BUNKER-TO-BUNKER…. What do you suppose? Electronic mail feedback to rob@insidegolf.com.au
By Peter Owen
AS I write this, the course the place I play most of my golf on the Sunshine Coast has been closed for 3 straight days and our course superintendent tells me we’ve had 1300mm of rain within the first 4 months of the yr.
So I’m unsure I ought to be spruiking Queensland’s climate as a cause why this state ought to price extremely for enjoying golf. However, significantly, after dwelling in south-east Queensland for almost 50 years, I can guarantee readers its (usually) chic climate lets you comfortably play the sport all year long. And that’s necessary.
I don’t know lots about Sydney’s programs, however I do know the harbour metropolis has some classics, and I do take pleasure in enjoying the regional gems at Ocean Shores, Bonville and alongside the Murray River.
I grew up within the Melbourne suburb of Cheltenham and, at a younger age, sampled the delights of Royal Melbourne, Victoria, Kingston Heath, Huntingdale and different sand belt programs, although I ought to confess that my golf was performed very early within the morning and late within the afternoons, interrupted solely by the grounds employees and a few irate members, who shortly dispatched my mates and me again over the fence.
Nevertheless I’ve performed sufficient golf in Melbourne, and all through the state, to understand Victoria has robust claims for the title, regardless of it being too chilly in winter and too scorching in summer season.
I’ve by no means performed in Western Australia or the Northern Territory and my solely expertise of South Australia was 18 holes at a membership within the Adelaide Hills with my son earlier than dashing off to Oakbank for the final working of the Nice Jap Steeplechase.
However I do know Tasmania. With three programs – Cape Wickham, Barnbougle Dunes and Barnbougle Misplaced Farm – entrenched in Australia’s high 10, Ocean Dunes not far behind, and Seven Mile Seashore threatening to rival any of them when it opens later this yr, Tassie is a golfer’s paradise.
One of the best state for golf in Australia? I reckon Tassie’s fairly probably the perfect place to play golf in the entire world.
By Michael Court docket
HOW straightforward is that this?
I solely have to look exterior on this beautiful autumn day to know that New South Wales, the Premier State, is the perfect place to play golf on this great nation of ours.
Perhaps it isn’t raining in Victoria, however you possibly can wager it’s rattling chilly – particularly for these wanting an early-morning tee-off – to try to beat these winds howling in off Bass Strait.
Queensland? Nicely, don’t even take into consideration enjoying there in the course of the day.
Your shirts and shorts will probably be soaked with sweat earlier than you’re midway spherical. And that’s in winter.
Summer time golf? Don’t even give it some thought. It’s manner too scorching.
And so, it involves golf programs. Certain, Victoria has lengthy boasted that it has the perfect layouts on this nation.
Granted they do have a few of the finest on this planet. However are they any higher than New South Wales Golf Membership? – or Elanora, Monash, Killara, Pymble, Terrey Hills, Cromer? The checklist is countless.
I used to be fortunate sufficient to play a lot of these whereas confined to Sydney’s Northern Seashores in the course of the pandemic after I wasn’t allowed to journey to my very own course additional up the north shore.
Such have been the standard of those programs that there was a small a part of me truly hoping the pandemic restrictions might final just a bit bit longer – so I might return and play all of them once more.
I’ve performed Royal Melbourne (West) and Kingston Heath, additionally Huntingdale and Yarra Yarra and admittedly they’re fairly phenomenal.
And I’ve trekked all the way down to Tassie a number of instances to play Barnbougle Dunes and Misplaced Farm . . . and they’re golf experiences that I’ll lengthy cherish.
. . . and as quickly as my golf equipment and golf gear are dry sufficient for a re-run I’ll fortunately return.
Till then, Sydney golf is likely to be nearly as good as anyplace on this planet and I wouldn’t swap it for anyplace else on this planet both! Alright, perhaps for Eire.
However I’ve already given away too a lot of our Sydney golf secrets and techniques.
You golfers keep on with your personal state and I’’ll keep on with mine . . . and be content material that golf on this nation is definitely higher – and extra reasonably priced – than most nations on this planet.
By Michael Davis
There’s greater than a touch of fine quaint golf snobbery amongst Victorians in the case of the abundance of nice programs of their state.
They normally level to the ever-present rankings produced by seemingly each Tom, Dick and Harry and the truth that Victorian layouts, by any measure, dominate the higher echelon of most rating lists.
To be trustworthy, the Victorian view that the state gives by far the perfect general golf expertise within the nation is considerably flawed.
It’s because only a few Victorians ever get to play the programs which permit the state to assert the mantle of being the perfect.
There is no such thing as a argument that Victoria’s fabled sandbelt layouts like Royal Melbourne, Kingston Heath and Victoria are world class.
However they’re additionally non-public member golf equipment which price a ‘bomb” to affix, typically after ready for some years to be granted the privilege to play them. And even then, solely if you’re deemed ‘worthy’ of membership.
To be truthful, although, in case your bank card pings ‘transaction authorised’ on the day, your utility normally goes via easily.
However right here’s rub. Victoria has equally good programs on the Mornington and Bellarine peninsulas an hour or so from the CBD the place anybody can play.
And what’s extra, there are any variety of suburban and nation programs scattered across the state that are all nice tracks.
Not forgetting both, the abundance of fabulous layouts alongside the Victorian facet of the Murray River.
Victoria is spoilt for golf riches greater than some other state.
By Larry Canning
For me, it’s a case of what socio-economic-demographic you match into and from that, two necessary factors emanate.
Firstly, Melbourne’s well-known Sandbelt is definitely the perfect group of programs in a small space on this nation and now Victoria has a bunch of nice layouts down Mornington and within the Bellarine Peninsula, however are these beauties accessible to punters like me? I’d should whack my two vehicles and my youngest son on eBay to afford membership at some, and for that matter, what committee of their proper thoughts would let me be a part of?
Secondly, that opening sentence incorporates extra multi-syllable phrases than I’ve written in INSIDE GOLF in 20 years.
I had a short chat with a mate who recognised me whereas I used to be busking exterior of Woollies the opposite day. He’d simply returned from a golf journey alongside the Murray River and was singing the praises of all of the programs there, which jogged my memory, NSW has a few of the finest golf programs exterior of the massive cities. And even I can afford to play them.
Queensland has some rippers however from what I’ve heard, are additionally changing into a bit exie. WA, SA and Tasmania additionally possess a few of the finest in our fortunate nation too, however once more will I have to be first on the Lotto queue at my newsagents tomorrow morning?
So, for a state with the perfect tracks, Victoria wins by a three-shot par 5, however except somebody leaves an open cheque ebook in my guitar case, I’ll keep in nation NSW.
