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This is a links style course on hilly terrain. There are 36 holes made
up of the Open Course & the Legends Course. The Open Course is longer
and more challenging, hosting the Australian Open every year. The long
course is developed on a vast land, boasting a little less than 7500 yards
par 72. It features wide and undulating fairways punctuated with pot bunkers,
leading onto large multi-tiered greens. Personally I like the Legends
course a little better as the holes look tighter and are actually tighter.
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A gentle uphill dogleg to the right. A carry of 250 yards is needed for
the tee shot over a right corner bunker onto the plateau where the green
is in view, otherwise it is a dangerous blind uphill and it might not
reach the green in 2 shots. The green is large and front-sloping.
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A straight, long par 5 with a downhill tee shot. 8 fairway bunkers are
strategically placed.
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A par 3 over a shallow ravine. The green is elevated and 3 bunkers are in
play. This hole sits on completely natural terrain. |
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| An almost straight, long par 4. Unless you are a truly long
hitter, you can’t reach the green in 2. Several bunkers are well placed
along the way. |
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| A straight par 5 reachable in 2 with the wind behind you. However,
9 bunkers spreading across the hole makes it difficult to hit the green
in 2 shots. The green is wide, elevated and double-tiered left and right. |
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| A dogleg to the left, a long par 4. Distance
off the tee as well as on the second shot is important to hit the green
in regulation. The green is large and undulating. |
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A par 3 over a shallow ravine. The wide green slopes sharply from back to
front so that too strong a shot will be in trouble as the downhill putt
or approach is difficult to judge the distance. Being short of the green
is equally punishing as the apron slopes even steeper. |
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| It is a 2 hour drive from the Melbourne Airport
and a 100 minute drive from Central Melbourne. The distance markers are
in meters. A superb hotel, Peppers Moonah Links Resort, is adjacent. I stayed
there and played 36 holes, the Open & Legends Cours, in a day. |
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The course is ranked 17th in Australia by Golf Digest 2006. Peter Thomson’s
(Thomson, Wolveridge and Perrett) other courses in Australia are Hope
Island GC (ranked 24th), Moonah Links – Legends Course (ranked 37th),
The National GC – Ocean Course (ranked 46th), Alice Springs GC (ranked
62nd), Twin Waters GC (ranked 68th), Camden
Lakeside GC (ranked 72nd) and Sea Temple G&CC ranked 94th).
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3rd Par 4 413 yards (3)