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It's no secret the Gold Coast is home to more than its fair share of top resort courses but don't be fooled into thinking high green fees and a bag drop area is a prerequisite to a good golf experience. For all the things they have to offer there is one element no fancy resort course can recreate: the atmosphere of a traditional golf club.
Coolangatta Tweed Heads is probably overlooked by a lot of golfers because of its more famous neighbours but if you're one of those who has always passed over this border town gem you've made a mistake.
This is a proper golf club where real members play real competitions on a daily basis. With 36 quality holes at their disposal and all year round Gold Coast weather, the members here have to be among the luckiest in the country.
Inside Social Golf reviewed the club's River Course some time ago but on a recent trip north decided it was time to finish the job with a tour around the West Course. It was a good decision. We joined regular ISG contributor, golf analyst and Gold Coast resident Bruce Young, golf course architect Richard Chamberlain and the course's Superintendent Peter Lonergan for 18 holes. Lonergan and myself aside (he's biased and I'm a pushover) the other two are tough - but fair - markers and both came away pretty impressed. For the record, so did I.
When it comes to value for money golf, this place would have to be near the top of the list.
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Few things could be worse for a golf course than a major problem with greens. If there's one thing golfers, be they members or social players, almost universally demand it is putting surfaces of at least moderate quality.
Which is why Bankstown Golf Club was devastated towards the end of 2005 when a combination of factors conspired to reduce the club's greens to an unplayable condition. The impact was far reaching but, to the club's credit, management and greens staff have worked hard to get the course back to tip top condition and they have been extremely successful.
To look at and play the course today, the uninformed player would have no idea the disaster that beset the popular Sydney layout just two and a bit years ago.
A tight, tree lined layout, Bankstown is a pleasure to play and the "new" greens excellent to putt on. With its central location to every part of the city it's not hard to understand why Bankstown is again becoming the course of choice for corporate days and green fee players alike.
For good quality golf less than 20 minutes from the CBD and Parramatta, it would be almost impossible to go past Bankstown.
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Melbourne's south east corridor can add another quality golf course to its ever-expanding resume. With a population explosion throughout this area in the last 10 years - coupled with the recently-completed Eastlink bypass - entrepreneurs and designers alike have taken advantage of the course-friendly land available and some excellent tracks have emerged.
Greg Norman's latest venture - Settlers Run Golf and Country Club - is no exception. A short 40-minute drive from Melbourne CBD, this young course has quickly gained a reputation as one of Melbourne's premier venues. This month, members of Bushranger Golf put the Shark's newest Victorian creation to the test.
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The first rule of real estate is location, location, location and it's not a bad mantra for golf courses either. Sydney's Eastlake Golf Club fulfils the criteria more than adequately.
Located less than 15 minutes from the CBD of the nation's biggest city, Eastlake not only sits on prime real estate but offers an excellent, and constantly improving, golf experience.
Extensive re-design work has already begun by noted course architect Ross Watson with several holes already complete and the club's long term plan involves changes to virtually every hole. Away from the course a bridge crossing busy Wentworth Avenue will make Eastlake one of the most popular courses in the Harbour city.
Having to cross the busy thoroughfare twice during a round has been a turn off for some players but with that problem solved the future looks bright for the club.
Add in a shiny new fleet of golf carts, complete with the latest GPS system, and one of the best pro shops in Sydney run by Ross Strachan and Eastlake has all the ingredients to become one of Sydney's premier layouts.
There's little doubt the club is doing everything in its power to maintain its position in the market and based on what we saw during this month's course review it's well on its way.
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The late 1980's and early 1990's saw the beginnings of the resort course boom on the Gold Coast and among the first wave of courses built was Robina Woods.
When it opened its doors in 1990 the resort course was still a relatively new concept on these shores and while some have come and gone since, Robina has withstood the test of time and remains one of the area's most popular courses.
After 17 years of operation some veues begin to look tired and dated but Robina hasn't.
In fact it still has a feeling of freshness, even to the player who may have tackled its challenges many times before.
When the Inside Social Golf team turned up to undertake this month's course review the Gold Coast had been battered by sporadic heavy rains for some time, including an overnight downpour, but the course stood up to the conditions remarkably well.
A most enjoyable day was had by all and if you have never experienced Robina, or it's been a while since you did, the overwhelming feeling afterwards was it's a course well worth the effort.
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New golf courses in major cities like Sydney don't come along all that often so when one does it is always bound to attract plenty of interest. The Graham Marsh designed Twin Creeks layout, at Luddenham in western Sydney, has come in for its fair share of scrutiny since opening back in 2006 and has so far passed all tests.
Heavily bunkered, beautifully maintained and featuring one of the best short par-4s in Sydney, the layout has captured the imagination of many who have invested in the housing component and several who just love the course.
While not a public facility the perception that Twin Creeks is totally private and impenetrable isn't quite on the mark either.
The monthly Callaway Challenge is open to all golfers with official handicaps and groups of 16 or more can also access the course as a mini corporate event.
From time to time other events also see access restrictions eased which means it is always worth ringing the pro shop to enquire what may be on. Those who do are in for a bit of a treat as this newest addition to Sydney golf is well worth the journey.
Our three reviewers enjoyed it and we're sure you will, too.
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The annual "golf weekend away" pilgrimage to the Murray River is a fixture on most Social Golf Group calendars.
But for many of us, it's all we get for the entire year. The 4-hour (or more) drive each way means that negotiating extra "leave passes" for any additional "getaway" events in the year can be fraught with danger on the homefront.
Luckily, Victoria is home to a plethora of quaint country towns within 90 minutes of Melbourne -- many with great golf courses in their own backyard -- affording many social golf groups the opportunity to squeeze in an additional weekend golf event with minimal travel (and hassle) required.
And while these courses aren't of the calibre of Australia's better-known top courses, they certainly represent great value and challenge.
This month, we take a look at one of country Victoria's golf and wine desti- nations: the lovely and picturesque Heathcote – the recent host of the 2008 Bushranger Cup, the marquee event for the Bushranger Golf Social Group.
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The new home of the Australian PGA, Sandhurst Club
is just a 30-minute drive from
Melbourne's CBD. With two
championship golf courses
- the well-established North
Course, and the soon-to-open
Champions Course - as well as
a world-class clubhouse and
health club (complete with a
pool, aerobics room, gymna-
sium and tennis courts), the
facility is destined to become
one of Melbourne's premiere
private clubs, as well a popular
corporate golf day venue. This
month, the Bushranger Golf
Social Club paid a visit to Sand-
hurst to sample everything the
facility has on offer.
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The Horizons Golf Club was
probably among the first
"regional" golf experiments in
NSW. Located in one of the
state's most popular holiday
spots at Salamander Bay near
Port Stephens, it seemed a
logical place to build a high end
resort facility.
The local golf community is
well served by nearby Nelson
Bay Golf Club (also well worth
a look if you're up this way) but
Horizons brought something
different to the mix. A self-con-
tained stay and play destination
with a real estate component
included, it's primary objective
was to attract more people to
the area.
The Graham Marsh/Ross
Watson designed course was
well received from its open-
ing in 1992 and continues to
attract large numbers of golfers
particularly from Sydney, nearby
Newcastle and the not too
distant Central Coast.
It's a cleverly designed and
interesting golf course located
in a beautiful spot offering
plenty of activities once you've
racked the sticks for the day.
Seriously, how could you
go wrong?
PS: Horizons has also joined
with nearby Pacific Dunes and
the aforementioned Nelson Bay
courses to offer a three day
pass allowing bargain priced
play on all there. See Sam
Arthur's review further on for
more details and pricing.
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This month, Inside Social Golf
treads new ground and
ventures to the nation’s capital
to sample one of Australia’s
popular inland courses. Host of
the 1996 PGA Seniors Championship, the Bruce Devlin-designed Gold Creek course
received high praise by none
other than Lee Trevino himself.
Offering both pay-for-play and
innovative membership options,
the 18-hole championship
course is part of a multi-
million-dollar leisure facility
which includes health club,
pool, children's recreation
centre, café and restaurant.
But the real question is: how
does the golf stack up to other
courses in Canberra and
surrounds? Read on.
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With two championship golf courses, a brand-new 4.5H resort and a top-quality clubhouse facility, the 13th Beach Golf Links on Victoria's Bellarine Peninsula is a shining star of Victorian golf. Just over an hour's drive from Melbourne, The Beach Course offers a challenging links style course (voted 7th Best Public course in Australia) while the Creek Course (designed by Tony Cashmore & Nick Faldo) complements the facility with its broad fairways, sloping terrain and unique challenges. This month, the Bushranger Golf Social Club made the trek down the peninsula for a full-scale social golf weekend and sampled everything the facility had on offer.
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Before we get under way I must declare a bias here. St Michael's is, and always has been, one of my favourite courses in the Harbour City and this most recent trip around the east Sydney layout did nothing to change my mind.
Seaside golf is always wonderful and St Michael's has more than its fair share of stunning ocean views. But there is more to this about to turn 70 golf club than a mesmerising back drop. It has quality in both design and condition, a potent double at any course. It had been several years since I played St Mick's, as it is affectionately known, but those things that have changed in that time have been for the better.
If you get the chance to play here my advice would be to take it. It's highly unlikely you'll be disappointed.
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Here's a question for you golf nuts. How many courses in Australia have six par 3s, six par 4s and six par 5s? I am proud to say I have played two to date - Kogarah Golf Club in Sydney and now Mirage Country Club Port Douglas in Far North Queenslan.
These types of layouts are great for scoring as you'll always find a couple of short par 5s and par 3s.
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If you've ever considered becoming a member of a private or semi-private course, but havenët yet had the opportunity to play on one of these local gems, then Amstel Golf Club's Ranfurlie Course in Melbourne's south-east may be just what you're looking for. Ranked in "Australiaís best 50 courses" by Golf Australia (2004 and 2006), and host to the Australasian PGA Tour School since 2002, Ranfurlie gives golfers and social groups the opportunity to "test-drive" the course as a green-fee player (which has thus earned the course a place in "Australiaís best 25 public access courses" by Golf Australia). This month, members of the Bushranger Golf Social Club ventured to Ranfurlie to see how it measures up to the other public and private courses in Melbourne.
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It was back in February 2006 that Inside Social golf went on a mission to find Australia's most popular golf course and the clear winner came back as Coolangatta & Tweed Heads Golf Club. Located just south of the Queensland/NSW border the club's two 18 hole courses average 100,000 rounds per year, a classic case of the public voting with their feet. This month, we decided to find out why and the answer was obvious. Two fabulous courses (we chose The River course for our review), excellent practice facilities, a clubhous the envy of many and terrific atmosphere all add up to a winning formula. having now experienced it for ourselves we fully understand why this course is so popular. Golfers from both sides of the border take advantage of the club's extensive facilities and those that don't are ignoring 36 beautifully manicuried holes of outstanding golf value. Overall, Coolangatta Tweed Heads stacks up well against some of the Gold Coast's more illustrious (and infinitely more expensive) resort tracks. We enjoyed it and hope you do too...
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The pay-to-play facilites which have sprung up around the country over the last 20 years rely pretty heavily on "wow" factor to keep golfers coming back. After all, why would you part with a significant amount of your hard earned if the experience didn't leave you wanting more? But the member's club course fills a very different role, one that sometimes seems in danger of being lost in the modern era of high-end resorts. Not that club courses can afford to sit on their laurels when it comes to the golf experience but in many ways, they have the advantage of not being distracted by the need to cater to non-golfers as well. Bayview is a fine example of a club which walks the line well. In recent years, Ross Watson has been called on to re-design several of the club's holes which were in danger of losing the battle being fought against modern technology. In a similar vein, the clubhouse is set for a major refurbishment. But at the end of the day Bayview is about the golf (for its social visitors) and the club (for its members) and that's as it should be.
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Just one hour from Melbourne on Victoria's famed Mornington Peninsula, The Dunes Golf Links offers a world-class golfing experience within reach of any player. Winner of multiple awards including Best Public Access Course in Victoria (5 consecutive years), Best Course Design in Australia, and listed as one of Australia's top 25 Golf Courses, The Dunes has established itself as a "must-play" on most Australian golfers' wish lists. This month, members of the Bushranger Golf Social Club ventured to The Dunes to witness firsthand what the hype is all about.
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Back in the 1980's Palm Meadows was one of the most talked about courses in the country. It was one of the very first of the resort style layouts we've since come to know so well and spent a lot of time and money marketing this new style of golf. High profile tournaments such as the Palm Meadows Cup (which regularly featured Greg Norman) and the Daikyo Ladies Masters gave the layout great exposure, particularly the still infamous par-5 18th hole. In the years since the publicity has gone to the flood of resort layouts which have opened in the intervening years and Palm Meadows doesn't attract the sort attention it once did. That doesn't mean, however, it's not still worthy of a look.
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Just 30 minutes from the CBD, Waterford Valley Golf is Melbourne's latest pay-forplay golf course. Strategically designed to cater to both the social golfer and the growing corporate golf market, the course offers a variety of layouts and challenges for golfers of all levels. Built on 160ha, this former "floodplain of the Dandenongs" utilises an intelligent, drought-beating water collection and irrigation system to maximise every drop, and keep the course in top shape all year round. This month, Inside Social Golf invited the members of the Bushranger Golf Social Club to put the course to the test.
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When it comes to links golf NSW has been sadly lacking outside the bounds of Sydney. The Harbour City does boast one of the world's top 50 in the NSW Golf Club and some great layouts in St Michael's and Long Reef but as private clubs the opportunity to play is somewhat restricted. But there's a new player on the block 90 minutes north of Sydney called Magenta Shores. Only opened at the tail end of last year it more than fulfills the criteria of a links course and those who've played it have come away impressed. This month Inside Social Golf made the trek to The Entrance, on the NSW Central Coast, and we, too, were impressed with the state's latest links offering.
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