As is the case in many realms of Life, some golf courses are built up to be The Greatest Thing Since Sliced Bread but fail to hit the mark. Like a new eatery. Not so with Lost Farm, the most recent addition to the Rolling Stone that is Tasmanian golf. The same visionary potato farmer that was behind Barnbougle Dunes ?? Richard Sattler ?? is responsible for bringing to fruition one of the most exhilarating golf courses ever built. He brought Bill Coore down (of Coore & Crenshaw repute) to do the design ?? although despite not having had much of a hand in it all, the best putter to ever live has put his name to it too (for a cool million bucks no doubt). Anyway, all that stuff is academic. Now you have possibly the two best modern links in the world sitting side by side on a stretch of Tasmanian coastline that will blow even the most seasoned golf traveller away. It??s unpretentious stuff too, the ethos endearing itself to golf folk from all walks of life (you can wear jeans and more or less whatever you like, as long as you have a collar). A few days on I??m still struggling to contain myself.
Lost Farm has been a whisper on a good few golfers?? lips in 2010. And the Barnbougle Buzz is still alive and well, despite it having been on the scene for 4 or 5 years now. Travelling through ??Straya for 80 days earlier in the year not a day went by when we weren??t asked if Tassie was on our route. ??No, but we??re hoping to get there later in the year.? I must??ve uttered those words 500 times. Thanks to Simon Cummins of Golf Tourism Australia (and mate Michael ??Bowser? Hauser) we were extended an invitation to come on down. He didn??t have to ask twice.
The flight into Launceston was like being on a trampoline ?? as soon as you??re up you??re down. I suppose it??s all relative on the back of a long haul from Dubai to Perth. What was troubling however was the seating arrangement: Simon had a stunning brunette perched next to him while I was lumped with, guess who, Goldstein. Whom I wouldn??t describe as a stunning brunette (although I could think of a few other adjectives...). Surely there??s a psychological condition known as ??Plane Seat Envy?? In any case I had it. Bad.
By the time we reached Barny I found it in myself to forgive Simon. It would be two long days on the links if I didn??t. And, hell, we were about to play Barnbougle Dunes! A Tom Doak design and straight into the Australian Top 5 ?? strong credentials. So, did it live up to expectations? You better believe it. Goldy??s put together a video of the adventure so I won??t bore you with too much descriptive drivel. I will say though that on more or less every hole you find yourself with options; angles open up before you for careful consideration. It??s a layout that you need to golf your ball around as much with your head as with your hands. I consider that a compliment to Mr. Doak. No doubt when he flew down to see the canvas on offer Tom felt a responsibility to do it justice. And he has, praise the Lord. (The stretch from 2-9 is particularly special).
Happily Simon arranged for us to stay at Lost Farm, a mere 3 minutes down the road. It was only fitting that we have dinner then in the new clubhouse that sits like a presiding judge atop the dunes, overlooking the course. I had a fish called Trevalla which sounds as much like a Bond villain as it does a creature of the ocean. We weren??t expecting haute cuisine but that??s exactly what we got; obviously Mr. Sattler doesn??t do things by halves (and, like many farmers, he??s got far more between the ears than he??d lead you to believe). If you come all the way down here to play golf you may as well have a good meal ?? and the nearest restaurant must be several k??s away too, so the convenience factor is compelling (especially if you??ve been ill-disciplined enough to have a Boags or two immediately after walking off the 20th green). Oh, did I mention Lost Farm has 20 holes?
The best 20 hole golf course I??ve ever played, hands down. And here??s me been espousing the virtues of 12 hole golf courses all year... I suppose Mr. Coore just saw 20 holes that just had to be built. With two short par 3s known as 13a and 18a the superintendent has options in laying out the course for competition play. 13a by the way is one of the most pleasant surprises I??ve ever come across. You think you??re heading on to what is the 14th tee, then realise there??s a short hole stretching across your path, built on rip snortingly fine dune territory. Coore must??ve had the kind of epiphany that MacKenzie had when he saw that famous rocky outcrop at Cypress (I??m speaking of the 16th, of course) - I??ve just GOT to build a hole on that. And he did.
What I love about both BB and LF is how playable they are by golfers of (nearly) all standards, yet how much thought needs to go in to each shot if you??re to really tear them up. Every choice you make ?? whether you know you??ve made it or not! ?? has a consequence, be it a resulting blind approach or a deep bunker to navigate (sometimes both). Clever, clever stuff. What??s also so encouraging is that both Doak and Coore have dared to build holes that no one else would these days (playing the holes like 3rd at Royal Adelaide, the 9th at Cypress or the 8th at Troon this year we??ve found ourselves lamenting this phenomenon). Holes don??t need to be long to be challenging!
Well done Tom, Bill and Richard. It was a pleasure to come down and admire your fine handiwork. A pleasure that was made possible by Simon Cummins of Golf Tourism Australia and Michael ??Bowser? Hauser ?? two gentlemen to which we are heavily indebted. Yoos fullas are liginds, as we say in Nu Zillin. Golf at its purest ?? low maintenance links, understated clubhouses and good company. Get me back ??ere quick...
JP
Our pal Carol ?? who took us out for a fantastic day at The Olympic Club in San Francisco back on Day 133 ?? also spends a bit of time over ??ere, often managing to tie in little trips with business (something she appears to be very adept at doing). Carol just loves Scotland, and she just loves golf. And so it seems that bringing her friends along for a game at The Renaissance Club, out in East Lothian, is for Carol one of life??s pleasures ?? something she is only too happy to do. Today we were among the lucky few that were extended an invitation.
A bit about Renaissance: You can read about its history here. Basically the land was part of the Duke of Hamilton??s Archerfield Estate, until a couple of ambitious American brothers had better ideas. To the West is The Honourable Company??s home turf, aka Muirfield. To the East is Archerfield Links, a new club like Renaissance. It??s quite a setting. The Firth of Forth sits out in front of you to the North, and on a clear day you can see The Kingdom of Fife (on a really really really clear day you can see the flags of Lundin Links, Leven, Elie and the like ?? if you have binoculars and the hankering). Bottom line ?? a lovely canvas for a golf course.
Enter Tom Doak, who??s certainly among the most revered course architects of the modern day. Tom??s responsible for the likes of Cape Kidnappers in New Zealand and Pacific Dunes up at Bandon in Oregon. He knows what he??s doing. And he doesn??t like to mess too much with the natural lay of the land. To quote the man himself:
??The most noteworthy courses of the past decade have been among the least expensive to build. Thanks to clients who understand the value of beautiful property, we??re able to create courses which compare to the best of the past...and look like they have been there just as long.?
Well said Tam. Anyway Tam ?? as I??ll now call him, since we??re in Scotland ?? was pleased for the club to be named after his company, Renaissance Golf Inc, given his high regard for the property and the area??s rich golfing heritage. So there you go.
It??s quite a grand entrance, I must say. When you wind past Archerfield House and eventually find the big gate bearing the club??s crest, you know right away you??re in for a pretty unique experience. A tree stump bolted to the wall by the gate bears a sign ??press to enter?. The driveway takes you past the 2nd green and 3rd hole, and up to the imposing clubhouse. It??s all very grand.
Right away we spotted Carol, who was doing what she does best ?? chatting to her friends and to the staff. After a big hug we were introduced to Harry & Carolyn (a charming retired couple from Myrtle Beach, South Carolina) and Ian (a dry witted Aberdonian). The lads ?? who Carol knows from Loch Lomond, where they all belong ?? would be joining us for a hit, while Carolyn planned to go for a brisk walk and finish what sounded like a good book. Sean the maitre-d?? gave us the run down on the place and mentioned we had 7400 yards of golf course to look forward to, if we were game. Which we always are.
Tam??s a quirky character if his golf courses are anything to go by. The boxes on the 1st tee are laid out on the practice putting green. Mike and I shied away from hitting 2 iron in case we took a divot! The 5 of us set off, with Carol having picked up another in caddy Paul. Our half dozen must??ve looked almost as imposing as those two ball foursomes plus caddies that we saw at Prestwick last week ?? a veritable golf army marching down the fairway! Skins was the format ?? as you can imagine there were a few halves with 5 contestants and shots flying everywhere...
The course though young manages to feel established, as Tam would hope. Ancient dykes (walls, for you non-Scots) have been retained, and add a rustic charm (not to mention the fact that they double as obstacles too). Doak left a few features trees and forests as well, giving the course something of a hybrid links/parkland feel. Quite unique. From the tips it??s a slog ?? something you appreciate almost right away, when you stand on the 2nd tee ?? a 260 yard par 3 to an undulating green. The rain came tumbling down too for a few holes on the front, stretching the holes out yet longer. Nothing wrong with a bit of Good Scottish Weather though; indeed it prompted Carol to don the most impressive rain gear I??ve ever seen ?? not so much as a drop could penetrate that outfit!
After 8 we paused for refreshments and sustenance, and were joined by a mutual friend Toddy, who??d been lunching at The Honourable Company on the back of a morning hit. Suffice to say he had a warm glow about him. Our 5 was then 6, so we split into 3s and hacked it around the back 10 at a more Scottish pace. Along the back 9 there were some stunning vistas across the Forth; we also saw the plot of land where they??re hoping to stick another 3 or 4 holes, down closer to the beach. Apparently Muirfield used to lease the land from The Duke??s estate, but couldn??t get planning permission to do what they wanted to do. The crowd at Renaissance are more optimistic and word is they??ll be getting to work in the not too distant future. If they manage to get the proposal through they??ll be a handful of stunning holes (and the first few will be used for warming up / practising). The flags are already out!
Toddy flinched awkwardly when I rolled in a stray birdie on the 14th ?? he??s one of the kind humans (Carol being another) who??s sponsoring us a pound for every birdie carded in Scotland, and a tenner for every eagle. Being a staunch supporter of The First Tee of NZ though he knows it??s for a good cause! Just as well he wasn??t paying for double bogeys today ?? otherwise he would??ve had to fork out a significant wad!
Our group converged in the warmth of the bar and perched on the most comfortable set of leather sofas this side of Cape Town. I was asked for my card by Carol, who took it upon herself to tally the skins. By some miracle (and it was a miracle) I came out on top, despite playing abominable golf. With all the horse trading finished we just sat and enjoyed each other??s company and tried not to fall asleep on those amazing sofas. Carol being the consummate host that she is insisted that we order a morsel or two to keep us going until dinner ?? a very comforting plate of bangers and mash arrived not too long after (Goldy continued his burger stretch as part of his weight gain program). Just the ticket after taking beating on Tam??s Leviathan.
As all good things do, the day came to an end. Carol was off in the morning to see friends in France, before heading to Tokyo on business. We were heading to Edinburgh, which was slightly less glamorous but more convenient. I??ve been trying to twist her arm into coming down to New Zealand for the Final Day at Cape Kidnappers on 31 December, but Carol??s a tough nut to crack. So in the spirit of peer pressure I??m going to publicly invite you Carol to come and be our guests down on our turf ?? it??s high time that you enjoyed some of our hospitality! Toddy??s been trying for years without success, but now you??ve got a couple other young motivated Kiwis on the case too...
Thanks again for an epic day at Renaissance.
JP
The drive south, down the Mornington Peninsula, to St. Andrews Beach was a nervous one. Storm clouds were a?? gathering. Heavy rain had been forecast, so there was an air of anticipation in the car. Tension built as drops started falling more rapidly when we unloaded our gear in the carpark. What promised to be one of the more memorable golfing experiences of the year to date = playing St. Andrews, which was recently ranked by an Australian golf magazine as the 10th best in this great country ?? could have been tarnished. But it wasn??t. The torrential downpour that smashed us en route from the clubhouse to the 1st tee subsided by the time we played our second shots, and didn??t bother us again. Hooray.
So what about the golf course then? Quality. For me it was the links-iest course we??ve played in ??Straya. And I lovvveeee links golf. The design was done by no less than Tom Doak, one of the top designers in the game right now (so I understand). He??s responsible for Cape Kidnappers, NZ??s top ranked course (ranked #34 in the world, last time I heard). Anyway sometimes too much is made, for my mind, of who designed a course (??it??s a Norman course?; ??I think you??ll find it??s a Dr. Alistair MacKenzie course, actually?...blah blah blah). For sure some designers are brilliant, and have crafted beautifully laid out tracks around God??s good earth. Tom Doak is probably one such man. But being the bullish 25-year-old that I am, I prefer to make up my own mind about a course, rather than nodding obligingly upon notice that, ??gosh, you chaps are playing on an Old Tom Morris course, you know.? Rant over.
Tom Doak has done a fine job with St. Andrews Beach. It had an authentic feel that belied its relative youth (the course has only been around for 6 years ?? 2 of which, incidentally, saw it out of play for the public; a failed attempt to cultivate an exclusive private club in what must be one of the most competitive golf membership markets on the planet). Many of the fairways were wide open, but quite a few of them were split by pretty nasty bunkers. Having a tipsheet ?? which the proshop courteously gave us before we teed off ?? was key, particularly because the absence of trees made depth perception tricky (a challenge compounded by relatively flat light). Sage advice like ??approach shot will tend to kick hard left if you land short of the putting surface? are invaluable the first time you play a course. Read: invaluable for us, because we only ever play a course once.
Today I think we played a couple of the best par 4s we??ve played all year. The 3rd (pictured below) sticks in my mind: a dogleg right that allows you to bite off as much as you can chew off the tee. The second shot is played through a chute to a slightly raised green surrounded by a funnel-like apron. After hitting a very poor tee shot I had 200 metres in, into a slight breeze, but to my delight I hit a high drawing 3 wood to the centre of the green. Relief. My rose tinted glasses aside, I thought it was one of the best holes of 2010. Another very strong par 4 confronted us on the back 9 (the 13th, from memory - also pictured below) - 426 metres to be precise, uphill into the wind (457 off the very back tees, which weren??t out). I smashed driver and smashed 3 wood and still came up 2 inches short (of the green, not the hole, I hasten to add). The tee shot is blind and the landing zone severely undulating. The green is guarded by a mound short right, into which a great big bunker is cut. 4 is a good score here.
There weren??t just long par 4s either. 2 and 14 were both driveable in the right conditions ?? although neither of us were tempted. Both you could say were ??risk/reward?? (a phrase that??s probably thrown around too much, if you ask me) in the true sense of the phrase. If you knocked a driver on the perfect line you could find yourself with a very makeable eagle; but if you got it even slightly wrong then there??s plenty trouble to make you at least think about cursing (needless to say gentlemen like us never curse aloud). Mike knocked it stiff from the scrub on 2 (after taking an unplayable) to make par; and sunk a downhill 25 footer on 14 (after cruelly trickling 25 metres off the right edge of the green when his approach from the fairway bunker strayed a foot or two offline). I played 2 in regulation and made birdie on 14 (my only one of the day, I??m sad to say).
The variation in length mirrored variation the course exhibited in other respects: some tee shots begged driver to be hit; others commanded a precisely placed 5 iron; others still had us confused, prompting a fair bit of guesswork. It was a pleasure to play a thinking man??s course. One or two tracks we??ve played recently haven??t required much thought ?? what you see is what you get, just hit it ?? and haven??t therefore been as enjoyable. We both loved our experience (a couple of very indifferent 82s aside).
One notable feature of St Andrews that we both noticed ?? which I must mention before wrapping up ?? was that there were only two par 5s, something that seems relatively rare in our experience. The second of the two was pretty short (I hit driver, 7 iron), but its defences were set around the green, in the form of sharp slopes and more sand. Lots of sand. The bunkering was probably the most memorable aspect of St Andrews Beach, for mine. Each time you stood on the tee the strategy you formulate (if any) is shaped by a determination to avoid getting in the dam things. (A strategy that needless to say was about as successful as Hitler??s Russian invasion yesterday). Incidentally, having got himself in a bunker on the 18th and failed to get up and down (it took him a bunker shot and 3 putts, I regret to say), Michael is The Crab at this point in time.
Apres golf we had a beer with a couple of gentlemen from Royal Melbourne, who had come down for the weekend with a group. Chris and David were interesting chaps, obviously quite into their golf. Chris, to my astonishment, is friends with a chap by the name of Harry Cormie who hails from Kirkcaldy, Scotland (my birthplace and home for the first 15 years of my life). The real coincidence, however, comes from the fact that Harry??s partner??s daughter was a good friend of mine (and even a girflriend of mine, for a short few days in high school!). Hopefully we??ll see Chris and/or David again up in Melbourne in a couple of weeks?? time.
The latter half of the evening was spent with Colin and Anne Douglas, at their home in Frankston. Colin was a friend of my mother??s, growing up in the borders of Scotland. He and Anne have been very good to us over the past couple of days, and have kindly had us to stay again tonight. Sharing stories about Scotland over a wee whisky is almost enough to make one nostalgic about the homeland. Almost.
JP
MG (the victor, 4&2). We could take 50 different angles with this first blog of 365. So we??ll just start with what??s front of mind ?? wow. That was epic! Kauri Cliffs was amazing, we couldn??t have scripted it better. Not a cloud in the sky; hardly a breath of wind; and one of the best settings in world golf to begin our adventure. Bliss.
It was a shame about my 8 on the par 4 first, and Jamie??s relentless hook throughout the rest of the round. But the views were nothing short of spectacular ?? and only enhanced by great company. We joined up with Tom from Maine for the last 14 holes, who had great chat.
The first few holes seem like a bit of a blur. Bob and Harley from TV3 kindly made the trip up from Auckland film us as we got under way. This did not help my nerves, particularly for the first tee shot of the year. I think Jamie got it on film, which will definitely be one shot to forget! I think the TV3 guys thought we were pretty rubbish ?? we chopped it for the first 3 holes and it was not until the 4th that we (both) made a par. It??s fair to say there were a few thoughts of ??what have we got ourselves in for!??
Kauri Cliffs has some memorable holes. The design is tough, particularly off the back tees. And every hole seemed like a challenge. A number of holes looked out across Matauri Bay (which I am not poetic enough to describe so we have posted a few photos below and in our gallery). After the turn, holes 10 thru 13 are built in a valley, which has a different ?? almost serene ?? feel about it. These holes in particular provided a stern challenge ?? long par fours with trouble both sides and some long carries over water. Result = double bogeys. The last few holes were jaw droppingly good. Mesmerising views, impossible shots (for example the tee shot on 17, which drops to a slither of a fairway that runs at an angle to the tee?oh yeah, and with steep drop offs on both sides) and a few more amazing views to make the bad golf seem completely irrelevant.
Our historical uni handicaps went out of the window (as we expected they would), as our scores of 83 and 90 indicate. That said, tomorrow??s course should be a bit more forgiving. And we will benefit from some quality sleep too.
Many thanks to Greg and the crew at Kauri Cliffs for hosting us for day one of our journey. The service at the resort was nothing short of first class and we were privileged to be able to relax (eventually) and enjoy the day. In the car now to the airport where we are picking up Dirka and Blair and heading to the Coromandel.
Chisholm Park
12 holes bart cape kidnappers christchurch christmas doak ed bayley hawke's bay heretaunga jane poole napier golf club new zealand puregolf2010 rangiora rarangi gc royal royal wellington the first tee the interislander waiohiki
