Kingston Heath Golf Club

Course Data
LocationVictoria, Australia
Yardage6947 yards Par 72
Course Rating73.9
Playing Date16 Feb. 2007
DesingnerDan Soutar & Alister Mackenzie
Opened1925
CaddyNo
Golf CartNo
Rating
Overall Rating
5.45
Course Layout
5
Difficulty Level
5
Greens Condition
5
Fairways Condition
5
Landscaping & Views
5
Level of Satisfaction
6
 

The course is laid out on flat terrain and features naturally undulating fairways and deep bunkers that are coming into play. There are around 160 bunkers on the course, most of very irregular shape. Those exotic shapes have become integrated into the “heath” that lends its name to the club. Also, the three par 3s are another feature as they are unique although they are not that long. The greens are hard & fast, so unless you hit approach shots with backspin, they won’t stay on the greens. Dan Soutar designed most holes while Alister Mackenzie designed the bunkers and redesigned the Par 3 15th.



A view from the clubhouse

A view of the 7th green

14th fairway bunkers

 

2nd Par 4 384 yards

2nd Par 4 384 yards (2)

2nd Par 4 384 yards (1)
A slight dogleg to the left. The landing area on the tee shot looks deceptively narrow but in fact it is not that tight and you should aim at the right side of the left fairway bunkers. Position from the tee is important on this hole. The best route is to hit onto the right side of the fairway bunkers. A long hitter must be careful not to fly across the fairway and run into the mounds and long rough at the back, so he should use a long iron or a fairway wood off the tee. The green slopes from the back to the front and has deceptive undulations.

 

3rd  Par 4 294 yards

3rd Par 4 294 yards (2)

3rd Par 4 294 yards (1)
A slight dogleg to the right. It is a great very short par 4 with a “looks easy but plays hard” character. A long hitter can reach the green in 1 but the closer to the green, the tighter the hole is, so he needs to drive a long and precise shot. The green is elevated and very undulating.
 
5th Par 3 189 yards

5th Par 3 189 yards
A magnificent par 3. The green slopes from left to right with bunkers on both sides.

6th Par 4 430 yards

6th Par 4 430 yards (2)

6th Par 4 430 yards (1)
A straight hole with an uphill tee shot. Two clusters of bunkers along the right side come into play off the tee. Another cluster of bunkers protecting the front right and the right of the green are in play, too. The green is large, double-tiered and elevated. The bumps and hollows around the green put pressure on the second shot. This hole was selected as one of the best 500 holes in the world by 2000’ s poll of US Golf Magazine.

 

8th Par 4 435 yards

8th Par 4 435 yards (2)

8th Par 4 435 yards (1)

A slight dogleg to the left. The tee shot is blind and the fairway is wide up to the fairway bunkers and rough on the corner of the right dogleg. There a cluster of 6 bunkers protecting the left side of the green, which offers superb bunkering unique to this golf course. It also features a double green shared with the 16th hole.

 
10th  Par 3 139 yards

10th Par 3 139 yards

A charming short par 3. The green is very narrow in front with two large bunkers squeezing it. The green widens toward the back. It is an easy hole but if you miss the green your shot will finish in one of three large bunkers or heavy rough, where it is difficult save par. The hole is visually appealing.

11th Par 4 416 yards

11th Par 4 416 yards (2)

11th Par 4 416 yards (1)

A dogleg to the right. A carry of 230 yards is needed to clear a bunker on the right, and 250 yards to clear a bunker on the center of the fairway. A cluster of bunkers guarding the left of the green are in play. The green is also guarded by a hollow on the left and an OB behind.

 
12th Par 5 557 yards

A dogleg to the left. A carry of 240 – 260 yards is needed to clear two bunkers placed in the center of the fairway. The shortest line is the left side of the fairway but you must contend with hazards and an OB on the left. The approach shot is over bunkers.


12th Par 5 557 yards (3)

12th Par 5 557 yards (2)

12th Par 5 557 yards (1)
 
14th  Par 5 564 yards

A straight, relatively long par 5. The tee and second shots are gently uphill. Bunkers left & right 50 yards short of the green squeeze the fairway, leaving little opening for a long hitter attempting to get close to the green on the second shot.


14th Par 5 564 yards (3)

14th Par 5 564 yards (2)

14th Par 5 564 yards (1)
 
15th  Par 3 155 yards

15th Par 3 155 yards (2)

15th Par 3 155 yards (1)

A slightly uphill, tough par 3. Several deep bunkers on both sides of a narrow green are placed so that the green is only some 15 yards wide. If you hit too far, the ball will run down into a deep hollow behind the green. The green slopes sharply from back to front.

 
19th hole

Restaurant

It is a 40-minute drive from Melbourne Airport and a 30-minute drive from Central Melbourne. Visitors need to be accompanied by a member but opportunities exist for interstate and overseas golfers if they bring letters of recommendation from their own golf clubs. The distance markers are in meters and measured up to the edge of the greens.

The course was ranked 3rd in Australia by Golf Digest 2006.
The other Dan Souter designed courses are Concord GC (ranked 38th) and Wentworth Falls GC.
The other Alster Mackenzie designed courses in Australia are Royal Melbourne GC (Composite Course, ranked 1st), New South Wales GC (ranked 2nd) and Royal Adelaide GC (ranked 5th).

US Golf Magazine ranked the course 20th as of the top 100 courses in the world for 2005. Those others selected in Asia and Oceania were Royal Melbourne GC (10th), Cape Kidnappers GC (New Zealand, 27th), New South Wales GC (Australia 34th), Hirono GC (Japan, 35th), 49th Barnbougle Dunes GL (Australia), 54th Royal Adelaide GC, Kauri Cliffs GC (New Zealand, 58th), Kawana HGC – Fuji Course (Japan, 80th), Tokyo GC (Japan, 94th), The Club at Nine Bridges (Korea, 95th) and Naruo GC (Japan, 100th)