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Rick Emerson

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What do you think of Victoria Golf Club
« on: February 07, 2016, 05:16:50 AM »
I am currently staying at Victoria for a few days and using it as a jumping off point for some of the other Sandbelt courses. I just played today for the second time and I love the course. Firm and fast, everything in play is short grass, wonderful topography and strategic bunkering that forces a course that feels open to actually be exacting to get good angles. Lots of half par holes with Two great short par fours and a couple long ones. Also two short and two long par 5's. also the green surrounds with some of the drop offs are wild. So two things:
1. What do you like about the course?
2. Do you have any questions because I'm playing a few more times and I'll look at it and answer back?


Lukas Michel

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Re: What do you think of Victoria Golf Club
« Reply #1 on: February 07, 2016, 06:48:35 AM »
Hi Rick. It's a very good course that I always enjoy. What other courses are you playing on your trip?


Something you haven't mentioned is the par 3s which I think are very good. One criticism is they all play uphill and three of them to the south (and the other north). Despite this, I really like them and are some of my favourites on the sandbelt - as a set they might be the most attractive on the sandbelt (but perhaps other courses are more fun to play)


Did you also have a look at the new 19th hole/practice area to the right of the 11th tee? This will be another good par 3 by the looks of things.

Four




Seven




Fourteen




Sixteen






Nineteen (new hole by OCCM - photo from their website)


« Last Edit: February 07, 2016, 06:58:07 AM by Lukas Michel »

Charles Lund

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Re: What do you think of Victoria Golf Club
« Reply #2 on: February 08, 2016, 03:03:23 PM »
Glad you are enjoying yourself.

I have played there a couple of times.  Darius Oliver has a review in Australia's Finest Golf Courses which describes Victoria Golf Club as being "long regarded as one of Australia's elite courses."  A friend of mine thinks of it as his favorite Sandbelt  course.  I am hoping to get in some more rounds there on future trips.  I actually like the back to back par five finishing holes on both nines, although the arrangement is unusual.  It has very challenging par threes and a good combination of short and long par fours.  Bunkering is visually appealing.  Greens were in excellent condition when I played it.

If you can find a copy of this older book, it is a good addition to your library. 

Charles

Jon Wiggett

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Re: What do you think of Victoria Golf Club
« Reply #3 on: February 08, 2016, 03:34:29 PM »
Hi Rick. It's a very good course that I always enjoy. What other courses are you playing on your trip?


Something you haven't mentioned is the par 3s which I think are very good. One criticism is they all play uphill and three of them to the south (and the other north). Despite this, I really like them and are some of my favourites on the sandbelt - as a set they might be the most attractive on the sandbelt (but perhaps other courses are more fun to play)


Did you also have a look at the new 19th hole/practice area to the right of the 11th tee? This will be another good par 3 by the looks of things.

Four




Seven




Fourteen




Sixteen





Lukas,

it might just be the photos but all the par 3s look to be uphill and closed off at the front. Is that really the case?

Benjamin Litman

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Re: What do you think of Victoria Golf Club
« Reply #4 on: February 08, 2016, 04:18:36 PM »
Rick: Victoria is a very special place; enjoy it. My thoughts are in this review/photo tour I put together a year ago based on my August 2014 visit: http://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,60377.msg1429091.html#msg1429091


Jon: Regarding the par-3s, yes, they are all uphill, but they are not all closed in the front. See my tour for more on them.
"One will perform in large part according to the circumstances."
-Director of Recruitment at Agahozo-Shalom Youth Village in Rwanda on why it selects orphaned children without regard to past academic performance. Refreshing situationism in a country where strict dispositionism might be expected.

Jon Wiggett

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Re: What do you think of Victoria Golf Club
« Reply #5 on: February 08, 2016, 04:34:20 PM »
Benjamin,

thanks for the explanation and very good tour which I enjoyed. I only played RM (both courses) and Dayleford when I was in the Melbourne area and wish I had played quite a few others now.

Jon

goldj

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Re: What do you think of Victoria Golf Club
« Reply #6 on: February 08, 2016, 05:08:50 PM »
Rick,

I too stayed at Victoria for a number of nights and used it as a jumping off point for play at the Sandbelt courses.  I had a small room upstairs which had an excellent view of the entire property.  Because the room also included board, I took breakfast and dinner downstairs in the dining room for which I had to wear appropriate attire which, in the case of the Club, meant jacket and tie at dinner.  It was no bother at all and I enjoyed all of the those moments.

What I distinctly remember about the course was that it played faster, both on the fairways and on the greens,  than any course that I had ever been on.  If I recall correctly, the first hole is a short par 4, probably 280 meters or so with a fence or bushes behind the green.  I'm not a very long hitter but the first time I played the hole, I hit an ok drive, perhaps 240 yards in the air and ended up finding the ball in the bushes.  The greens rolled even faster, perhaps 15 on the stimp.  And they were rock hard.  One of the major Australian tournaments had been played at Victoria earlier that year and one rounds had to be cancelled completely when one of the greens (6 perhaps) became impossible to hold or to putt.  The property, the movement of both the grounds and the greens, and the remarkable bunkering are well known and have been commented on above. 

All in all, a glorious experience and one that I will long remember. 

Bill_McBride

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Re: What do you think of Victoria Golf Club
« Reply #7 on: February 08, 2016, 08:39:33 PM »
Rick, I thought you might be talking about one of my favorite courses anywhere, Victoria Golf Club in Canada!  Love that place....

Josh Stevens

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Re: What do you think of Victoria Golf Club
« Reply #8 on: February 09, 2016, 01:48:14 AM »
Wonderful course but suffers in being able to see Royal Melbourne thru the fence.

Don Jordan

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Re: What do you think of Victoria Golf Club
« Reply #9 on: February 09, 2016, 04:30:55 AM »
I loved the course when I got to play it about 18 months ago. I like the work that OCCM have done to give options for tournament golf but still leave it untouched from the members tees.

The Par 3's are interesting, I think that apart from 14 they play a little long and firm for uphill holes and can be very difficult for average golfers.

Mike_Clayton

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Re: What do you think of Victoria Golf Club
« Reply #10 on: February 09, 2016, 06:05:13 AM »
Rick,


Out of interest, what did you make of the 14th green?


Rick Emerson

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Re: What do you think of Victoria Golf Club
« Reply #11 on: February 09, 2016, 06:26:32 AM »
Rick,


Out of interest, what did you make of the 14th green?
I like the hole although it is very hard. All the greens are less firm and fast than usual right now as they are leaving them a little longer and watering a bit because of the heat. That said if that green were firm and fast I don't see how most golfers could hit a ball anywhere near a front right pin. That said, the other day the pin was back right and the green seemed quite a bit softer and spongy compared to the others. A full days foot traffic also seemed more noticeable. I think most players should play at the left front opening regardless of pin position. The huge amount of uphill isn't given justice in the photos.

Mike_Clayton

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Re: What do you think of Victoria Golf Club
« Reply #12 on: February 09, 2016, 03:00:04 PM »
Rick,


Thanks - The front right pin takes a great shot and is easier when it's into the wind. You can use the slope to turn it there but that takes a perfect shot.


The front right pin across the road at Royal Melbourne's 7th is equally difficult.Bitter experience tells you not to go for it unless you are absolutely sure of what you are doing.