Ellerston Golf club in Aussieland

[Tiger_Bernhardt]

This course is a Norman design in the Hunter Valley 3 or so hours north of Sydney. Does anyone know anything about it?

[James Bennett]

Tiger

Greg Norman/Bob Harrison design, very private, very masculine, strong test of golf.

[Matthew Mollica]

Tiger, the course sits within the Packer family's 40000ha station in the Upper Hunter valley. Several GCAers have played it. The course is well described and extensively photographed in Darius Oliver's book Australia's Greatest Golf Courses.

Matthew

[Mike_Clayton]

Kerry Packer was Australia's richest - and one of its most powerful - men. He died a few years ago now but owned a huge property 300 miles north of Sydney. Bob Harrison did the course with Greg and it's the hardest in Australia.
Bob would ring Packer with questions about what he might to with a hole - or just in general.

'I don't care - just make it hard' was one typical response. The classic was the day he called and said he was at the point of determining where the women's tees would go.
There was a long pause from the other end of the phone - followed by 'you are fucking joking, aren't you?'
Maybe it gets 20 rounds a week.

[Andrew Bertram]

It is hard to compare to other courses as it is on such a large piece of land.

There are times that greens and tees are 800 plus metres apart but you do not actually notice that too much, although I would not consider it walkable.
The land and the surrounding area is beautiful and the course flows very well.

It is tough, I have played it twice off the back and while very tough it is still very playable.
I really enjoyed the variation of holes and the movement within and around the greens.

 

[Tom_Doak]

There are times that greens and tees are 800 plus metres apart

That's the first time I've seen anyone mention that fact.

[Andrew Bertram]

800 might be stretching it, 3 to 4 feels that but would be around 400 at very least

1st to 2nd would 150 metres
3rd to 4th at least 300mtres, maybe 375
13 to 14 a couple of hundred
14 to 15 would be 300

When I am asked to compare it to sand belt courses I find it difficult to becuase it is on such a massive piece of land and so spread out

In the middle of the course is a go cart track of about 2km in length that gets as much or more use than the course

[Tiger_Bernhardt]

Thanks Guys, Is there a feel for how it compares to the other courses in the greater Sydney area. Is it in Sand Dunes or just rolling land.

[Chris_Blakely]

Here are some photos:

http://www.harrisongolf.com.au/portfolio-2

[Mark Chaplin]

Anyone who has played the course hazard a guess on where it would rank if it were a members club with limited outside access?

[Ben Jarvis]

Anyone who has played the course hazard a guess on where it would rank if it were a members club with limited outside access?

Mark, I have not played Ellerston, but it was ranked by one of the Australian magazines in 2010 and came in at #5.

Given the VERY limited access, I'm not sure it should be ranked, unless an adequate number of "experts" can assess it. Having said that, I tend to agree with most of what Darius Oliver comes up with.

[Michael Goldstein]

They invite some golf digest raters to play each year. 

[Mark_F]

What I'm wondering is how Darius Oliver managed to play it? Assuming he is not a personal friend of the Packer family, how did he know who to contact?

You don't have to be a personal friend of the Packer family to play it Brian.  I know plenty of people who have played it, and none of them fall into that category. You just have to know who to contact. 

[Anthony Butler]

What I'm wondering is how Darius Oliver managed to play it? Assuming he is not a personal friend of the Packer family, how did he know who to contact?

You don't have to be a personal friend of the Packer family to play it Brian.  I know plenty of people who have played it, and none of them fall into that category. You just have to know who to contact. 

When Kerry was alive, most of the people I know who played it had some business with Channel 9/Consolidated Press. Now the family money has moved into gambling they probably see more traffic from that business.

[Tiger_Bernhardt]

Thanks guys, It is not often I get asked about a good course that I have not heard of before. If my friend can get on it sounds like it wil be a great and unique golf experience.

[Tom_Doak]

800 might be stretching it, 3 to 4 feels that but would be around 400 at very least

1st to 2nd would 150 metres
3rd to 4th at least 300mtres, maybe 375

Andrew:

That was funny.  If you would just get the numbers going in the other direction, you could be an auctioneer on the side.