"currently battling with my dear friend, the Silverstripe CMS" - 18 hours ago
"is thoroughly relaxed at another Irish farmhouse B&B, this time one run by a character and a half, Sharon Moore.... http://fb.me/Fd1zVe5z" - 1 day ago
"Is this the Nellie bunker you were talking about mate? Safely avoided I'm pleased to report http://fb.me/EHAvCmyU" - 2 days ago
I am very sad to say that we have now left the sandbelt. Our final foray on the world famous golfing terrain in southeast Melbourne, on day 83 of puregolf, was a stunner at the Commonwealth golf club.
Commonwealth recently hosted the ANZ Australian Masters and so we were fortunate to play it in supreme condition. We were supposed to be joined by Sam Hartrick of the PGA but unfortunately Sam was off busy doing something far more important than golf - purchasing a house. Sam has been very kind to us the last couple of weeks by calling in a couple of favours to get us a game at some of these Sandbelt beauties. It was a real shame that Jamie and I did not get the opportunity to thank Sam in person today.
We scrambled to make it to the first tee today. Not because we were late, but because we were holed up in the car doing some administration. We are talking with a couple of golf companies about bringing them along for the ride which is puregolf2010 so the meetings, phone calls and emails are taking a wee bit of time. Then, once the laptops had been put away and replaced by golf clubs, we managed to stop for a bite of lunch in the clubhouse. The clubhouse resonates with an old world charm and was brimming with the ladies who had finished their morning rounds (Wednesday morning is ladies day at Commonwealth). Jamie and I wandered in to quickly get a bite of lunch before our round but our timing went awry when we starting talking to the friendly locals about our adventure and the work that The First Tee does (the First Tee does not have a branch in Australia and the locals, unsurprisingly, thought it was an excellent concept). So as I sat there trying to eat my lunch whilst talking to a table full of members, all whilst trying to maintain some semblance of decorum, I saw from the corner of my eye the group in front of us tee off on the first and walk down the fairway. At this point decorum went out the window and I may have talked with my mouth full as I quickly tried to explain our journey! I managed to scuttle down to the first tee, but alas, waiting there was the cameraman from the Herald Sun to take some shots of Jamie and I… Welcome to the circus of puregolf. Fortunately, we were then told that the tee was empty behind us, so we relaxed, had a few snaps taken (note: Jamie was in his element… a pig in mud in front of the camera), had a quick chat with another local who asked if it was "fair dinkum" that we had played 83 days in a row, took a deep breath, and then teed up to begin the Commonwealth golf experience.
The first (see below) at Commonwealth is one of the short par 4's that I have often blogged about in recent weeks. So I had to have a crack at it, and today I managed to get the first shot of the day away straight. An easy two putt from the edge of the green later and I was one under through one.
We were joined again today by Stewart, with whom we have stayed with the last night. Stu has given us some great advice for our project and that, combined with the magical dinner of flathead tails (see day 59 at Narooma for Jamie's eloquent description of the fine delicacies that are flathead tails), had left us in a good space today!
Back to the golf, Stu made a sublime birdie on the second hole - this boy can chip probably thanks to the couch grass he put in his back yard so he could practice - and at that stage Jamie was being left behind despite being square with the card. Unfortunately this hot scoring did not continue!
Commonwealth was not tricked up but a subtle and true test of golf. It had an understated charm that is reminiscent of the sandbelt courses. Take for example the 4th hole (see below) which is a seemingly easy 330m par four which kinks to the right. If you take driver, or even 2 iron off the tee, the ti tree on the left of the fairway comes into play`and you need to hit a strong fade to keep the ball on the fairway. So the smart play is a mid iron. But then you are faced with a decent shot into the green which tilts away to the right with a huge cavernous bunker on the left. All simple stuff, but makes a par 4, on a seemingly short and innocuous hole, become a good score.
I think the biggest defense for Commonwealth are it's greens. The borrow is difficult to read and many of the greens are tilted so that the ball will gather to one corner. Thus, if you leave the ball above the hole it can be sneakily difficult to putt it close. I think the difficulty of the greens shone through during the ladies masters when the scoring was not too much better than par, despite the pristine conditions. I remember watching the final round and seeing many many putts go by the hole. For us, today saw both Jamie and I struggling to two putt on a number of occasions, including both of us missing a few shorts ones.
Another highlight for me was the dogleg right 11th hole (see below) which I made double on (but still loved the hole). With the birds singing like crazy on the tee (the trees are very established at Commonwealth, as seemingly are the birds in them - we saw a number of fairly colorful and loud specimens) we had quite a wait for the group ahead so Stu and JP took time for a few yoga exercises. Once we were away, the drive needed to be placed either to the left of the bunkers on the corner with a 3 iron (or three wood) or alternatively bombed over the bunkers leaving probably a wedge into the green. We all played the smart option which left about 160m into a green guarded by bunkers on both sides. But what I failed to see was the heavily sloping green from back to front and when my (very poor) chip from the back of the green rolled past the hole it just kept going right into the bunker.
The par five 13th was another good hole which demonstrated that par fives don't need to be 500m long to be effective. This hole (whilst a bit short at 440m) really narrowed in at the driving area with ti-tree on the right and long rough on the left. I hit one fairly straight, but missed the fairway which I measured out at 11.5 paces. That is tight! It was, however, one of the few holes I managed to get up and down on and snuck in my 3rd bird of the day.
Coming down the stretch one more shot sticks in the mind and that is the tee shot on the 16th. This hole has water stretching down the left - quite an unusual feature on the sandbelt. A good tee shot can be hit with a draw to roll around the water and leave a short iron in. JP managed to draw one a little much on this hole into the water, which summed up his day today as just a bit off. And just a bit off on a course like Commonwealth can be deadly. It is quite similar to the course we played a lot of our golf on in CHCH (Russley) in that placement is key and you have the position the ball well and keep it in play to get a decent score.
On the next hole (a great wee drivable par 4) Jamie exercised some First Tee values by calling a penalty on himself when the ball moved slightly. Sportsmanship personified. Golf has to be the only sport when you call penalties on yourself, but that is the beauty of it. This kind of thing exemplifies the underlying ethos of the game.
The story which Commonwealth takes you on as you meander around the grounds ends with a climax as you walk up the 18th fairway with the grand old clubhouse on your right (see below). I can just imagine crowds of people gathered around there to watch the approach shots into the 18th green during a big tournament. This hole has atmosphere.
The day finished with a quiet beer on the clubhouse deck with Stu and then another dinner with our friends from private club X, John and Hana. It was our third time catching up with them whilst in Australia and it was great to see them again and hear about their trip to the famous Barnbougle Dunes - a course we repeatedly have been told to visit. Perhaps later in the year!
Thanks to Commonwealth for having us at their pristine course, to Sam for helping us whilst we have been in Melbourne, and for Stu and Tanya for welcoming us into their house with such kindness - we have said farewell to the sandbelt in style.
P.S Scores - M:78, J:82 (par 73) and F/G/P (and split sixes) to M
Being woken up by your body clock - rather than your alarm clock - is a rare treat. On the back of half a dozen early starts today we were due to tee off at 2, which is a far more civilized hour to commence play than a quarter past seven. Afternoon tee times afford us the opportunity to recharge the batteries. Ahhhhhhhhhh.
This morning we woke in the house of Stewat and Tanya, in Berwick (which must take its namesake from one of the Berwicks in Bonnie Scotland? Will research this). It was a nice place to awake. Stu & his wife had a yoga business, with which they're still actively involved. They're spiritual, relaxed humans. Their philosophy permeates unsurprisingly into their home, which has a calming quality. Sitting over my freshly made wholemeal pancakes I could've been in a $65,000 a day health spa in the Swiss Alps. It just felt cleansing (notwithstanding the fact that Stu is a wine distributor!).
Stu took us on a tiki tour of the surrounding area - The Dandenongs - which he'd grown up in. Reminded me of the Adelaide Hills. The region's pretty quaint; very Australian with a very English flavour - hard to describe. You'll find Agatha Christie style tea rooms and old steam trains among century old gums and towns with names like Sassafrass and Ferny Creek. We visited Puffing Billy (the local steam train, packed full of tourists from every corner of the globe) and a famous tea room that served traditional Devonshire Tea. In the Australian highlands. An interesting experience. We also had a look in, while in the area, at Olinda Golf Club - which must be the worst kept course I've seen in my 25 years. To be fair the club was kicked off the premises a couple of years ago when they stopped buying beer from the bar and resorted instead to bringing their own slab. Now the place is something of a ghost town - a bit sad really - so we didn't see it at it's best. Anyway we had a pleasant, relaxing morning, rolling round the hills and hearing stories about Stu's teenage misdemeanours.
Southern GC's carpark was packed to the rafters. We thought we'd be in for a long round - even if there was only one golfer per car. Thankfully James the affable lad in the pro shop ushered us to the 10th tee, to get under way. The back 9's part of the original course (that used to go over the road whose names escapes me); it's the more mature, stronger, more brutish of the two. Because the gums reach outer space you've gotta hit it straight off the tee - there's certainly no prospect of going over the things with anything but a sand wedge, and even then it's touch and go.
The front 9, on the other hand, is younger. And gnarlier. Don't let the wide open spaces lull you into a false sense of security - the combination of well engineered undulations, hard & fast conditions, and clever bunkering is more than enough to ruin a good scorecard. Not that I ever had one of those today. In fact we were all pretty ordinary. We fed off each other's mediocrity. Just as well we've got a sense of humour, Stu included.
Southern had gone somewhat under our radar, given the renown of some of other courses we've played this week. But when we stepped off 18 green today, in the evening sun, we all agreed it's a force to be reckoned with. Apparently a few Aussie greats have plied their trade here (Bob Shearer anyone?). Today a few agricultural workers plied their trade here, but we had a great time in the process. Next time I'll learn my lesson and hit a few more 2 irons - you've really got to be on the fairway, particularly on the back 9.
Warning to anyone visiting Southern: if a left hander with an apparent chip on his shoulder approaches you, turn and walk away. Quickly. The poor chap we came across can't have been the full complement, because we got a solid earfull on several occasions for holding play up when (1) we were waiting over every shot for the 4 ball in front; (2) we invited said Lonestar to join us or play through; and (3) we addressed him in our most polite Kiwi accent. Thought he was going to wrap his 9 iron around my head. Poor chap, as I said.
The other people we came across at Southern were without exception charming, and as I said the golf course was First Rate. The two 9s are chalk & cheese; chalk demanding certain shots (long, straight drives), cheese demanding others (carefully threaded long irons and dainty pitches). As I said all of the above proved to be beyond our capability on this Day 82, but life goes on. Tomorrow we're down the road at Commonwealth, where they've just held the Ladies Australian Open. Action.
JP
Well that was better than a poke in the eye with a sharp stick. Today we played one of the most revered golf courses on the planet - Royal Melbourne (West). Depending on who you're talking to, it's the best in Australia and among the top 20 tracks in the world. Putting the politics of rankings aside it's one hell of a golf course; one you'd never tire of playing. Dr Alister MacKenzie - once you're finished your drink - take a bow (apparently he was partial to a tipple).
It's hard to describe a place like RM. First you've got to separate your own experience from the preconceptions, expectations and prejudices; then you've got to find the appropriate words. What I was most taken with were two things: first, the luminescence of the grasses (the fairways being a rich forest green, the greens being a glowing olive colour); second, the design of these magnificent 18 golf holes. Stunning stuff.
We were due to tee off at 7.30am, which is early by any standards but becoming the norm for us. We were meant to be playing the East Course too, but due to a happy series of events which I'll soon share, we ended up playing the more famous West course. What a treat. It was dark when Mike & I pulled up and met Bill - Michael's dad's mate whom we played with yesterday at The Heath - in the carpark. Bill was like that relaxed kid that lived right next door to school, in the sense that he'd stayed as a house guest the night prior at Victoria GC (see Day 77), a couple of hundred metres round the corner. We'd risen a good hour and a half earlier. And were a bit dusty.
Once we navigated the locked gates and fingerprint ID entrance, we came across the Head Steward (whose title was printed proudly on his RM standard issue bomber jacket - very suave). The chap wasn't too enamoured with Goldy's jeans and t-shirt look (unsurprising), so we asked him where the locker rooms were. To his credit he did well to hide his suspicion and courteously pointed us in the right direction. Sunscreen and mozzie repellant were diligently applied - as per our daily routine, safety first - before we made our way into the pro shop to meet John, a charming chap who was doing well to manage the increasing flow of traffic through his shop. John sorted us out with cards, maps, and got us to sign the visitors' book - a ritual that makes you feel like you're part of something old and cool. Or like you're staying at a friend's holiday house. Already the atmosphere of the place was giving me the warm fuzzies.
Being so early in the morning we took John up on his kind offer of a bucket of balls, and loosened up our stiff-as-a-tax-lawyer bodies before the Main Event. I thought my wrists were going to break after my first practice swing. Fortunately they didn't.
When we eventually reached the 1st tee (East) after an hour of messing 'round, a party from Mudgee (NSW) had beaten us to it like Amundsen pipped Scott to the South Pole. How disappointing. These fullas were a 14; we were a 3. At the time I thought they might be gracious enough to let us sneak away, as of course we wouldn't be holding them up. No such luck. They had to be at Kingston Heath by lunchtime, to play their second round of the day, so wanted to get off without delay. Fair enough, I suppose. At this point a very nice gentleman by the name of Peter - down from Royal Canberra for a conference - cheerfully told us that our 3 ball was now a 4, and we were only too happy for him to join us. Only problem was it was shaping us a slow round, something that could tarnish a much anticipated experience.
So we did what we are prone to doing and pushed our luck - by asking John the pro very politely in our best'est schoolboy tone whether, in light of the circumstances, we might be able to play the West instead. The course has just recently been brought back into play, after a number of fairways have been relaid, so John kindly obliged subject to the caveat that we wouldn't see it in its full glory and therefore any opinions formed should be done so with this in mind. Fine by us; we'd appreciate the design of the holes all the same.
With a spring in our step we marched back to the 1st tee (East) and let Bill & Peter in on the change of plans. They were thrilled. As you would be. And so we stepped onto what must be one of the most famous 1st tees in world golf (pictured above). As John said you can land 2 jumbo jets on the 1st fairways; it's almost wider than it is long. It won't surprise you to hear though that I missed it (by a couple of inches, but a fairway missed all the same - March being stats month and all). I think it could have been twice as wide and I'd still have missed it, the occasion of the shot getting the better of me.
Above is a picture of the 2nd green, which I think illustrates nicely the character of the place. RM while iconic doesn't have the gargantuan features that other famous courses have. Its features are confronting yet subtle; although I'd love to play the course again to get a second take and maybe pick up on a few more idiosyncrasies. And just to play it again. Because it's no less than other wordly.
Take the 3rd green (pictured below). The hole is a short par 4, which doglegs left from a slightly raised fairway. I hit 2 iron to the right hand side of it, and had a 9 iron in to a back middle pin. My ball pitched pin high - coming from a decent height - but still rolled off the back. When I got there to put my bag down I looked back past the pin, and noticed the green slopes front to back. Had I known from the fairway I would've taken one club less and chased it up there, but you don't notice first time round. Never mind - I chipped it in for the first birdie of the day! And the subtlety of MacKenzie's design wasn't lost on us.
The 5th hole is a famous par 3, and I can see why. You play a 7 iron or so across a gully to a raised green surrounded by what must be half a dozen deep bunkers. Behind the green is ti tree; short of it a Valley-of-Sin-like swail gobbles up anything hit less than flush. God forbid you hit it to the back of the green and have a 30 footer down to the front pin, as I did - a putt that would have been even more daunting had the greens been tournament speed. 2 putt was a relief.
The 6th hole (pictured below) is one of my favourite par 4s we've played this year. That and the 3rd at St. Andrews Beach (down on the Peninsula) stand out in my head, along with a couple at Kingston Heath and the 5th at Kinloch back in NZ. Oh and the 18th at Private Course X in Sydney. Then there's 16 at Kauri Cliffs. Whatever. Anyway, the 6th. Fairway snakes left to right, and you can bite off as much as you can chew over the dogleg, hoping like hell you don't end up short in the heather. There are bunkers between said heather and the fairway for good measure. Fortunately I got all of my driver and flew it 270 or so - with a slight block - onto the carpet, leaving a full wedge in to a raised green. It's just a beautiful golf hole.
The next was an uphill par 3, again over the heather. Both mine and Peter's shots landed and halted a few centimetres over the front bunker, leaving tricky stances over our birdie putts (see picture below). Happy to 2 putt, again. Bill the sidewinder that he is guided a gentle fading 6 iron in to 5 feet and rolled in the putt for birdie. Casual as you like. After bolting out to a seemingly impenetrable lead Michael and I now found ourselves well and truly in a match. Young Guns versus Old Boys.
Meandering through these golf holes one can't help but feel part of something special. Who knows whether the aura that grips you fades as you play the course more and more - I'll ask a member when we meet him for dinner tomorrow night. I doubt it's something that gets lost on you. The colours, the variety, the surrounds; really it is inspiring stuff. Four par 5s; four par 3s; strong par 4s; short par 4s; elevated tees; elevated greens; pot bunkers; waste bunkers; dogleg lefts; dogleg rights; back right to front left sloping greens; front to back sloping greens; upturned saucer greens - RM West has it all. It's the goods.
The 12th (pictured below) was one of the most majestic par 5s I've ever played. It has some similarities to the 3rd, in that it's a dogleg left played to a raised fairway. Bunkers off the tee sit there asking to be carried - very much a case of bite off what you can chew. Unfortunately I had one of 3 consecutive shockers and didn't get to play the 12th as it should be played. But I managed to stand back and appreciate (and photograph) one of golf's greatest sights. Looking from the fairway over the heather to the green tucked away in a cranny, your heart jumps a beat. Mine jumped a few when I hooked a 3 iron into the ti tree. Standing on the 10th green in regulation I was even with the card; standing on the 13th tee I was 5 over par, after a 3 putt, a loss of concentration on the strong par 4 11th and a debacle of a performance on the 12th. Fortunately i managed to play the remaining 6 holes in level par, for a 77. Mike played some good golf but let a few get away, and ended up with 82.
Most importantly the match with the Old Guard was halved - after Peter chipped in for birdie on 18 to trump my par! Jammy rascal. To be fair Peter had been quietly and patiently rolling the ball past the edge of a few cups on the day (he's a very competent 9 marker), so it was about time that one dropped for 'im. Probably a fair result in the end.
It's beyond my capabilities to do RM justice by written word. You'll just have to take what you can from our amateur photography, and perhaps even refer to the RM website for the official spiel. If you ever get the chance to visit, jump at it. Hallowed ground like this humbles and thrills you at the same time, no matter how your golf is. The members here are lucky folks indeed.
It'd be remiss of me not to mention the club sandwich that Bill kindly shouted us in the opulent sheds afterwards. Such is my tendency to get preoccupied with trivial matters. I'm not sure whether Dr Alister MacKenzie the man himself designed these sandwiches too, but they're a work of art. A part of me died when the sandwich was finished, because by then there were no more bites to look forward to. As usual I digress.
Poor Peter had to hurry off to a meeting, as most businesslike people do. Ditto with Bill, who had a presentation to deliver to Fosters (about the latest trends in New York cocktail bars - he has a glamourous job). Mike and i just went out onto the practice green for a few more putts, taking in the atmosphere and trying desperately to prolong what will no doubt be a long cherished experience. Then we did our usual shower / bryl cream routine and moved on. (Yes, we're becoming old men, hanging out in these traditional golf / gentleman's clubs).
Back to Kingston Heath went. Of course. With a reason, i might add. Walking the fairways there were a few American chaps, and Mike Hauser our pal from Tourism Victoria. The tourists were John, Chris & Tom, from New Jersey / New York. John (Sabino) has an interesting story to tell, and that's what drew us to go see him. His goal is to play the top 100 courses in the world (rated as at 2003). His quest began 14 years ago, and today he was ticking off number 90! Which means before today he's played 89 of the top 100 courses in the world...and paid for it! Chris & Tom are on the same mission, but aren't quite as far down the track as John. John's blog, by the way, is here.
The three of 'em were relaxed as you like, American gentlemen. Spending an hour or so walking some of the holes with them that we'd hacked it round yesterday, we got the sense straight away that golf for these high fliers is just as fun on 22 March 2010 as it was when they were kids. No grimaces; no swear words - just smiles, banter and mutterings about Tom's hankering for "Boags" (as in the Tassie beer, which apparently he's been wolfing down in the past few days).
Anyway. We swapped a few war stories with the lads, exchanged business cards and wished them well. John & co have kindly offered to help us out Stateside, and invited us to stay with them at their homes (or at least John did; Chris' invitation came courtesy of John, who instructed Chris he should be extending the same courtesy as John himself had!). Looking forward to meeting up with them on their home turf, and will have to give them a few tips about Kauri Cliffs - one of John's last 10 to play - before he heads there next year.
Our amazing day - Day 81 that is - continued along the same path when we met our hosts for the next 2 nights, Stu and Tania. Stu had contacted us out of the blue recently, after seeing our segment on Fox Sports, and invited us to stay with him in Berwick (outer eastern Melbourne suburb). Needless to say we took him up on his kind offer and here we are, sitting in his lovely 3 storey house, sipping a few glasses of the fine wine he distributes with his brother-in-law - Massoni. Beautiful chardonnay, for you wine lovers out there. Sangiovese and shiraz were pretty approachable too! Combine that with good conversation, his freshly made spaghetti and a comfy double bed - and we've had a sparkling evening.
JP
P.S - for those new followers, check out some of our videos (also linked through prior blogs) on youtube under puregolf2010
Kingston Heath has recently been crowned (by the reputable judges of the Australian Golf Digest) as the number one golf course in Australia.
So it was with delight that day 80 of puregolf2010 featured a round of pure golfing at 'the Heath'. Kingston Heath was the last place that Tiger played tournament golf when he won the Australian Masters by 106 shots back in November. And it is ranked as the number 29 best golf course in the WORLD by golf digest. Which makes it "officially" the best golf course we have played this year. It is fair to say that today Kingston Heath did not disappoint.
We played as members guests courtesy of Bill Torrey, a mate of Dad's from Sydney who is a member of NSW. Bill is a champion, a smart guy who shares our passions of golf, hockey and fine wine and cocktails. We get on very well despite coming from different generations. Bill has played the Heath many times before with Dad and co, during their week of golfing wonderlust in Melbourne that I have previously blogged about. This meant that Bill gave us some quasi local knowledge which we got huge mileage out of.
The golf course that is Kingston Heath is exactly what I had initially expected a sandbelt course to be like. It combines the best features of the courses of the previous week all bundled into one supreme golf course. Kingston Heath is (almost) done with perfection. Firstly, the conditioning is first rate - it is in excellent nick. The fairways are pure, the rough is intense (knee high in many areas), and the greens roll true. Secondly, the course requires precision shots all the way around. Bad shots result in bogeys. Very bad shots result in doubles. You need to spin the ball when approaching the greens or you can end up in deep trouble - most probably punctuated by sand of some description. Take, for example, the par threes (of which there are only three). If you hit a good shot onto the green it is likely that 3 is on the cards. If you hit an average shot, you will roll into a bunker next to the green, or a swale surrounding the green and with a stroke a genius 3 is on the cards (e.g., rolling in a 20 footer on the 2nd hole today). Before confusion sets in for those who have played the Heath our second hole today is also known as the 19th or temporary hole for the members or the 11th during the Masters. We played what is known as the inside/out layout that was used for the Aussie Masters last year. But to make life even more confusing the nines are played the other way around for the Masters… Anyway I digress.
Firstly, before I sing the praises of KH, I will share my one and only gripe. And that is that there are only three par fives, and they all run the same direction. On days like today, where the customary wind blows into your face on all three of these par fives (and the only short par 4), there is very little opportunity to reach any of these holes in 2 and accordingly it is only worth hitting an iron off the tee and playing them as genuine three shotters. I love risk reward golf, where a good drive could result in a simple birdie, whilst a bad one results in double.
But a golf course is not all about hitting it onto greens in regulation minus one, and Kingston Heath had many quality golf holes that put an exclamation mark on this statement. For example the 10th hole (7th for the members) was a par five but had a short sharp slope at the front of the green which made any approach, whether it be from 180m or 80m infinitely difficult to the front pin placement. The slope caught out all three of us, and we rolled back to a swale where the texas wedge needed to be employed (even for Jamie who generally hates putting from off the green).
There were some cracker par fours. For example the stretch from 16-18 (which we played as our 7th - 9th holes). 16 is a blind tee shot out of a shute of ti-tree and to a strong dogleg right. At 400m and into the rather stiff breeze this was a true test. Jamie and I both bailed out into the bunkers short right which appealed a whole lot more than the OOB / scrub to the left of the green. Blind tee shots were a feature of the course, with another on the short, 330m par four 12th (9 for the members and see below). The 17th was another 420m test which has a green that slopes away from the fairway which means you have to land your second short and roll it up - a shot that is probably easier for the 15 handicapper than the 2 handicapper!
I love short par fours. Despite playing the 15th (3rd for the members) like a girl's blouse it was still a real treat. At 270m long this hole begs for you to take driver and have a crack. When you get to the green it even slopes from back to front which means that a driver would even hold the green. But then again, the green is about 20 feet wide, surrounded by an array of bunkers which are duly surrounded by an even wider array of ti-tree. Perhaps driver is not the smartest play. So I tried to hit the 3 iron lay up shot which of course hooked into the ti-tree. Bugger I said and hit a provisional. But then I found it and hit a blind wedge to about 6 feet (and missed the putt). Anyway the story of the 15th is about how a small hole can really mess your round up. Jamie missed the green with a wedge (never the kind of thing that makes you smile) but from his downhill lie in the in the bunker to a tight pin on the concrete KH greens he was in somewhat of a pickle. His first bunker shot rolled through the green leaving another semi-impossible pitch to the back pin position. From the middle of the fairway on this short beast, he was quickly writing 6 on the scorecard. Great hole.
Lastly, the short holes. They're good. Very good. 15 (our 6th today) is a stunner with about 12 bunkers which if you were going to take a photo to describe KH this would be it (see below. To mix it up there was a 175m hole that we played as our 17th (the 5th for the members) which had a firm green where you invariably end up with a delicate downhill putt. Tough going for someone who has had their confidence on the fast greens knocked around a fair bit by this stage (take note Ed for when you play here one day). The other par three was the temporary hole which had rough around the green that came right up to my knees - who knew the sandbelt was capable of growing the stuff!
So the round ended late in the day with the bumps and blemishes showing up in the low light filtering onto the final green. A round to be remembered and a golf course that was a real pleasure to play. The final tally for the day ended with 79/87 and I took out the greens and putts to take blog writing honours. After a steady start, Bill had a couple of wipes and ended up second in the split sixes. But his strategic style of golf was impressive and got me thinking that this game is not all about belting it as far as possible...
Before the day was up, we went back to an old mate from St Andrew's (our high school) days by the name of Brendon Lucas (aka Ris - named after Chris Harris the legendary cricketer who was particularly well known for his fielding prowess). Back in the old days, Ris was the captain of our first XI cricket team and was a pretty hard taskmaster, well that's what I thought as the youngest member of the team... Ris and his better half Emma were spectacular hosts and we retired to their place to enjoy a home cooked meal (Ris has become something of a chef!) and a few stories over a couple of glasses of red. A perfect end to another great day of puregolf2010. Thanks to Ris and Emma for having us stay and Bill for hosting us as his guest at Kingston Heath - a supreme day.
God that was a good day! On this Day 79 we had probably the warmest welcome of the year, at probably the quirkiest named golf course we'll play all year - The Growling Frog. Mike and I are sitting here almost in disbelief at just how hospitable these good people were, to a couple of Kiwis no less!
The facility is a relatively new one, built by the local Council in 2004 40/50 km north of Melbourne, near the bushfire ravaged town of Kinglake and even nearer to the town where they evacuated all those poor folk to on Black Saturday (Whittlesea). They commissioned some famous fella by the name of Marsh to come and design it (a lot of the bunkers have a central tongue, creating the appearance of an 'M' shape - a nod to Mr. Marsh, of course). He did a good job, but I'll let Michael talk about the golf. We played a 2 man Ambrose format today you see, as part of the Saturday comp, so in keeping with the teamwork format of the day Mike'll talk golf and I'll pen a few words about our good hosts and the day in general.
The Growling Frog is one of a few golf courses that have made contact with us, inviting us to come and play - rather than responding to one of our letters. Before that email some months ago, we'd never heard of the place. I've been liaising with Simon, a young English chap who emigrated several years ago with his Aussie then girlfriend whom he'd met in London, about the day - and it's one we'd been particularly looking forward to.
The Frog's a public course - being built by the Council and all - but Simon and 250 mates run their own Club up here, just like any other. The only difference is they have to pay green fees each time they play (a modest $37, which is a steal). A great bunch of people, enthusiastic about their golf. Spending time with them in the clubhouse afterwards my memory took me back to Day 14 at Mahia, the rural 9 hole links we played on the North Island East Coast of NZ - where a handful of salt of the earth folk formed the fibre of the club, and kept it alive through their determination and shared passion for the great game that is golf.
They really looked after us. I mean really. Simon, who as I said had been the first point of contact, met us on arrival and kindly shouted us an espresso to pick us up after our 45 minute drive. Lovely. We were then presented with a couple of Growling Frog polo shirts (green, of course - would've come in handy on St. Paddy's back on Wednesday), which we chucked on straight away. Jude, a hilarious woman if ever there was one, heckled us on the 1st tee and told us that they looked putrid! I thought they were pretty good, actually. At half time, while the local reporter the club had organised to come down fired a few questions our way, Simon grabbed us a couple of ham sandwiches, to keep us going on the back side. After the round this incredible hospitality continued. Michael and I were invited to order as we pleased from the menu - I had a steak burger, chips and salad which, as Jerry the President warned me, you'd need a pole vault to jump over - and do the same from the bar. It really was unbelievable.
When Jerry had heard we were coming, this was the way it was going to be, he told me. A real country welcome. They'd organised for two different local papers to come along; donated the comp fees for the day to our charity, The First Tee NZ, along with our winnings for the day (apparently we won the comp!); and generally been the most hospitable bunch of people we've come across, certainly in 'Straya at least.
Ray, the 4th member of our four ball, was a tremendous human being. Great value on the way 'round, and he even remained a gentleman when I started sledging him on the 16th green! By then of course I felt comfortable enough in his company to offer a satirical word or two. To make up for my insolence I'll draw your attention to his 300 metre blind tee shot on the 4th hole, which came up a couple of paces short of the green - a glorious blow. Unfortunately it didn't result in birdie. (The poor chaps couldn't putt for jam on the day; on another day they might've shot a good few under the card).
Simon, Ray, Jerry, Jude, our mate Mike Hauser (from Tourism Victoria, who's a member here too) and all the other humans we met at The Growling Frog were Top Drawer Folk. I can't emphasise enough just how welcoming they were, and I'd encourage anyone in the area to head to the Frog on a Saturday afternoon for a spot of golf and a few laughs. Today fell right in the middle of our Melbourne sandbelt leg, which on the whole has been a fairly, erm, traditional affair. Most days we've turned up to play these phenomenal courses, but flown more or less under the radar. Today was an altogether different experience. A great day; one we'll remember for a long time.
Incidentally the Growling Frog is a local creature that you'll only hear in the very early morning, and probably never see.
Now over to Michael, for a few words about the golf:
Today we stepped back from our daily competition to play in The Growling Frog 'comp day', a two man ambrose. In this format we choose the best shot from the two of us, find that ball, and then try again... Put simply, we have two chances to hit one straight and then two chances to sink the putt!
The first impression of The Frog is the serenity of the place. The block of land on which the course sits is a wide expanse, and the story goes that the Council had considered putting 36 holes on it. From the clubhouse you look out over the said wide expanse across traditional Aussie flat as a flat pancake farmland speckled with gum trees and a few 'roos bouncing around. We spotted quite a few roos on the first hole, which incidentally was where we made our first birdie. The first was a downhill drivable par four (if you have warmed up..) to a tricky green guarded by bunkers.
After a few quips before the round from Mike Hauser (who was playing in the group behind us) about making a birdie record today, we didn't disappoint and had made four straight standing on the 5th tee. And then Jamie didn't let team puregolf down when he stroked an 8 iron to 10 feet. But then we both missed the putt and the cracks started to form. We both duly both missed another 10 footer on the 6th after Jamie hit a 9 iron in and so our dream of 59 was all but over. In the ambrose format, putting is king. So Jamie is an ideal partner, as opposed to, say, Ed, who would be a woeful partner.
The 8th hole was another highlight and the site of where we kickstarted our round again, with our 5th birdie. 8 is a par five which funnels between two gum trees to a green that angles away to the left from the fairway. Whilst it entices you to have a crack with a long iron, or three wood, the green is surrounded by some severe undulations and two craftily positioned bunkers which require absolute precision to navigate. We both missed the green with our second shot, but our short game was up to the task on this occasion. A tap in birdie on 9 following one of JP's pitches saw us turn with a 30, 6 under par.
Unfortunately the pitching went awry on the back nine and we failed to convert about 4 easy chances. The only birdies came from the two par 5's, despite both of them being close to 500m long and difficult to reach in two. The highlight of the back nine was the par 3 12th hole which was the only hole on the course without a bunker. The green is slightly elevated but only a high iron landing on the green will hold the green. My 8 iron landed just short and trickled back about 10 metres to leave a very difficult pitch. Fortunately Jamie's tee shot missed on the long side so we had an easier chip to the green.
If I am being picky, the course probably could do some work on the par 4's. There were about 4 or 5 par fours that measured between 330-350m and despite a couple having great greens and surround, they were not all as distinctive as they might have been. After playing sandbelt courses, you really start to appreciate the short par four that makes you think, and also the 350m dogleg par four which has all kinds of crap around the landing area for the drive. But there were some strong par fours as well, such as the dogleg right 5th, and the great finishing hole up to the clubhouse.
So in all we finished with a 64, which I have heard on the grapevine was enough to take out the day and the winnings will be put straight through to the First Tee. But I reiterate Jamie's thoughts that today was second to none as far as hospitality goes, and a day we wont forget in a hurry!
After golf we headed to the city to stay with an old mate of mine from school, Brendon Lucas and his girlfriend Emma. We also nipped out for dinner, at their suggestion, to a local thai place with a chap by the name of Simon who works for Taylormade/Adidas to talk shop and about having them jump on board. Touch wood it goes well.
Shinnecock
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