. Andrew Beach- Gunnamatta
http://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,48455.0.html
New South Wales
http://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,48698.0.html
Woodlands
http://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,48900.0.html
Portsea
http://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,49351.0.html
The National golf Club - The Ocean Course
http://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,49598.0.html
Victoria
http://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,49756.0.html


As featured in the “Courses By Country” section elsewhere on this website, the Moonah course at The National Golf Club (Cape Schanck, Victoria, Australia) enjoys a breathtaking seaside landscape. The course was built in the late 1990’s at the same time as its sibling (the “Ocean course is profiled at the link provided above) and conceived largely by Bob Harrison, then working for Greg Norman’s golf design company. Given the spectacular but somewhat constraining landforms and compromises made to various land-planning decisions, the Moonah has surprisingly few weaknesses. This is no “dumb blonde.” Many of the green complexes feature shaved banks that can be used to feed iron shots on to various subsections of the greens. The course also seemed to be well suited to windy conditions, with plenty of accommodations made to allow for conservative play in a gale.

The most common criticisms of the course seem to reflect the closing stretch of holes heading back out to the ocean (a brutal stretch in a stiff headwind), the unnecessarily blind tee shot on #12, and a few “target style” connecting holes in #’s 6 and 14 that were necessary for Harrison to build his beloved 11th while working around the Ocean course. A more general complaint that reached my ear related to the fairway bunkering scheme and its lack of influence on play – the use of fairway trapping is quite sparing for such a sandy site, but I found plenty of challenges and interesting angles presented from tees to greens. These are small criticisms of a course with many fine qualities.

1st hole: 368 meters.
The landscape enjoyed by the Moonah course is most appealing, as seen from the 1st tee. The ancient Moonah trees add a unique ambience to the property, without overly constricting the playing corridor.

Though it does not present the widest of targets, the 1st fairway broadens past the hillock on the left and is shaped in a gathering fashion.

With traps at the left/front and right/rear, a soft and high draw with a short iron should produce a decent birdie opportunity. Just be careful not to thin one long, as a shaved bank at the back will lead to tall native grasses.

[Kyle Henderson]

#2: 497 meters. Par 5.
The second hole traverses a surprisingly flat portion of the property, but staggered bunkers off the tee and a diagonally positioned green between shaved swales provide lots of lovely angles to challenge golfers.

A delightfully gnarled specimen Moonah tree adjacent ot the 2nd tee.


A look at the right side bunkers set to challenge tee and second shots. The bunkers shapes and transitions from prepared turf to native grasses appear expertly naturalistic to my eye.


A view back from behind the 2nd green (as seen from the 5th) displays the shaved depressions that surround the putting surface.

[Bruce Hardie]

2nd on Moonah is among the best holes on the property and a fine example of Bob Harrison's par 5 work.

You could land aircraft on that fairway such is its' width but it isn't nearly so straightforward.

[Chris Kane]

Agreed Bruce. Not to mention that as you approach the green, you feel as though you've been transported to the Road Hole on the Old Course at St Andrews! 

[Mark_F]

2nd on Moonah is among the best holes on the property

Let's face it, it isn't as if there is much competition.

It is surprising Kyle's fine work has had over two hundred views and just the two comments.  Where are The National Defenders of the Faith?

[Kyle Henderson]

#3: 394 meters. Par 4.

The 3rd is an example of how a great routing makes for a great golf course.  Tee shots must contend with a ridge that runs diagonally from short left to long right. Those able to place their drives appropriately will face a much shorter and easier approach, while those unwilling to risk a miss too far left with their 1st shot must summon more skill for their uphill second.


From atop the fairway ridge one can just make out the green, as it hugs the surrounding contours quite closely. The putting surface is much deeper than it is wide, and it is steeply pitched from back-to-front. A large swathe of fairway left of the green allows for relatively easy recovery from that side, while a slight push to starboard will be aided by an embankment that feed back to the green.
 

[Kyle Henderson]

#4: 401 meters. Par 4.
The 4th is a real beauty, both for the eye and the intellect. Aggressive drives will attempt to skirt or carry the scrubby knob down the right to open up the approach, while acres of fairway are available for conservative play. One again, a “side board” is available along the green’s right flank to aid with running approaches, but a miss further right will be severely punished.

[Kyle Henderson]

#5: 150 meters. Par 3.

The view from the back tees are a bit intimidating, especially when the winds blow stiffly. Playing a bit uphill, the green is difficult to see despite its 34 meters of depth.
 

From the forward tees, a topped shot faces a much gentler penalty but visibility of the pin position is still quite limited. Fortunately the green contours are not overly taxing, as most players will be lagging their initial putt from some distance away.

[Brett_Morrissy]

Played Moonah today, enjoyable round as was the company. The first four holes are very enjoyable, the next two feel a bit squeezed, all it seems, because of this crossover at 6/14, anyway the big fella will discuss this I am sure.

This 5th, the first of two par 3's with a semi or totally blind putting surface, not a lot of fun in that, particularly when perched on top of a ridge with prevailing wind a devil to contend with - does anyone else struggle with the blind putting surface on a p3, and with limited opportunity to land a ball short and run onto the dance floor?

Kyle is also right in his assessment of the black tee on this hole, not only is little available to see from the tee, but it orients even more toward the prevailing, as this tee complex has great width and the black far left and blue far right.

Two of my playing partners not only missed the green, but had 40(RHS) and 60 (LHS - almost on the 2 green surface!)yard shots back up onto this narrow surface, tough, tough hole.

[Kyle Henderson]

Played Moonah today, enjoyable round as was the company. The first four holes are very enjoyable, the next two feel a bit squeezed, all it seems, because of this crossover at 6/14, anyway the big fella will discuss this I am sure.

This 5th, the first of two par 3's with a semi or totally blind putting surface, not a lot of fun in that, particularly when perched on top of a ridge with prevailing wind a devil to contend with - does anyone else struggle with the blind putting surface on a p3, and with limited opportunity to land a ball short and run onto the dance floor?

Kyle is also right in his assessment of the black tee on this hole, not only is little available to see from the tee, but it orients even more toward the prevailing, as this tee complex has great width and the black far left and blue far right.

Two of my playing partners not only missed the green, but had 40(RHS) and 60 (LHS - almost on the 2 green surface!)yard shots back up onto this narrow surface, tough, tough hole.

Brett,

I mentioned the "crossover holes" in my introduction above. Doak did a routing years ago that was supposed to be quite clever, but the club went with other architects and the Moonah course was forced to work around the Ocean course with holes 6-14 and by the housing lots with hole 16-18.

[Kyle Henderson]

#6:  364 meters. Par 4.
 
The 6th hole is purely an exercise in execution. As viewed across the 5th green (the 6th tee lies left of frame), the 6th fairway is set in a high saddle. From the forward tees this fairway presents a straight target, while those playing from the back markers will be best served with a shot shaped from right-to-left.
 

Most approach shots will consists of a mid or short iron played across a chasm to a green with trouble on all sides, save for the back right corner where it is contiguous with the 14th green.


As I alluded to in my introduction, this was perhaps my least favorite hole on the course, in part because better land (to my eye) was available further inland.

[Kyle Henderson]

#7: 502 meters. Par 5.

Those attempting to reach in two must contend with a fairway narrowed by bunkers on both sides, just past a small rise where the ground drops down again and provides a forward bounce or ten.


Peering over the crest, one can see that the second half of the hole curls gradually to the right before reaching a narrow neck of fairway just short of the green. The putting surface is nestled in a nice little green site and angled from long/left to short/right. Generally, slight  misses on the approach will gather toward the green, but shaved swales offer plenty of challenge around this heavily tilted green.

[Kyle Henderson]

#8: 140 meters. Par 3.
I’m quite smitten with this little beauty. Though reached with a short to mid-iron and extremely wide, the green is quite firm and pure strikes are needed to hold the upper left shelf where this day’s pin was placed. Slopes at the front and rear offer testing recovery options while a shot that misses left of the green will probably lead to no less than a 4 on the scorecard.  I found the quadranted bunker complex to be memorable, naturalistic and aesthetically quite unlike any other I’ve seen.
 

[Matthew Mollica]

Kyle, as usual nice pictures, and insghtful commentary.

One or two points - the land to the left of 6 was earmarked for use on the Ocean course, and it was the designers of that layout which left the good land unused.

your 3 most recently described holes (6,7,8) demonstrate the elasticity of the course, and the changing nature of many of the holes with different winds.

When I visited last week, 6 played right into the wind, and was driver, 5 wood. 7 was reachable in two (good drives trundled down the slope, and left 200m to the back pin), and 8 required hard 4 iron to the pin you played. Meanwhile, 9 was almost reachable with driver.

I like 6 - like many holes, pin position alters the best angle of approach. There is a large area of fairway over the left fairway hazard - the fairway segment is unsighted from the tee. Back right pins, and front centre pins are best accessed from here. More level stance, and a good line into holes cut near the shared area of the green (common with 14). Back left pins (on a great little shelf) need to be approach from near the right side of the fairway.

Don't get Mark Ferguson started on 8....

MM

[Mark_F]

When I visited last week, 6 played right into the wind, and was driver, 5 wood.

How do you manage to stay upright in those sort of conditions, MM?

Don't get Mark Ferguson started on 8....

I sort of agree with Kyle about the hole's playing characteristics, which work quite well, but come on, it is one of the ugliest, most ill-fitting holes you would see.  It just shouldn't be there.  But then, kind of like Christy Turlington, beauty is in the eyes of the beholder. 

[Kyle Henderson]

Kyle, as usual nice pictures, and insghtful commentary.

One or two points - the land to the left of 6 was earmarked for use on the Ocean course, and it was the designers of that layout which left the good land unused.

your 3 most recently described holes (6,7,8) demonstrate the elasticity of the course, and the changing nature of many of the holes with different winds.

When I visited last week, 6 played right into the wind, and was driver, 5 wood. 7 was reachable in two (good drives trundled down the slope, and left 200m to the back pin), and 8 required hard 4 iron to the pin you played. Meanwhile, 9 was almost reachable with driver.

I like 6 - like many holes, pin position alters the best angle of approach. There is a large area of fairway over the left fairway hazard - the fairway segment is unsighted from the tee. Back right pins, and front centre pins are best accessed from here. More level stance, and a good line into holes cut near the shared area of the green (common with 14). Back left pins (on a great little shelf) need to be approach from near the right side of the fairway.

Don't get Mark Ferguson started on 8....

MM

MM,
Thank you for those insights. I was under the impression that #8 was usually played in a cross wind. Is the course easier in the winds you described, due to the closing stretch playing so much shorter?

MF,
While I know you love to play the contrarian and there is often truth in of your dissentions, I can hardly fathom why you might think the 8th is ugly or unnatural. Please tell me more.

[Mark_F]

MF,
While I know you love to play the contrarian and there is often truth in of your dissentions, I can hardly fathom why you might think the 8th is ugly or unnatural. Please tell me more.

Kyle,

It is kind of hard to explain why something doesn't work from an artistic viewpoint, but I'll try.

You have a bulbous shaped dune at the left of the green, then another slightly domed landform the bunkers were carved in.  There are also a couple of dome-shaped landforms immediately behind the green, and, of course, one to the right of the tee, so having a skinny, horizontally oriented green just sits completely wrong. 

Whilst the look of the bunkers on Moonah is generally okay, having four of them embedded into the dune just makes the whole complex seem too busy and unnatural, too crowded, and something that doesn't fit in with the scale of the dune they are part of.  If the green ended with the bunkers instead of continuing on, the green, the dune left and the bunkers would fit together more harmoniously - to me, nothing in that green complex fits together. 

The whole complex just looks as if it is fighting with itself. 

I am enjoying your tour however, and I hope more people chime in with at least an appreciation for all of your work.  There's a lot of time involved, and whilst I believe National Moonah to be a very average and simplistic design that favours simple mechanical advantage over thought - as you would expect of Greg Norman, since he is clearly not going to design a cerebral course, as he might not break 100 over it - it is always interesting to get other people's perspectives.

[Colin Macqueen]

Kyle,

Yet again, hole by hole, a wonderful set  of photographs and descriptions for this course. In fact the whole set of pictorials from your Aussie exploits provides a cornucopia of golfing delights and highlights how very, very good and beautiful the sandbelt region is. Top marks.

P.S. The present "Victoria" went down a treat.

Cheers Colin

[Kyle Henderson]

MF,

Thank you for the explanation. That bunker complex certainly draws the eye and is I consider it a polarizing feature (love or hate, rarely indifference).

I find the high/left to low/right orientation of the green matches the background contours pretty well, but it does probably extend too far right from an aesthetic standpoint.

Really, I think the grassing line along the left edge is the only true eyesore at the 8th.

The Moonah does not require much thought from the tee, but the "side boards" and other contours around many of the greens are not without some creative merit, IMHO.

To compare with neighboring courses, St. Andrews Beach demonstrates better architecture on a similar (perhaps slightly inferior) site,  Moonah-Legends represents lesser architecture on a lesser site, and The Ocean course at The National Ocean is an example of a world-class site mostly squandered.

[Kyle Henderson]

Kyle,

Yet again, hole by hole, a wonderful set  of photographs and descriptions for this course. In fact the whole set of pictorials from your Aussie exploits provides a cornucopia of golfing delights and highlights how very, very good and beautiful the sandbelt region is. Top marks.

P.S. The present "Victoria" went down a treat.

Cheers Colin

Thanks, Colin. Praise feels good.

[Kyle Henderson]

#9: 313 meters. Par 4.
Reachable in the right conditions, the 9th offers oodles of fairway, although much of the landing area is obscured from the back tees.
 

Starting from a higher point off to the left, the forward tees (just 218 meters out) offer a more complete view of the proceedings. Slopes at the green’s right and rear flanks can be used to assist approach shots, but the preferred angle of attack may often be determined as much by the wind as the ground features.

[Kyle Henderson]

10th hole: 374 meters. Par 4.
Playing past a preexisting windmill to a small valley, the 10th fairway is another ample target, but different pin locations on the multi-tiered green will often be best approached from a specific side of playing corridor.
 

Viewed from 150 meters away (position “x”), the green contours can already be distinguished. Side boards abound once again, for use by creative players from the school of Seve.

[Kyle Henderson]

11th hole: 359 meters. Par 4.
The hole that Harrison was so keen to include begins with a tee shot played blind over a small saddle
 

Approaches are then played from atop the crest or down below to an elevated green running from short right to long left.

[Kyle Henderson]

12th hole: 532 meters. Par 5.

The 12th tee shot is mostly blind, and unnecessarily so (a retention pond was built in place of a more optimal tee position to the right). As built, the course offers a glimpse of the 12 fairway’s starboard boundary – this margin should be avoided as play is not permitted from beyond the white stakes…


Second and third shots will work around the right-hand bend and up the hill to a double-tiered green.

[Kyle Henderson]

13th hole: 170 meters. Par 3.

Hitting a long club to a green obscured by bunkers on a windy site will test a player’s mental game. Members at The National will quickly learn to scout out the 13th pin location earlier in the round (on the walk to the 8th tee).
 

Strolling past the fronting bunkers, one can immediately see that the green is wildly contoured.


Looking back to the tee from behind the green, one can see how the green generally slopes off to the left (relative to the direction of play).

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