"Ballybunion, that shimmering institution of Irish golf - It’s a testament to Ballybunion – the town, but in... http://t.co/UHR4dTqF" - 8 hours ago
"a friend, who shall remain nameless, sent us this. the photographer was obviously very taken with their... http://t.co/0zx89Y04" - 9 hours ago
"Photo: Not sure I can explain this one, but will try in due course. In the interim, I blame Newcomb Cole... http://t.co/yo8sa0sE" - 22 hours ago
Not having a car is like puregolf2010 losing its pulse. There is another logistical puzzle to overcome each day working out who is going to pick us up, drop us off, or whether we??ll be stuck paying a hundy dollar taxi ride (as we were the other day ?? Ouch).
We were in a real pickle trying to get to The National for our game on Saturday. It was a one hour drive from base camp down the Mornington Peninsula and, without wheels, the prospect of hitchhiking or arranging a different course on a Saturday wasn??t a prospect that made sleep easy.
Fortunately Hana, our host, lent us her car and like that problem was solved and we were en route to ??The Nash?. We??d played at ??The Nash? twice during the puregolf2010 mission so far ?? having a whirl at both the Old and Ocean courses. The Old is the definitive course down here ?? a Robert Trent Jones design cut from the scrub with the most spectacular views in Victorian golf. The Ocean course is a Peter Thompson design which we played interrupted by a massive electrical storm on what was one of the most stressful days of our year so far.
And so, as Karma would have it, our final foray at the National was again hampered by the weather as a cold change blew across the course leaving us trapsing around in our bright coloured ??Dooks?? wet weather gear and with the futile protection of Hana??s effeminate umbrellas.
Simon Cummins from Golf Tourism Australia had kindly arranged our golf through his membership and The National again kindly gave us courtesy of the course. This is a very generous gesture from what is a very commercial and private golf club. It??s a club where corporates from Melbourne come down to play their golf and generally has a phenomenal buzz during the weekends as the clubhouse serves golfers who??ve battled it out over one of the three courses here. Membership at the National comes in the form of a pure equity stake that is transferable at market value over the ASX. Indeed I heard the chairman of the club is also the chairman of the ASX.
Our challenge was the Moonah course, the newest course at the club, designed by The Great White Shark, and rated by those ??In-The-Know?? as one of the top 10 tracks in Aussie.
And then we played golf. Again! Slick greens and a pure conditioned course meant that even with the poor weather it was enjoyable. Although a dozen or so guys barked at us as we were heading to the first tee in the pouring rain ?? ??you??re bloody mad!??.
Adding to the drama, my upper back seized up somewhat in the cold ?? not helped by my golf bag which had become significantly heavier with the water (and is already far from the most comfortable golf bag going around). So the bag was ditched with the cart girl and I continued on with 5 clubs under my arm. The Moonah off the tips in the rain with wet grips and 5 clubs is not easy. Fortunately each blow from the tee with the 2 iron was a good one and I could still see, and enjoy the course.
The design is a good one by Norman. Probably his best of his courses we have played as he mixes gruelingly difficult holes with some friendlier features so that when you walk off you??ve actually had some fun. We jumped around the holes a bit (in a quest to play fast golf and not be stuck in the rain enduring the 4 hour Aussie Open style pace that is the norm downunder). So the stretch from 14 to 18, which is one of the most demanding finishing stretches in Aussie Golf was actually during the middle of our round as the weather was starting to clear. Have a look at some of these great holes below:
Many of the new Aussie courses seem to have these contraptions dotted across them? But see the sandy land in the background - some of the best golfing land in Australasia is down here on the Mornington Peninsula.
The par four 14th hole. Not the large bunkering which is a common feature of Norman courses.
Above is 15, a great par five where you can hit your second, blind over the hill on the left to the green. Driving into the National you look out across 15 and 16 and across the huge acreage of golf below and out to the ocean. It is truly one of the best drives into a golf club in the world.
Above is the par three 17th which you approach from the left. The bunkers are all at the back of the green. On the hill are some opulent properties.
Above - looking up the 18th hole where you need to drive between the Moonah trees which give the hole a great sense of atmosphere as you walk through them. The huge and rather corporate looking clubhouse is in the background.
After we finished on the 18th I picked up my bag again and we went out to play the remaining 6 holes we??d skipped out ?? 8 to 13. As you do. Turned out these holes were very playable, and made both JP and I wanting to play more upon completion of round 332 on the 13th green. It??s always a good mindset to be in at the end of the day, and knowing we had ??Metro?? the following day we did the smart thing ?? 18 is enough ?? and headed back to base camp.
Thank God for a decent sleep. Last night 3 of us slept on a single bed, in a coffin of a room. Well, a single bed that we turned into a double bed, by taking the mattress off the base. It was cosy without being comfortable. Just as well Goldy, Jirv and me are good mates. Anyway.
This morning I awoke much fresher, and enjoyed breakfast at Colin's that much more because today's golf course - Sandhurst - was a 3 minute drive away. No stress. In fact, with the sun out in spades, and Colin's cantankerous dog Sam still asleep, I was more relaxed than a Buddhist monk in hibernation. Ahhhh.
Mike and I met the charming Mike Hauser - from Tourism Victoria, who joined us last week down the road at Moonah - in an alleyway of the labyrinth clubhouse at Sandhurst. Either I was still half asleep, or the signposting could have been better, because we had no idea where the entrance was. Eventually we found Michael, and the pro shop (after circumnavigating the entire building, which is very plush by the way). It's the Home of the Australian PGA, so hardly surprising that the facilities were sharp. It looks like they've sold a fair few plots 'round here too (it's a residential development, American styles), no doubt to people mesmerised by the magnetic pull of this great big new building.
There are 2 tracks out here - the North Course (I think the more established of the two), and the Champions Course (designed by Peter Thompson; apparently the tougher of the two). PT likes his bunkers. The Champions Course - like other Thompson courses we've played of late - is full of the bloody things. A lot of them aren't even in play; maybe he just likes the look of 'em.
Michael "I never miss a fairway" Hauser drove the ball - as he did last week - like someone who's hitting fairways to save his life/house/marriage/kids' lives. Even his mishits somehow snuck over bumps and hollows onto the edges of the carpet. Uncanny. His irons were just as deadly on the whole, so Michael (who claims to play off a 15, but next time we play with him I'm asking for proof) knocked it 'round in 84 (a total that could've been a lot lower were it not for a couple of loose ones down the stretch, and a double on 18). Good golf and good banter - who knew Aussies had a sense of humour? He pointed out on one of the par 5s a hallmark of Thompson courses of which I was unaware...purple bouncy castles used as line guides off the tee (there was one in the distance, perched in the back yard of a house plucked right off the set of The Truman Show, marking the perfect line for a thumping drive). Who knew?
The haggle, like the week before, was split 6s. Hauser wanted another crack at us, after I took out the honours at Moonah (Legends). Despite his arrow like driving, I pipped him to the post again, and Michael brought up the rear once more. A record toppled today too, I'm pleased to report: 5 birdies for me (the rest was pretty indifferent but who cares). Goldy had 3. Just as well because the birdie counter was beginning to stagnate (despite Goldy's sterling effort at National (Old) yesterday, with 4).
Sandhurst wasn't the most taxing track, especially when you play it the day after The Leviathon Course at The National (the Old Course, I mean). The development is still in its infancy; Mike and I couldn't help wondering how much the developer would've made here, pawning off section after section peering across Thompson's handywork. What was probably once a humble farm outside Melbourne is now a village in itself - much like Pegasus Town which has sprung up near Christchurch, back in NZ. Amazing the number of people that want to live right on a golf course...
If you play at Sandhurst, take a cart. A few of the holes are separated by 300 metres of pathway (the course presumably having been stretched out so you can plonk more houses "just off the fairway"?). If you play there, stop and check out the big river gums too. They're awesome. Admittedly I like my trees more than your average rooster, but these fings are grand. Must be 2000 years old. Or more. Don't get too close though as I did, because they take big chunks out of your golf ball.
Thanks to Sandhurst and to the PGA for hosting us; and to MH for joining us. A quality morning and a fine way to wrap up our time on the Mornington Peninsula. Tomorrow we head at the crack of dawn to Yarra Yarra, to begin our sandbelt assault. Might be a few more trees to contend with. And city traffic.
JP
After a rather frustrating afternoon I have finally sat down to pen a blog on the magestic National Old course. My new Mac has dropped dead, barely four months into its life, just as I was finishing off a video blog that is nothing short of stunning. Bugger. It is at moments like these you realise how dependent you are on technology.
The National Old course left puregolf2010 rather awestruck yesterday. Joined by our cameraman and supposed member of the Phoenix Foundation, Jirv, we were blessed with a day made for golf. Not a breath of wind and not a cloud in the sky ?? clichéd stuff but just what we had hoped for at the National. Last time we visited this golfing haven we weren??t blessed with the weather and the now infamous Melbourne storms made the day memorable for all the wrong reasons. That day Jamie blogged about the opulent clubhouse and facilities so I wont repeat the dose, but second time around it was just as impressive.
So to the golf course itself. What a cracker. A stunning beast of a course that you just love to hate. The Old course has been around for at least a decade longer than the newer tracks at the Nash and is that bit more mature. It is also much more penal in that every hole is cut from ti tree and native Aussie bush. If you hit it wide on any hole you are in snake country. As an example, today I missed 4 fairways and played those four holes in 7 over par. Miracle recovery shots just don??t happen at the Old course.
The third hole
The course was designed by Robert Trent Jones Jnr and it is a design that he would be very happy with. The set of par fives are excellent. Three of them are doglegs left and with a good drawing drive over the corner they are reachable in two despite measuring over 500m off the tips (which of course we had to play today). But if the driver is not dialed in on any of these holes it is an automatic reload. So with a two-out-of-three success rate with the big stick I hit 4 iron for my second into two of them, and reloaded from the tee on the other. The other par five, the 8th, begins from a stunning tee block perched high up on the course overlooking the ocean where a blind tee shot is required down a hill to what looks like a 20m wide fairway. Of course it is wider than that but runs out at about 270m from the tee so taking driver is actually nothing short of negligent. Lesson learnt the hard way! From where the fairway runs out there is about 70m of scrub before the short grass resumes on a raised plateau (which is the lay up zone). The tale goes that John Daly managed to carry his drive 340m onto the top level from the tee and hit a mere wedge into the green! But save for John, even long hitters are forced to take it easy on this hole and play it like a real three shot hole.
Looking back down the par 5 5th hole
The front nine is pretty awe inspiring stuff as the holes meander through the scrub. You must have no fear on the tee, trust your swing and ignore the trouble all around. Most holes have million dollar views down across the peninsula and towards the ocean in the distance. And then all of a sudden, after winding through a cart path you find yourself on the 7th tee and the dramatic view takes your breath away. In terms of WOW factor, this is 5 star. As good as it gets. We have seen some sights this year, but standing on the 7th tee got my heart beating just a bit quicker. The hole itself is a cracker. At 130m is a beauty of a short par three (of which I am a huge fan of despite them being a dying breed in new courses) but it is horribly exposed to the wind and surrounded short left and back by a huge ravine. So it is far from easy. I could imagine some fairly handy golfers walking off this hole with a double digit score ?? although they would still be pretty content after taking in that view. In the calm weather today it was a pleasure for both JP and I to hit a wee 9 iron into the clear blue sky and calmly two putt for a regulation par. The entire set of par threes are brilliant in terms of design and variety: the 4th requires a downhill 165m shot over water (again all whilst trying to take in stunning views across the peninsula); the 13this a 198m monster to a green surrounded by cavernous bunkers; and the 16th measures 175m to a gnarly green that extends to a blind left segment where the pin can only be seen from the tee courtesy of its 15 foot height. Fortunately my irons were on song today and I managed a couple of 2??s and a couple of 3??s.
the 7th - WOW
The course also is blessed by a variety of short par fours, from the drivable 12th to the terrifyingly tight 18th. It also has some stern par fours which can't really be any longer than the 420m they are because as they face south, even in an ever so light sea breeze they would be almost unreachable in 2!
late in the day on the 18th
For the front nine we were joined by the father and son duo of Jim and Paul who have recently shifted to Mount Eliza from Philadelphia and have taken up membership at the National. They were great company and gave us some interesting insights into the course and the club atmosphere. For the back 9 it was just me, Jamie and our cameraman-come-learnerdriver Jirv so we zipped around in about an hour and a half. Jirv started to fade after the euphoric views of the front nine and probably as a result of our late night out but he hung in there to provide us with some great camerawork right through to the 18th.
Jirv and JP on the 7th
The golf ended as a clean sweep and with Jamie as the crab. I had one of my best days of the year shooting 76 off the tips thanks to four birdies. But to do that I was pretty quiet during the round ?? with very little sleep and such a gnarly course, it was a day that required quite a concerted effort to score well! No wonder I slept like a log last night.
M
The other night I was inspired by the brilliance of the evening sun to go for a drive around the Mornington Peninsula, to see more of the area beyond its magnificent golf courses. Below are a few of the sights I came across on my adventure.
The view from Arthur's Seat (or Wonga, to give it it's Aboriginal name, which is also the name of a Wonga Pigeon, some ridiculous sounding bird that apparently hails from this neck of the woods)
A big tower at the top of Arthur's Seat that can only have been built by Scots, given it's dour appearance!
Aussies love their windmills; this one I thought looked striking with the Bay in the background
Roger Shaftesbury
'roos on the horizon
'roos chatting amongst themselves
Couldn't resist popping down the driveway at The National on my way past, to get a snap or two over the links. Stunning.
Looking over the Moonah Course at The National
The farm adjacent to The National, basking in the evening sun
I??m coming to you from the famous Portsea Hotel, trying to catch my breath after a marathon day. It began earlier than most, at 5.50am, when Mike Hosking from Newstalk ZB rang for an interview. Even though his lovely producer Lucy called yesterday to remind us about the slot, I managed to forget all about it until the moment when my phone blared over-enthusiastically at the anti-social hour of 5.49. Oops. The fact that I can??t remember one thing about the interview probably means I sleep talked my way through it ?? inevitably making for some less than enthrawling radio. Sorry Newstalk ZB listeners. Will do better.
Got some more shuteye then sadly handed in our keys at Moonah Links after a very comfortable 2 night stay. Batteries recharged after The Night Spent In The Car on Tuesday. The other lad and I then made our way to The Dunes, to spend a couple of hours on admin / chillaxing before golf. Jamie and Debbie and the other staff members were very (and instantly) hospitable; they joined us on the deck for a chat and kindly offered us a few goodies to auction off for The First Tee. One of the warmest welcomes we??ve received all year. The Dunes though privately owned is a public course, so there??s certainly no hint of the elitism or snobbery that unfortunately can plague the odd private club or two. They cater very well to golfers of all shapes and sizes ?? both on the course and off. Just a very nice place to be. And good value too, something I??ll get back to in a bit.
Sunrise (the Aussie #1 breakfast TV show, for you Kiwis/Brits/Russians/Czechs, etc out there) sent a crew out to do a shoot. The lovely Nuala and her partners in crime arrived late morning, after we??d had time to ease ourselves into the day (Mike even had time for a putting lesson from a guru whose name escapes me on the practice green). (It didn??t help).
The inevitable circus ensued. 3 tee shots each were struck off the 1st tee ?? which if nothing else was good for a bit of practice. 2 and a half hours to play the first 3 holes. TV... We had a bit of fun, under pressure to come up with some worthwhile banter (Nuala hadn??t been impressed with our ??talent?? after checking out our Breakfast performance back home). Boring lawyers don??t make for good TV. Apparently. To be fair she??s dead right; we??re the first to admit that acting is not our forte. We??re rubbish. And acting is exactly what you need to do when a great big hairy camera is watching your every move (and the sound man can hear every utterance that spits out of y??er mouth).
Staged and slow it may have been, but Nuala and co were doing their job and doing it well, and we appreciated them coming down for the day. They were even good enough to shout us lunch back in the shed before we shot off back to work (to play the remaining 15 holes). Yes I said ??work??. Once the cameras were away and the story had been shot, it was nice getting the chance to sit down with the crew for a more informal chat ?? 3 good people. We also came across a bunch of super friendly locals in the clubhouse, all of whom were happy to bend our ear for a few minutes and share an interesting tale or two. At that stage I??d clean forgotten that we had to go and play golf again. (Before anyone starts I use the term ??had?? there tongue in cheek; as you??ll hear in a minute, if you??re patient enough, The Dunes was a rip snorter of a golf course, one of the best ?? I know we keep saying that, but it??s dam well true ?? of the Aussie leg to date).
So back to the course we went, under blue skies and a light zephyr or two. The Dunes as I said is a public course set in, well, sand dunes, towards the south west of the Mornington Peninsula. Can??t believe it only costs AU$50 or so to play here (circa NZ$1400 at the current exchange rate). Factoring in the competition in the area I guess it makes sense that prices need to be competitive ?? but to be able to play the 14th best course in ??Straya for the same price as a couple of pizzas is pretty special. Ridiculous actually.
We??ve heard from a few folk ?? including Mike??s old man ?? that The Dunes is one to watch down ??ere. It certainly lived up to its billing. Then some. You need to play all the shots on your way round; you need to be a good bunker player unless you??re dead-eye-dick off the tee; you need to putt well; and you don??t need to be Tiger Woods to enjoy it. In fact that for me was one of the most brilliant things about The Dunes ?? the back tees are long enough to keep the John Daly??s of this world happy, but there are a whole swag of milder tees to make the course accessible and playable for people of all abilities. You can??t say that about all the great courses.
The scenery was spectacular too. It was one of those days ?? a bit like Kauri Cliffs (Day 1) and Kinloch (Day 10) ?? when I couldn??t put the camera away. After every shot I was snapping away, trying to capture the beauty of this place. Being the punter of a photographer that I am the snaps below won??t do justice to the views, the contours or the holes themselves ?? but you might at least get a sense of what I??m on about. Farting around for 6 hours earlier in the day turned out to be a blessing in disguise, in that coming down the back 9 the shadows grew long and it felt like we were playing in the British Open (save for the absent galleries, barmy temperatures, and poor golf).
I know we??ve waxed lyrical for about 2 weeks now on the subject of bunkering. Those of you that are lucky enough to have been to the Mornington will I hope forgive us, since you??ll know just how well the sandpits are cut down here. Anyway this morning/afternoon/evening might just have been the best example we??ve seen yet. To back up this bold claim I offer this explanation: diversity diversity diversity. On one hole you can have huge lunar-like waste bunkers, pimple-like pots and orthodox (but in no way characterless) greenside traps. Some of the beasts we??ve come across of late have been one dimensional in their approach to this key aspect of golf course design. But whoever designed The Dunes has nailed it. As I said before, all the shots.
I could go on and on about the course, but I??ll spare you the boredom. Check out the pictures and see for yourself. Then play the course. As soon as possible. Better value and friendlier service you will struggle to find Anywhere.
Day 71 being the eventful beast that it was, there was never a dull moment. On our way to the car ?? at about 8 pm or so ?? we ran into a chap and his wife that we??d come across out on the course (when I hit a God awful block off the 15th tee onto the hole they were playing). By chance I asked him if he??d had any more birdies coming down the stretch (we saw him sink a raker); he hadn??t, but he did ask whether we??d left clubs behind. ??No, don??t think so,? replied Mick. ??Oh hang on, now you mention it, I do have a tendency to lose things...I??ll check...yes, they??re mine, thanks...etc etc etc.? The privileged readers among you that know Michael personally will know that he loses more possessions than he has 3 putts. (Actually that??s not fair, he is a very good putter. But is a careless human that loses things lots. But a Great Man in all other respects). Anyway we got chatting to Terry and Katie ?? lovely salt of the earth folks from Croydon way, that holiday down here from time to time ?? for a good while, before we had to head off to pick up Jirv from Sorrento. Another couple of top quality humans.
I mentioned Jirv yesterday. He??s a friend of many years; one of the most entertaining and mercurial chaps you??ll ever come across; a med student at Deakin in Geelong; and our cameraman tomorrow at The National (a role he??s very excited about). Jirv being the champion that he is took the ferry across from the other side to join us for a few days of light hearted banter. We??ve been having a whale of a time down here, but having a good friend join us has lifted spirits even higher. Evening has just kicked off with a couple of well earned cold ones and pizzas on the jetty at Portsea. It??s beautiful down here, and the boards are humming with optimistic punters with a line or two in hand hoping to snag tomorrow??s dinner. Pizza and a beer on the jetty here beats fillet mignon at The Four Seasons any day of the week.
We??ll be chopping it ??round one of the most revered courses in these parts ?? The Old Course at The National ?? tomorrow arvo, with a local lad we met a few minutes ago in the Hotel. Another one for the scrapbook, I??m picking.
JP
Wonderful undulations on the par 3 6th hole at The Dunes
Michael dwarfed by the countours
One of a several blind tee shots, this one's the par 5 6th
Gnarly greenside bunkering
Gotta stay on the green stuff...
Stunning view from the 15th tee
The "six pack" bunkers off the right of the 15th fairway
The beautiful par 3 17th, described by Tom Watson as "an exquisite hole"
Semi-blind 18th tee shot, a nice opportunity to open the shoulders and give it one last thump
With our days on the Peninsula numbered, Mike and I have been reflecting on what a diverse golfing experience this magnificent area offers. Most of the clubs are in their infancy ?? relatively speaking ?? but one or two have been around for quite some time. Sorrento, where we played this morning, is one such beast (the others including Flinders and Portsea, as I understand).
Sorrento township is tucked away towards the sou?? west corner of this great finger of golfing nirvana ?? only the uber elite Portsea lies closer to the point. Sitting up in Hotel Sorrento the other day we had gorgeous views over the bay up to Melbourne and across to Geelong. Go there if you??re in the neighbourhood. One other thing that strikes you strolling around Sorrento is the affluence. This be Old Money Territory. Apparently the Melbourne upper crust colonised these parts some time ago; you??re as likely to see the descendant of an industrialist or media baron ??round here as you are Skippy The Bush Kangaroo. Incidentally I saw a bunch of ??roos last night ?? at last ?? while wandering through the Nepean National Park down Flinders way. Having eluded me for the past 21 days or so I unearthed their hiding spot (where they were having that AGM I speculated about a week or so ago) and ambushed the critters. Boy did they hop. JP 1 : Kangaroos NIL.
Back to Sorrento. Lovely little village / town / settlement / place to spend your last days on Earth. Goldy and I haven??t yet had time to sample local cuisine or have a stab at the nightlife, but with a mate arriving on the ferry from Geelong tonight for a short stay we may yet see it in its full glory. Better warn ??em that JIRV is coming (Jirv ?? otherwise known to those that haven??t yet come across this tornado of a man as John Irvine ?? is a character with a capital C, and will double as friend and cameraman tomorrow at The National...better warn ??em too). Somehow someone at Deakin Universtiy in Geelong admitted Jirv to study medicine, making it possible that one day down the track some poor unsuspecting human will come to Johnny Boy and depend on him to save their health. God help that human. I??m only joking of course; John is a very clever rooster, a nice man generally, and I expect a fine cameraman too. But I digress, as I??m prone to doing.
Sorrento Golf Club has a wonderful Old World atmosphere. When you find it. (The road sign had been taken down for maintenance, leaving Michael and I at the mercy of the mercurial and oft unreliable Google Maps iPhone application). Maybe they don??t want people finding it; if it was my golf club I probably wouldn??t. Upon arrival in what sticks in my mind as one of the most grand clubhouses we??ve come across in 2010 we were warmly greeted by John and Matt (the pro & his assistant). John was an absolute gentleman and made no fuss about our late arrival. In fact he put as completely at ease, jacked us up with a cart, proffered some advice about the course (including a handy yardage book with nice pictures and stories) and then escorted us to the 11th tee, where we wouldn??t be bothered / held up by the rest of the field. As I said, an absolute gentleman. Shame he couldn??t join us for the round, but some people have to work.
The golf course itself was the most parkland-like layout on the Peninsula, certainly that we??ve played. Where most of the tracks down here dish up tight lies, ti tree and vicious bunkers, Sorrento plays more like a sleepy country club in the Lake District (or somewhere equally quaint and lush). Peaceful. The club??s been around for over a century, which might explain the Old World mood. Greens felt settled; trees were mature; and the magpies were bolder than, well, your average magpie (they??re probably the upper crust of the magpie race, and probably reckon they can get away with anything, just like Packer & Co). One nicked my complimentary Moonah Links cookie right out of the cup holder in our cart ?? after Mike had already shoo??d it away while I was putting. The cheek! I??ve got the rascal on film (Mike will put up a vid in due course) and put the local police on the case, so I??m confident he??ll be brought to justice. If the Australian Justice System fails me I might take matters into my own hands and engage in some vigilante activity to add flavour to our Mornington Peninsula Experience before heading to the City. Oh stop being so silly Jamie.
On the way out to the tee John pointed out to Mike and I where changes to the course were planned, or already under way. Reckon the local gentry wouldn??t take too kindly to excessive tinkering with Their Course ?? their great great grandfathers having probably laid it down between Pimms & Ginger Ales in the Year of Our Lord 1863 ?? but the tinkering John spoke of appeared to make sense, and in my humble estimation is often a good thing (when done tastefully) to bring old courses into the new era. At least it keeps a few people in a job.
After several scores of indifferent golf strokes each we finally reached the 10th hole ?? our 18th for the day ?? and made our way contently to the clubhouse, to thank Andrew the manager. Another very nice chap ?? the place is full of ??em. Sorrento had been a distinctly different experience to the rest of the pack down here, a fact that hadn??t escaped our attention. A nice insight into a traditional club that will probably be around here for another century or three.
Avo has been spent on logistics and media engagements (had a chat with Scott from ABC Queensland, which should air in the coming week); although of course I had time for a dip in the salt water pool at Moonah, and even managed a spot of wine tasting at Ten Minutes by Tractor up on Red Hill. Lovely flinty chardonnay, but the pinot wasn??t my cup of tea.
Tomorrow we??re off to The Dunes for a shoot with Sunrise (Breakfast TV equivalent, for you Kiwis out there). And some golf. On the 14th ranked course in ??Straya. Super.
Three thoughts for the day:
1 - Portsea GC. Stunning piece of golfing real estate right at the tip of the Mornington Peninsula. Another mature track which the newer resort style courses have used for inspiration. The course is naturally shaped around the rolling hills and through the ti tree. It is peaceful. Any yet very challenging in places. Very few, if any, holes allow you to thoughtlessly stand up and just smash it. It is a sure sign of a good course when you need to stop and think about every shot you are about to hit. Two short par fours are the icing on the cake, in particular the 13th which is a cracker of a short hole where you could walk away from anything between a 2 and a 6. Portsea is surrounded by opulent houses which in no way detract from the ambience and atmosphere of the course. Lastly, and very importantly, the greenstaff at Portsea are to be congratulated as the course was in superb nick and the greens today were sublime - probably the best we have played on all year. Have a look at the video below for our impression of the course - bare in mind that we had had very little sleep after a most uncomfortable night sleeping in the car.
2 - For those new readers there is a cause underlying the madness of puregolf2010. That is to raise money for The First Tee NZ. All money that is raised for The First Tee is going directly to them - none goes towards our expenses for this trip. So Jamie and I encourage anyone who is inspired by our challenge to donate to The First Tee - and you can do so by using the donate icon at the top of the website.
3 - Lastly, Jamie and I encourage any interaction or suggestions from our audience. Whether that be suggestions on where to play, or if you want to come out and have a game of golf with us please feel free to contact us. Some of the best days this year have been when we have been joined by readers of the blog for a round of golf, or a beer in the pub, so please get in touch. We have also had fantastic support from the wider golfing community, from golf courses to the PGA and to the blokes running golf radio stations who get us on for a chat - all of which is one of the most humbling parts about this year so far.
Flinders is one of the older courses on the Mornington peninsula and today was a pure example of an old fashioned course that was built before golf clubs that resembled spaceships were invented but has withstood the test of time. Admittedly in Flinders GC??s favour today was a very stiff breeze ?? probably the second windiest day of puregolf ?? but when you build a golf course right on the ocean what can you expect. Flinders spat us out. Remarkable when you look at the card and see some seemingly meek mild and red-tee-esque lengths to the holes. All the yardages went flying out the window courtesy of the easterly that wipped up over the beach (which had a fair surf crashing onto it) and across the small peninsula of land on which Flinders sits.
Upon arrival we were looked after by Gav and Scott - the pro and trainee pro respectively. Gav hailed from Scotland and he and Jamie quickly started sharing football and golfing stories from the homeland - a quick coffee later we decided it was time to face the music and stepped up to the easy going first hole (a 235m par 4 playing across the wind). Scott joined us to make up a three-ball which allowed us to endulge in a wee split sixes competition and learn from some of his local knowledge.
Some shots at Flinders GC can be pretty tricky. Take the second hole which has a green barely three metres wide with bunkers on either side. In a cross wind like today where the ball wont even stay still on the green it is tough work hitting a chip shot onto the green let alone a full wedge? Or the fourth which infamously has two 'coffin' like gully's between the tee and the seemingly reachable green. The coffins are some of the more unpleasant places to try and get out of - although today they were sheltered from the wind and from down there you are very close to the stunning beach - silver lining I guess.. And then a couple of beastly holes follow which play into the wind and uphill and require two (or three) clean strikes to get anywhere near the green. The par threes were immense ?? three of them playing into the teeth of the wind which meant Jamie had to hit a driver on one of them ?? big girl. To be fair at least he hit a number of them in regulation ?? more than can be said for me! (NB he hit all the par threes in reg yesterday and did pretty well again today?)
The course spat all three of us out and our scoring was poor. A par 69 and only Scott (barely) managed to break 80. Three birdies (all on downwind holes) coming home gave me the split sixes win and the honour of writing today??s blog.
After golf we went to the Flinders hotel where we eagerly sat and watched our wee story on the Fox Sports Golf Channel. It is pretty strange watching yourself on tele! After our big screen performance we headed around the corner where a friend ?? Nigel Bruce (who we previously had caught up with in Rotorua) and his golfing mates from Rotorua are currently staying. They are on a boys golfing week away and are playing the best courses around the Mornington peninsula. Judging by last nights antics they are having a pretty good week! We had a stunning meal, a couple of irish single malts, and plenty of good conversation.
So I have crafted this blog and the video below at 4am after barely a few hours sleep ?? in the car. Hope you enjoy it. It??s fair to say that sleeping in the car is a far cry from our big screen performance a few hours ago. I guess that??s life on the road and on a shoestring budget. To be continued?
Playing the two magnificent courses at Moonah Links back to back, Mike and I thought it better to combine our thoughts on each day into one blog. The Home of Australian Golf, as it's branded, has two championship layouts - The Open Course and The Legends Course. Both are gorgeous; both are very different; and both are among the best we've played this year.
The Open Course, which we played yesterday, is the first course built in Australia with a championship in mind - namely, The Aussie Open. Hence there are few trees, and most holes are separated by spectator (but not golfer)-friendly mounds of tussock. It's pretty long too, at 6783 metres or so off the blacks. (We played off the blues, weighing in at a more modest 6300 metres). Despite pretty serious rainfall in recent days there was a fair bit of roll (drainage is good in these parts, thanks to the sand-based soils sitting atop the Peninsula) - so The Open Course didn't quite play as long as it reads on the scorecard. Still we were hitting a few mid and long irons; and had the wind got up we no doubt would've been faced with a more daunting prospect.
Peter Thomson the designer refers to Hobbes when describing The Open Course "a Leviathan of a course" on the Moonah Links website. In a perverse way it's a shame that the wind didn't blow its guts out yesterday and that the black tee markers weren't laid out, because Mike and I like a challenge as much as Keith Richards likes a drink. Nevertheless we could see - having stood on a couple of the black tee blocks to visualise how it would play - just what a beast the course could be, in its element. Next time...
The opening hole is a fairly gentle introduction, although the approach shot is pretty tricky if you've laid up with an iron off the tee as we did. Actually the 1st was indicative of what was to come throughout many of the following 17 holes; a pretty straightforward tee shot very seldom precedes a straightforward approach shot. If you've got a wide open fairway to aim at, chances are you'll have a tiny (or himalaya like) green ahead that you're almost squinting to see, that's surrounded by the bunkers that the Mornington Peninsula is famous for. Now don't get me wrong, there are a good few holes where this trend is reversed, and it's the tee shot that needs to be threaded carefully between sandtraps, the approach being the milder challenge of the two. Good variation, characteristic of a carefully laid out track.
A good example of this dynamic is the 3rd hole, a wee gem of a par 4. Off the tee a rising fairway doglegs right out of sight between 3 bunkers in the landing zone. If you hit driver as I did you need to fly the ball about 220 / 230 over the first one cut at the corner of the dogleg, and stop it before the twin traps at 260 / 270 on the far side fo the fairway. A visually exciting shot. From there it's a straightforward wedge further up the hill to a big green, which I unfortunately 3 putted (one of several yesterday).
Your work's not over when you reach the green at The Open Course. 2 putts is often a good result. Thomson has managed to create authentic links greens that are difficult to read - something that must be a lot harder than one would think. Many new courses fall into the trap of cutting huge, severe hillocks in their greens, making it easy for the golfer to see the break their putt will take. Not so at Moonah, where I often couldn't decide whether the ball would break left or right. And putting's usually the strongest part of my game. The subtlety aside, the undulations are significant, and often sufficient to take a ball rolling onto the green away from its desired location. You have to be precise here.
Wayne, the Golf Ops Manager at Moonah, described The Open Course this morning when I spoke with him as the course you play when you want a test of golf. He wasn't wrong. Probably the most confronting bunker attack we've experienced in 2010. Poor Mike had 5 bunker shots on the 18th, at the time needing to hit the green in reg to tie the stats match.
The Legends Course, in Wayne's words, is the more enjoyable of the two; the one you play if you're looking for a pleasant round on a weekday evening. We played it this morning, with Michael from Tourism Victoria, and pleasant is certainly one word I'd use to describe it. Fun is another. Where The Open Course is relatively open, and austere, ti trees lining The Legends Course make for a tranquil, calming round of golf. Few holes border others; most snake through the bush, and bunkers (of course). It didn't feel as severely bunkered as its bully of a brother, although there were several massive waste bunkers one of which unkindly gobbled my ball.
Playing off the white tees (the blacks weren't out, again) Mike and i both found the course short, but that's not to say it doesn't have teeth. It does. Like yesterday, approach shots - even though many of the greens were big - had to be hit with precision, to avoid having triple breaking 50 footers. Mike started the day with back to back birdies on 1 and 2 (a par 5 and a driveable short par 4), and made another on the par 5 12th. I had birdies on 6, 10 and 12. We should have had more (I hit about 12 greens and Mike wasn't far behind).
A feature I particularly enjoyed on The Legends Course was the countouring of the fairways. Some funnelled tee shots into menacing bunkers; others funnelled the ball away from the ti tree back to the centre. Good shots can end up in nasty spots; average shots can turn out peachy. That's something I like. I also enjoyed playing a few blind tee shots, although it probably helped that our guest for the day - Michael - had a bit of local knowledge (and a GPS). Michael came down for the day from the city to join us, and show us round. A very nice chap indeed, whom we'll hopefully meet up with again in Melbourne in the coming weeks. He actually writes his own golfblog, on which he's done an enlightening review of the Moonah courses (Open and Legends), which I encourage you to check out if you're interested.
Mike, Michael and I had a split sixes haggle on the way round, never being ones to miss an opportunity for a match. Despite Michael H hitting the ball like an arrow off the tee all day he somehow managed to come 3rd; the ever competitive Michael G in second; and yours truly on top. Compounding Michael G's frustration was a loss in the daily March haggle (the stats match) - he lost greens in regs and putting (but was spared a (metaphorical) downtrou' by hitting more fairways than usual, and beating my pathetic 5). On The Open Course he lost fairways and greens (usually his forte), so he'll be looking to get on top of me (not literally) at Flinders in the morning. If he doesn't manage to scrape a win, he might not talk to me for a few days - those of you that know him will know he's a competitive wee fella, and that he doesn't like losing. He hates it in fact.
Overall impression of Moonah: a fantastic facility. Two great golf courses - each has its own virtues, and we both really enjoyed the variation (neither course runs up and down; holes on each run to all points on the compass, ensuring the wind doesn't have a one dimensional impact on your game, unless it swirls!). The staff at the resort were incredibly obliging. You can see why this place has a good name. Perhaps the thing that struck me most about Moonah was the number of young families we saw in our two days here. Kids were zipping round with mum and dad on the buggies, and getting up to mischief on the deck outside the clubhouse. It's refreshing to see a golf facility of this calibre being so family friendly; it creates a relaxed atmosphere that sometimes can't be found at exclusive clubs home to far less superior golf courses. So well done Moonah Links - a resort that's got something for everyone, and somewhere I'd happily bring my girlfriend (although she might not come!) and, in a (good) few years, my kids. Oh, and top quality golf.
After farewelling Moonah we shot up the road at a gallop for Foxy's Hangout winery, to join friends of my mum and dad's (and their two lovely daughters) for lunch. Roger and Lorraine knew my parents back in Edinburgh when they were my age (or thereabouts), and shared a few stories over some fine fare and fine wine (chardonnay I thought was particularly decadent) about what a rogue my old man was in his day. Now he's settled down, of course. [Dad, if you're reading, the Spanish Inquisition is coming this evening - you have some explaining to do.]
Tomorrow we're playing at the picturesque Flinders, and will catch up with another of my dad's pals - Nigel Bruce (whom we stayed with in Rotorua on Day 7/8). Bring it on.
What a remarkable day we've just had. We've endured a fairly aggressive electric storm; played at one of the most anticipated courses of the year; and shot round the last 12 holes in an hour and a half in what felt like Siberian temperatures. Thrilling stuff.
After chowing down a couple of the most memorable bacon rolls in living memory (courtesy of our incredibly hospitable friend and host, Colin), we zipped south down the Peninsula to The National, where we were due on the tee at 1.30pm. Those of you that have been to The National will know it as one of the most phenomenal golf facilities on the planet. An astonishing place, home to 3 of the best courses in Australia. When you turn off the main road into the driveway your eyes are drawn to the horizon, under which sits the deep blue Bass Straight. Looking further down you can't help but marvel at the some of the best golf real estate in the world; flashes of green snake through the dunes for almost as far as the eye can see. Paradise. A kilometre or so along and the driveway ducks left; and you're confronted with a spectacular clubhouse perched atop a hill, which manages at once to be striking and to blend seamlessly into its surrounds. A breathtaking introduction.
Making our way to the pro shop we were taken by the buzz of the place (although I guess a facility with 3 courses, of this calibre, on a Saturday afternoon is bound to be busy). Justin pointed us in the right direction, to The Ocean Course (designed by the legendary Peter Thompson, Wolveridge and Perrett); we warmed up for a couple of minutes in the nets and hit a few practice putts; then stepped onto the 1st tee. What a view.
The 1st is a 'short' par 5 (just 500 metres), which drops from an elevated tee to a fairway split by a cluster of 3 massive bunkers (surrounded by tussock, of course). I drilled a 2 iron straight at them, and much to my relief came up 3 metres short left; Mike, being the gorilla that is he, pulled driver and knocked it 320 metres over them (aided by the wind, the drop in elevation, and a big bounce - but a glorious shot nonetheless). A good start. We both hit the green in reg and walked off with 5 thinking "this is easy".
The 3rd hole is where the course started to get the better of me. Standing on the tee (we played off the blacks, as you do) I picked what seemed like a sensible line over the right hand side of a waste bunker the size of Texas, which turned out to be an ambitious line because my purely struck drive caught the lip of said quarry and ended up on a spot marking the confluence of sand, gravel, tussock and lava (well not lava, but the others). What might have been. Incredibly relieved to have dug the ball back out onto the fairway I took my medicine and made 5. (Mike, who said he was aiming down the same line as me over the quarry, pulled his driver 30 metres and ended up in the middle of the fairway, sand wedge in hand for his approach - either some gamesmanship back on the tee, or a bit of good fortune). The National 1 : Jamie NIL. On courses like this you just can't afford to get in the wrong place - a truism of which I was kindly reminded of on the very next hole by The Ocean Course (this time having whacked a 5 iron atop a greenside bunker lip, into deep fluffy stuff pretending to be grass).
This pattern of golf continued - for my part - for the next few holes; Mike played them more or less in regulation. Hitting the ball well on courses like this, but somehow getting caught out, is a phenomenon I've experienced a few times of late. At the time you feel robbed, and that on no other occasion will you ever be as unlucky as this very moment. But on reflection you realise that it's a combination of two things that's generating this strange emotion: the calibre of the golf course, and your own shortcomings as a golfer. You see amateur golfers (myself very much included) tend to think they are better than they are. This is something the pros we've played with this year have shared with us - and it must be true. Playing the first 6 holes I felt I was hitting the ball well, and was frustrated that my scorecard didn't reflect this. With the benefit of hindsight, the golf course was better than me, and my shots just weren't good enough.
Walking down the 4th and 5th an eery calm ensued. Mike and I started looking to the skies nervously and more frequently, as the forecast storm rolled ever nearer. And nearer. Lightning forks that 10 minutes prior were miles away now seemed perilously close. Thunder that 10 minutes prior had been a distant murmur was now rumbling directly overhead. Hmmmm. By the time we reached the 6th green - the furthest point on The Ocean Course from the clubhouse - things were really starting to get hairy. A young chap approached in a cart - surely, we assumed, to tell us that play had been suspended and to whisk us back in his shiny cart to the clubhouse. Nope. He offered us sandwiches and powerade; we politely declined; and he drove away. No sign of suspended play, according to the young man. Oh, we thought.
As Murphy's Law would have it, the sirens blared just 30 seconds after he disappeared, and as we were putting on the 6th. Gosh how inconvenient. To walk with our clubs or to leave them on the 7th tee? Would we be walking lightning magnets with the clubs on? if we left them on the tee would they get soaked? In the event we marched the 560 kilometres back to the clubhouse, clubs on backs, in the rain. Thunder and lightning bringing up the rear. I've never been so relieved to be back in the clubhouse after 6 holes.
With 3 courses' worth of golfers all back in the sheds, the place was humming. Given most of these people were just out for a normal Saturday game - quite unlike us, who have to get a round in come rain or shine or lightning - bottles of wine were uncorked and huge feasts plated up. The atmosphere was electric (pardon the pun). Mike and I waited patiently, while watching New Zealand's middle order capitulate oh-so-uncharacteristically. Eventually we got back out on the course, around 5pm, thankfully this time armed with a cart.
The satellite pictures on the flatscreen in the pro shop (yes, they have everything here) showed a gap between storms, so we suited up and readied ourselves for a quick 12 holes. Would the lightning return? Pardon me for pointing out the obvious, but waving a golf club in the air in an electric storm is tantamount to charging around a fully packed bull ring with a red one-piece suit. Suicidal. But puregolf2010 is puregolf2010, and we were determined to (1) meet our self-imposed obligations; and (2) play the rest of this magnificent golf course.
An hour and a half it took us to play the last 12 holes. No practice swings; no mucking about; no lining up putts. It was freezing. (Up the road in Melbourne hailstones the size of soccer balls were knocking holes in cars, houses and just about everything else). The temperatures didn't help Mike's shoulder injury, which seemed to be a bit of a handicap. Nor did wet grips and not knowing where to go on most occasions (you really should get a course guide when you play The Ocean Course).
But the course was magnificent. Mike was too tormented to be taking it in, but I managed to enjoy the challenge and the beauty of Thompson, Wolveridge and Perrett's labour. It probably helped that I came back in 39, with 11 putts, for an 84 (with a triple bogey and a couple of doubles). I'd like to offer more insightful comments into the course, but to do so wouldn't do justice to it given the fashion in which we zipped round. For a proper analysis i'm afraid you'll have to search elsewhere - or refer to The National's website itself.
A quite unique experience, was Day 65. In a way it was cruel that lightning, hail and darkness struck on the day we played my most eagerly anticipated course of the year. But c'est la vie. Certainly it was a day I won't forget for a long time. Hopefully the weather is kinder to us next Saturday, when we play The Old Course (a Trent Jones Jnr masterpiece).
Cold and wet we retreated for the comfort of Colin and Anne's place up the road. By some divine coincidence they had been inspired to cook up a steak and guinness pie - the sight of which was probably one of the happiest moments of my life. Another wonderful evening in their company, on the back of a quite crazy day of golf, and I'm exhausted. Moonah Links tomorrow.
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
When I stepped onto the 1st tee at Rosebud Country Club this morning, I was gripped by deja vous. Having played Rosebud??s South Course yesterday, and not for the first time on this trip been well and truly beaten, today we tried to get one back on the place by tackling the North Course ?? which looked very similar (hence the deja vu), if not a little harder. If I was being entirely honest ?? and I always am ?? the front 9 (the Green 9) could easily have been pulled straight from little brother South. Pleasant without being too challenging. The fairways are wide; the bunkering mild; and the greens, for the most part, gentle (albeit slippery). Michael and I hardly tore it up ?? but that??s by the by. The back 9 (the Red 9), I??m pleased to report was more my type of course, demanding pretty careful shot selection off the tee (particularly if you hit a draw, because there are a few dogleg rights) and into the green. There were more elephants in the Red greens too, aggravating Michael??s putting woes (he had 44 today, including putts from the fringe) and, to a lesser extent, mine.
My take on Rosebud is that it must cater pretty well to its constituents. If you??re 20 years old, hit the ball 300 metres off the tee and play off a 1.2 handicap, playing your golf down the road at one of the championship courses on the Peninsula might make more sense than Rosebud. But not everyone??s Tiger Woods, and for a lot of people ?? certainly a good few people that we??ve met, particularly back home in NZ ?? there??s a lot to be said for benign golf played in pleasant surroundings, where one doesn??t have to spend 10 minutes after every tee shot looking for that wee white thing. God knows I??ve spent enough time doing that this year to last me a lifetime. A reflection that takes me to another. Bare with me.
When I was a whippersnapper, growing up playing golf on Saturday mornings after short tennis and before football, one of life??s great pleasures was finding a new golf ball in the rough. And one of life??s great tragedies was farewelling a recently purchased (or gifted, or even won) ball before its time. Devastating. I wondered at the time whether the force of these emotions would subside as I grew longer in the tooth; surely the rollercoaster, like most things as you grow older, would mellow. Not a bit of it. Having found a couple of brand new Titleist Pro V1s in recent days ?? and lost a couple to balance the equation ?? I can say with utter sincerity that the rollercoaster is as thrilling as ever. Entirely irrational, because I??ve probably got more golf balls than I know what to do with. Pavlovian conditioning, perhaps? (Didn??t pay a huge amount of attention in Psyc 104 all those years ago, so this suggestion may be well off the mark). You may think I??m mad. You may be right. But when I find a new Pro V1 the flame of excitement still burns as brightly as it did all those years ago.
Speaking of emotional rollercoasters, I might also share with you the happenings of our afternoon spent doorknocking along the Mornington Peninsula, hoping to catch someone at a weak moment that would let us rest our heads at their establishment for a night (gratis). On the back of a couple of minor successes (the good people at the Riviera Motel in Lakes Entrance, and at Rosebud Caravan Park in, erm, Rosebud, kindly put us poor souls up without charge), our tails were up. When you??re spending 365 days on the road, you can??t very well pay for accommodation, can you? Certainly not on our budget. So. A?? doorknocking we went. It didn??t go well, to the point where Mike got increasingly despondent but by some freaky force of nature I fed off his despondence to become more optimistic and enthusiastic as the sun lowered itself over the bay. Jekyll and Hyde, if you like. I found myself telling our story to what seemed like scores of hoteliers, while my sidekick smiled obligingly and tried to look like he wasn??t going to slit his wrists when we exited with tails between our legs like a pair of recently scolded Labradors.
By about the 14th rejection, we eventually called it quits. I??ve never had a day like that before, and maybe never will. Strangely the experience was an enjoyable one; certainly it was a position I??d never pictured myself in, and in a way I felt like the happenings of this afternoon were happenings for someone else, not me. But what doesn??t kill you makes you stronger. And by happy coincidence we now find ourselves in the company of a good bunch of people in Mornington, courtesy of www.couchsurfers.org.
Rich and his girlfriend, Sally, are our kind hosts tonight (along with flatmate Jasmine). Mike and I are 2 of 6 couchsurfers in the house tonight ?? the other 4 all being French, a couple and two lads. Charles, one of the Frenchmen, is a character: resident chef and resident smartass. He loves to peel potatoes, the first person I??ve met with this particular passion. Tonight??s dinner is bubbling away under Charles?? watchful eye, while the others practice their tightrope walking skills outside in the garden. It??s a mild night here, and I couldn??t be more content. Playing astronomically good golf courses during the day, then relaxing with down to earth backpackers (and locals) in modest surroundings by night is a contrasting but unusually exciting and satisfying experience. We??re leading an interesting existence at the moment, Michael and I. Couple this juxtaposition with our growing media profile over here ?? we were contacted today by the main breakfast TV show over here (Sunrise) and by Channel 10??s Sports Tonight Show, both of whom will be doing a segment on us next week ?? and life is truly surreal right now. We hardly have a dollar to our name ?? after having lived well for a couple of years as young corporate lawyers ?? but are tremendously rich in other ways. Life is full of contrasts.
Peace, JP
P.S. Match halved 1.5 each: JP wins putting, MG wins Greens in Reg, Fairways halved (with a meagre 7 each). MG having lost the putting had the privilege of standing over a 4 footer (downhill, right to left ?? not his favourite) on the practice green afterwards, needing to sink 10 in a row before he could move on. It wasn??t pretty, and took a while. But he needs the practice. (As I do with Greens in Reg ?? 4 on the front 9, none on the back....!)
Our internet has just run out. So whilst I type this blog late on Wednesday, it may not be possible to post until we have sorted our mobile broadband connection with our supplier, Optus. If anyone from Optus is reading this ?? please sponsor us. And also please get one of your customer service guys to answer our call as we have had the irritating ??on call?? music playing so long it will haunt me in my sleep tonight. Whilst telecommunications is cheaper in Aussie than it is in NZ it??s still a drain on funds.
Speaking of funds, I need to clarify for some readers that JP and I are funding this trip ourselves and with the help of some of our sponsors ?? huge thanks to Westfield and Perry Aggregates. We are scrapping away each day (like paupers) to get by and kind individuals such as the people at the Rosebud caravan park and their generosity of spirit is winning the day so far. But we??re always on the hunt for more sponsors so if there are any suggestions out there in the wide world of the web please drop me a line. In the ideal world we would have matching puregolf2010 golf bags sponsored by both a golf company and another worldwide conglomerate (so if you are reading Nike and Coke please come to the party). So far we are out of luck ?? but touch wood. Meanwhile all of the money we are raising for The First Tee NZ is going directly to them via fundraiseonline. None of the ??walknz?? expenses issues here.
So, today we played our 62nd consecutive round of golf at Rosebud Country Club on their South course. As we are playing the North course tomorrow, it is best to leave most of the golfing review until the next installment of puregolf2010. Today we did manage to play with a local by the name of Walter who has retired on the Mornington Peninsula. Walt immigrated to Australia from Liverpool back in the 70??s and provided good company throughout the round. But Walter did not have a flash day on the course, and so could relate with Jamie who battled through 18 long holes today. Actually Jim played the first five perfectly with straight pars but then the wheels (and dare I say motivation) fell off.
Rosebud CC South was not the most difficult course we have played all year and with wide open fairways and inviting greens it was a day for scoring low. But when you play golf every day sometimes scoring is not the name of the game and Jamie seemed not so bothered to lose the fairways, greens and putts competition to love today. It was rather fortunate that his putting punishment of ten four footers in a row only took him about 4 minutes to complete as by that stage in the day he was pretty keen to retire to the caravan park. My golf was juxtaposed against the excitement of yesterday ?? I had 13 regulation pars and a few bogeys for a 78.
After the golf we went for a reccy down towards the south of the Mornington Peninsula. Now this area was impressive and I think even our tourist guide understated the affluence here in saying ??the millionaire??s mansions along the clifftops of Portsea and Sorrento are the stuff of local legend.? We stopped in for a lazy beer ?? a quality aussie drop called James Squires - at the Portsea Hotel which is the iconic feature of the township. Perched a top the jetty and water, I can imagine this place really hums certain nights of the year. Lastly, we stopped in at the Sorrento pub a huge old limestone building also overlooking the bay and watched the kiwis sneak home (again) against the Aussies. Great work boys.
Well today was definitely a day to remember at the RACV Cape Schanck Resort. This fine Tuesday was the day I made my second and third eagles of the year ?? on consecutive par fours!! The adrenaline has only just stopped pumping through my veins.
It started with a sandwich from the resort café after 9 holes and a quick chat with Peter (the Head Pro) and his team in the golf shop about how much we had enjoyed the front nine. Which was a lot. I then stepped up to the 10th tee and, after thinking I had hit a pretty good drive, got a fair surprise when I saw the ball had bounded between the plethora of bunkers to 15 feet below the hole. A cheeky one-putt later and another good drive and I was standing on the 11th fairway with sand wedge in hand. Before hitting I did what Jamie had been doing, and checked the course guide book ?? ??the green has two tiers and slopes to the left?. A flushed 52?? just to the right of the pin; then we careered up towards the elevated green, to scope out the landing zone for JP??s pitch. But as we approached the green my ball was nowhere to be seen? Quickly I was awash with excitement. I knew it would be close. Sure enough it was in the hole for back to back eagles, and the longest shot I have ever holed out with ?? 120m! The iPhone came out for some Facebook posting, celebratory photographs etc? Check out the video below.
Despite my two eagles (and three birdies) Jamie beat my 77 by one shot today and had a fine solid 76. He hit the ball as straight as he has done all year ?? barely a draw in sight! (this may come as a surprise to all those who have seen his seemingly incurable draw this year). I would get him to edit the blog, but he??s busy emailing Arnold Palmer, asking if he??ll play with us in the States.
Taking a couple steps back, our day started with a warm welcoming from the staff at the RAVC Cape Schanck resort. They were really engaging and interested to hear about our story. Peter and Nigel also offered us some fine advice about how to play their course. Some of it came in handy ?? e.g. telling us to drive up to the 6th green for a look. (The green is no less than 73m long ?? a full blooded 3 wood for some elderly ladies). The green made me think of my Dad who is the proud owner of one of the shortest putting strokes going round - I would pay money to see him try and putt from one end of the 6th green to the other. Might take him a while!
Cape Schanck was the first course to be built on the spectacular block of golfing terra firma that is the Mornington Peninsula. It was designed by no less than Robert Trent Jones Jnr and has expansive views across the Peninsula over Bass Straight. The course is cut through bush and like Eagle Ridge yesterday has some funneling fairways where you are either down the middle or in Elephant (or snake) country. The greens at Cape Schanck aren??t flat by any stretch of the imagination. In fact they are psychotically undulating to the extent that they could wreak absolute havoc for a poor unsuspecting golfer, particulary in the wind. Our mate Ed would be in tears. (Ed can??t putt for peanuts). What Cape Schanck lacks in length it makes up for around the greens, with the bunkering and undulations that make life virtually impossible if you get the ball in the wrong spot. Jamie managed to find most of the bunkers on the front nine today but his most recent bunker shot (from the second bunker he had been in on the 10th hole) was a successful up and in, so I end the day as The Crab. Debacle.
Our monthly format of greens, fairways and putts was given a tweak this morning which today worked very much in my favour. The tweak is to reward birdies ?? from today a birdie allows you to nominate a bonus point towards either your fairways or greens tally or alternatively take away one putt from your total on the day. An eagle allows two nominations. Accordingly with my 2 eagles and 3 birdies, I was never going to lose today. Yet, I nominated poorly on the way around and we ended up halving the daily putting competition. So for the second day straight it was 2.5 plays 0.5 in the stats comp. (I think Jamie feels a bit aggrieved having made 2 birdies yesterday, to my 1, before the tweak was introduced ?? and having beaten me off the stick today only to come up short again).
After the golf we headed into Rosebud where Wendy has kindly put us up in the Caravan park for a couple of nights. Perfect spot opposite the water and close to the shops. I can??t wait to have a good wreckie around the Peninsula over the next week or two. We have been reading the tourist information book and it has two main features ?? wine and golf ?? should be a dream location. Someone??s gotta do it?
This morning I had a much needed sleep in as there was no tee time booked for Lakes Entrance golf club - we were on holiday mode. But as is the case with many a holiday the rain spoiled the party. In retrospect this was a blessing in disguise as we quickly realised the misery that a wet (and costly) round in the rain would inflict and after a couple of quick calls our plans for 1 March had changed. So we flagged the Lakes Entrance golf club (after a quick drive out to see the spectacular fourth tee sitting a top the sand dunes and overlooking the ferocious ocean) and instead boosted straight through to Melbourne to play at Eagle Ridge GC later this afternoon. Result.
The weather in Melbourne was a huge improvement on East Gippsland although I was tempted to don a jersey for the first time in Australia. But then I pictured myself in Wellington where a day like today would have been considered sparkling and left colonel mustard in the golf bag.
Today was our first game of golf for March. If puregolf2010 was a round of golf, we would have just teed off on the 4th hole. It is almost going too quickly. We will be based in and around Melbourne for most of the next month and that excites me. This is the golfing capital of Australia and there are more great courses than you can poke a stick at.
The challenge for this month is made up of a series of micro challenges. Each day Jamie and I are keeping statistics of 1) our fairways hit; 2) our greens in regulation and 3) our putts. The winner of the day and the writer of the blog is the person who wins two out of the three categories. Over the course of the month there are 93 points up for grabs (three per day). Today I came out on top to record 2.5 points for the day ?? I hit a measly 6/14 fairways (tied with Jamie), 5/18 greens (JP ?? 4) and 27 putts (JP 29). Final scores were 81 and 83 so a continuation of the uninspiring but not disgraceful form to date in Aussie.
The punishments for each day are still TBC and we would love your feedback and suggestions! The only confirmed punishment is that the person who has the most putts must sink 10 straight four footers at the end of the day before they can go home. JP sank his first 10 today right off the bat. Shame he couldn??t do that out on the course. Banter.
The last wee golf challenge that we started today is the crab. The crab is a title passed between Jamie and I for the poor schmuck that can??t get up and down from a bunker. It has taken form from a game we played in the field during a cricket for the person who last misfielded the ball ?? namely the ??Wizza?. So adapted for PG2010, the person who fails to make a sand save is donned the crab, until we either redeem ourselves by making a sand save, or the other one of us fails to in which case the title reverts. We both scrurried around in the sand all day today and as it happened I ended up the crab after a poor bunker shot on 18.
So what about Eagle Ridge?? What a fun course! And entirely surprising how good it was considering neither of us had heard much about the course. It had great shaping that make good shots great, and average shots really bad. We both played like locals at times today getting the odd bounce into prime position ?? particularly around the fairways which have some considerable sideways slopes on them. But off the fairways is scrub, bush, snakes and a number of signs saying beware of the snakes? Just what you need after slicing one into the scrub. Fortunately today I hit it either straight, or a long long way offline onto another fairway and escaped relatively unscathed. That was except for the gnarly par four third which played as long as any hole on the course today and I walked off with a triple bogey 7 and my tail between my legs. Most holes on this course are great fun because they require some thought. Like the second which has a lateral water hazard across the fairway about 200m out from the tee which results in a lay up (read JP and I both hitting a rare fairway). The par threes are special as well because of their varying lengths, distinctiveness and the epic bunkering ?? see the picture below for the signature 6th.
The greens were smooth (although some had elephants in them) and rolled very true. The course was pristine and the newish couch fairways were a dream to hit off. My criticism is a frequent one for me, and that is that three of the par fives played the same direction which meant that on a day like today these holes all played very short and were merely a driver and 6 iron meaning that we ??missed?? their intricacies. For the second day straight Jamie played the par fives really well and was 2 under.
After golf we have headed north to stay the night with Colin and Anne Douglas who are old family friends of Jamie. Will be another good nights sleep.
Chisholm Park
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