"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
A quick change of plans and it was a 5am start and drive up to Brookwater Golf Club to play one of the highest rated courses in Queensland.
Naomi and Andrew McIntosh had arranged the round at Brookwater. Naomi was one of my playing partners at The Glades, and after the round I went and checked out the Drummond Golf Store these guys own in Underwood. The store was really good and I particularly enjoyed checking out the launch monitor that showed you exactly how far, high and wide you hit it. This is a great way of objectively judging which driver a customer should buy!
I left Drummond Golf a couple dozen Wilson Staff balls better off. I tried out these at The Glades and was hugely impressed. They feel as soft, if not softer than Pro-V!’s and fly probably further. I didn’t have a launch monitor to test this of course. But it seemed like my irons were going a couple % further with them and I was having no problem stopping any pitch shots. Impressive stuff and I’m told they’re about $20 cheaper than pro-v1’s per dozen. I’m picking I wont be the only person using these things in the near future.
I also left Drummond Golf with a new set of Mizuno blades. Gorgeous clubs and, being second hand, they cost me about as much as a round of golf at Brookwater GC. Which takes me back to the course..
Joined by Andrew and also Victor Nichols (husband of my other playing partner at The Glades, Natalie) we had the course to ourselves thanks to our 650am tee time and invitation to play through the one group that were mad enough to hit off before us.
Brookwater is cut through the bush, almost Bonville-esque and has huge features to be expected of a Norman course. The bunkers are seriously deep and pretty scary obstacles when you are standing over your ball 150m out from the green. Despite playing poorly (29 points, 85) I still managed to miss getting into most of the bunkers so I can’t give an accurate write up of how difficult they actually were. I think I went in two, and one of these was probably my only up and in of the day.
Some of the grass struggles to grow a bit due to the lack of sunlight that gets through to the fairways, but the greens were generally quite true – even if they were a bit grainy. For a Norman course it actually required plenty of placement and thought. In this respect I’d like to play it again. For example the back nine starts with three mid-length par fours which all play entirely differently. 10 (below) is fiendishly difficult with tree’s making a shute through the fairway about 120m out from the green. Either you smash driver through the shoot, or lay up straight. And the lay-up is not easy as the fairway slopes considerably from the left to the right. I was blocked out and not in any position to hit to the elevated green with huge sandpits all around it. 11 is also a sharp dog-leg right where you need to play for position off the tee, and then hit a solid iron without getting nerved out by the water right and long.
We had a good fun round and Andrew and Victor were great company. After the round I met Naomi and Andrew’s son Josh and saw photographic evidence of the ‘nearest to a hole-in-one award for the year’ when he left it literally right on the edge of the cup on the par three 7th.
I think Josh had 4 birdies but still only 23 points? Is that possible? Probably at Brookwater…. Before I go I must mention the 4th hole which is an absolute monster of a par five. The picture from the tee shot is below, but then you play sharply uphill another 300 (the hole is 530m long), over a gully, between scrub left and right and finally when you get there to a tiny green angled away to the right with two massive bunkers short and a couple long just to top it off. If you’re not striking it well this hole is a brute.
So all up another good day at Brookwater and Drummond Golf. I’m really looking forward to getting back to Newcastle and Sydney, seeing the folks and then heading to the States.
After navigating the security at Sanctuary Cove and finding my way through the Masters enclave I arrived at the destination of my hosts Duncan and Judy Forrest. I had been introduced to Duncan and Judy through Amelia Simonsen, a work mate of mine from the law firm in Wellington who is Judy’s niece.
Duncan and I were playing in the weekly Friday comp, run by both the Breakfast Club and the golf club. The Breakfast club is a group of 60 or 70 chaps who golf at Sanctuary Cove and play a set format each week, all put in $10 for a side prize or two, and generally seem to really enjoy their golf. We were playing at the renowned Pines course, the other 18 hole course here by the name of the Palms, is currently getting a makeover by Ross Watson.
We hopped in Duncan’s golf cart – that is the mode of transport in the precinct of Sanctuary Cove – and scooted down the 400m or so to the course. Upon arrival Duncan seemed to be saying g’day to absolutely everyone! So it didn’t surprise me to find out he was recently the Captain here. After a few holes with Duncan it didn’t surprise me that he had the privilege of being captain as he was good fun and a top guy. His story goes that he was originally from Scotland (and a cricket player) until he moved to New Zealand. He and Judy had a business in the IT world which was sold off – to a chap named Eric Watson - a few years back and the warmer weather of the Gold Coast beckoned.
Our first hole today was the 10th (below) which Duncan warned me was probably the toughest hole on the course. It was definitely the hardest opening hole I’ve played this year. 420m long with water all down the right, a strong wind off the left and a really tight fairway. Quite the contrast from the generous fairways of the last few days! Both of us hit it in the water, but I scrapped a 6 which proved enough for a half in the four-ball. First impressions of the course were it’s tranquility, and I later found out it is some kind of certified wildlife sanctuary.
Our playing partners, and fierce 4-ball opponents were Mike Scallan and Keith Walker. Mike had a jewellery gig going on down in Sydney (and incidentally is mates with a kiwi jeweller by the same name) but also sold that and shifted up here. And Keith is none other than the tennis and squash guru Keith Walker who coached 16 time straight world squash champion Heather Mackay and ran a huge tennis centre in Warringah, Sydey. Keith is now well into his 80’s and still hit it dead straight and managed to play very solid bogey golf. I’d say on an easier course he’d beat his age. The story goes with Keith that he used to challenge anyone to a four sport challenge: tennis, golf, squash and snooker – and he never ever lost. This guy is a sportsman. He showed me a slide of him golfing in his prime when he played off a 1 handicap and judging by his game now, I’d say he was a pretty good 1 handicapper..
The Pines course was a step up in difficulty from the other courses played of late. And I was not hitting it well so the stars were not aligned! Four doubles straight to begin and I was well off the pace being set by 80something Keith. I struggled with the greens, not because they weren’t true, but they looked a lot quicker than they were and I did not adjust from the speed of the greens at The Glades. It is probably the most difficult part of playing a new course each day! The back nine is a bit of a monster at the Pines, with water everywhere and very much in play. Like the 180m par three 13th played entirely over water (which I thinned it into). Or the 17th (see BELOW) which is a dog-leg right par five where with your second you can take on a carry right across the water which could be anywhere up to 230-250m. Only for the brave or stupid. I took my medicine and made easy five – why don’t we do that more often! And the 18th is a cracker along water with the green sloping front to back and with the pin on the front today and downwind, this was tough.
The wind was up and the scoring remained difficult. But Duncan hit his straps and carried me around the back nine as we helped fend off Mike and his English chirp, and Keith’s wily “5 for 2s”.
The highlight on the front nine is the duo of holes 6 and 7. 6 is a risk reward par four that kinks to the left and to take on the water you really need the water behind. It is about a 280m carry and water everywhere. Supposedly a few people have cracked it over including John Daly in a tournament here. Adam Scott is the local pro here (and lived at Sanctuary Cove at times during the year) and I’d guess he would have at some stage as well. I bailed out right from where it is still a strong par four which played all of it’s 320m and had bunkers and water to catch anything stray. 7 (below) is a par three entirely over water – a theme is emerging here – but the lake is very well placed and in a strong wind like today a few balls would have found there way in there.
I learnt a lesson on the last hole. Today was a stroke round. And afterwards in the clubhouse all of us visitors were welcomed on the microphone which was a nice touch. Alan – a kiwi bloke on the committee here – had heard of puregolf2010 and made specific mention of me and asked if I’d say a few words. But afterwards someone asked me what I shot. The answer was ugly. 94, net 88. Now I didn’t play well today at all, but at that stage when I saw a few cringes on people’s faces as if to say how the hell do you have net 88 when you play golf everyday, I thought back to the 18th. Duncan who had guided me around the course very well advised me against driver. I didn’t follow his advice and knocked it straight in the drink. And then I hacked it down the hole, plugged in the bunker and nonchalantly knocked it around the green, finally putting left handed with Mike’s putter for a 10. Oops. I wont do that again in a stroke round!
I’m struggling to keep these blogs a reasonable length, but that is a measure of the quality of the days I’ve been having. This one didn’t stop here as I went back to Judy and Duncan’s and had a sublime BBQ and we talked well into the evening. Then Duncan started playing the video’s he had recently made of a boys golfing trip to the UK and to the US for the McKenzie society annual competition – I saw snaps from a few of the courses coming up in California and I’m pretty excited now!
Huge thanks to Duncan and Judy for being amazing hosts and the guys at the course for welcoming me. Another stellar day.
Thursday the 29th of April I was invited to the Glades for their bi-monthly ‘Girls at Glades’ golfing day. 99 ladies from across South-East Queensland had gathered and I, the sole guy, made the field a round 100.
Today was organised by Hayden, Luke and the team at the Glades and my first impression was they ran a pretty tight ship! 50 carts all lined up, with each competitors name on the windscreen, scorecards loaded and course all prepared. I was paired with Natalie Nichols and we set off for an individual stableford and best-ball competition. The women were off the platinum tees (front), and after my last two days I decided it was time to venture back to the black tees.
The Glades is the only course in Queensland I have played with bent grass greens. So putting on them was more familiar and similar to Melbourne or New Zealand. No grain! And they actually take borrow. Unlike the ‘328 couch’ on other greens in the area, the greens at the Glades show blemishes from pitch marks, foot marks and so on. So there are polarising views of these black sheep greens. But in my book they are pure and the course should be congratulated for the persistent effort they put in to them to keep the grass growing and the greens as pure as they were today. (the rumour goes that the greenstaff inject water into them daily to keep them from drying out in the heat)
The Glades is also another Greg Norman design and a Troon managed course.
I am learning that Norman designs often mean big features and the Glades was no exception. The bunkers were in-your-face, the course very long and the hazards visually imposing. One thing I like with Norman courses is the par fives and that they gave you a chance to knock it on in two if you hit a good drive. Today, they were in two couplets: 6&7 and 11&12. Both 6 and 11 were quite straightforward and I would call them both par 4 and a half. And then the second par five of the couplet bites you, for example the 530m 7th which had hazards down the right and huge bunkers dotted amongst the fairway and played back against the wind. Perhaps 12 was not quite as imposing as this, but it still had extensive water and bunkering around the green so bail out left (like I did) is an option. The couplets of par fives reminded me of Victoria and whilst different I quite like the way it makes each nine flow.
Natalie and I were not going so well in the best-ball although our score was helped by a couple of pars by Natalie, which, off her 34 handicap collected us four points a pop. Ideal! Unfortunately neither of us exhibited much consistency and it wasn’t until the stretch of 13-17 that we managed to string together some 3 pointers.
Our playing partners, Naomi and Norma were playing some nice golf. Ever competitive Norma was from Coolangatta Tweed Heads and played some good golf off her 27 handicap. Naomi was the low marker off 22 and had a very good short game – she even managed to hit low skiddy pitches with a lob-wedge that checked – something I am still trying to master. Naomi had some good tools to play with which wasn’t surprising when I heard she and her husband Andrew owned some Drummond Golf stores. She is also a member of Brookwater and I’m going to head out there for a game with Andrew on Saturday.
The back nine amps it up at The Glades after the duo of par fives. 13 is a 205m par three and 14 and 15 are very long par fours. 15 is 430m and today played into the wind. The rough around these holes is very wiry so at times it looked like the ball would come out well but ended up just looping out 100m or so up the fairway. Then, the final stretch of 16-18 is an entertaining stretch of dramatic holes. 16 is a genuine risk reward par four. There is a huge lake between the tee and the green whilst the green is surrounded by bunkers left, right and short right. If you bail out right of the lake with an iron there’s a wide open fairway but you’ll be hitting into a green angled away from you. If you take driver and nail it you can roll it directly up the green, but if you miss in the bunkers short right you’ve got the toughest shot in golf – the long bunker shot.
17 is a short par three played entirely over water. From the black tees it almost plays as an island green with water short, left and long and left. Check out the photo below.
18 is another monster par four at 410m again today into the wind. Water lines the left and you can bite off some of the dog-leg if you’re feeling brave on the last. Again have a look at the picture below.
After golf the Girls of the Glades were in the function room for a lunch and prizegiving. I was given the honour of saying a few words to the women to explain my odyssey and talk about The First Tee and the work they do. I saw a few nods from the audience as I explained there was much to be gained from golf for the 99.9% of us who aren’t going to be pro’s. A few laughs later the questions started flowing and a few of the ladies were asking if they could come along to caddy!
Hayden and the staff put on a raffle and decided that all of the proceeds would go to The First Tee. We managed to sell $570 worth of tickets which was superb, and is hugely appreciated by the First Tee. Thank you to everyone, but in particular Hayden, Luke and the team for putting on an awesome event – great fun and The Glades was a cracking course. I dare say as good as any up here to date.
After handing out the prizes to the winners (including 43 points to the winner Tracey off a 10 handicap – great going: much better than my 84. Incidentally both Naomi and Norma, and Natalie and I had 37 in the best-ball which was about 11 shy of the winners) and a few conversations with the ladies (including encouraging them to consider starting up the First Tee in Australia) it was time to retreat to base camp for some R&R. But lastly, thanks to Naomi, Norma and Natalia for their company and making me feel very welcome for the day.
The day was capped off with an Italian dinner talking golf and life with Bruce Young – a fascinating chap who is shortly off to cover the US Open at Pebble Beach – now that will be an amazing week of golf!
One issue with flying solo is the lack of a GPS. To solve this, I have been taking my computer and mobile broadband with me wherever I go to give directions. This worked relatively well in reaching my destination of Lakelands GC. Well so I thought until there were two different ‘pins’ identifying the Lakelands GC on Google. After invariably heading to the wrong pin first, I was a couple of minutes late for my 9am tee time. But this mattered not as the morning field were all away and I had the first tee to myself.
Following the field I decided to take my laptop out on the course with me to send some emails (necessary at the moment to try and get on top of the 2 months ahead plan – which is not quite happening at the moment for the upcoming US leg) and post some live scoring during the round. PGA tour website styles. Except without all the red numbers.
So some of you keen followers may have read that my round climaxed on around the 11th hole after a string of birdies before ending with a disappointing few bogeys to finish with a 74. Still not to bad going for a 6 marker.
I made the mistake today of playing Lakelands off the blue tees. 6400m off the blacks looked a bit long (??? I hear you say) and Bruce’s philosophy of the day prior of enjoying the round and not getting dominated by the course was still in my psyche.
Lakelands is a Jack Nicklaus design, like Kinloch, but it is nothing like Kinloch. It is not a monster, and it is very generous – particularly off the tee. The fairways wide and greens rather large, not many people would leave unhappy that they couldn’t tame the course at least during some stage of their round.
The name Lakelands is a bit of a misnomer on the front nine. Only a couple of lakes were seen and it wasn’t until number 8 that the water was genuinely in play. Number 8 was one of the stretch of three par fours that were up and down, the same length to finish the front nine. Uninspiring stuff and surpising from the great man. At least 8 was a really good par four, with pot bunkers off the tee and a perfectly positioned lake surrounding the front and left of the green. This hole reminded me of the 13th at Links Hope Island. And both holes I had success on so that always helps them to stay in the memory bank.
The back nine had a few goodies– starting with 10 (below) which snaked around the lake to the left. Another birdie and at this stage I had that feeling where you know exactly where you are hitting it. This is possibly the best feeling the have on the golf course (although it is closely rivaled by the ‘there is no way I am going to miss this putt’ feeling). The 12th green was another green situated perilously close to a lake to it’s right so much so that my chip from short left was left short for fear of rolling past the pin and into the lake. The greens by the way were quick and true. They seem to be getting better every day of late – it might have something to do with the perfect weather.. It is probably accurate to say that the main test at Lakelands comes with your second shots. It really helps to have good angles into the greens and then you need to be precise with your approach. If you hit your irons well here, scoring can be very agreeable (to use a Nick Laing term, who has just got engaged – congrats mate!).
The last hole of note was probably the tiny par three 14th. This is the hole that probably features on the Lakelands post cards. Have a look below. The tee shot to the shallow green is a genuinely fun shot to play. Reminded me of the 3rd at my old home track, Russley, which I used to absolutely love to play – probably because of it’s low degree of difficulty but nonetheless great fun! I’d go back to Lakelands just to hit that wedge shot on 14 again.
So, with the internet as my marker I finished the round and retreated back to base camp to have a mid-afternoon nap and get on to a bit of administration and blogging. Until tomorrow….
Royal Queensland Golf Club. That famous track 6km from the Brisbane CBD nestled alongside the Brisbane River and underneath an almighty bridge known as the Gateway.
Actually the golf course is now known as The New Course at Royal Queensland, after a complete redesign by Mike Clayton. This redesign was triggered by the federal government decision to build a new Gateway bridge alongside the existing one. During construction the golf course land was required and so a settlement was reached and RQ redesigned. Unfortunately the new design no longer requires shots to be played underneath the bridge – this could have been a bit of fun considering how high I hit the ball…
So after a very early start up on the Sunshine Coast I made it to the course with plenty of time and met my playing partner, a fine gentleman from these parts by the name of Ray. Ray and I were a two-ball at the end of the field, which meant plenty of time to take some photographs and have a good chat.
On the first tee another gent, by the name of Shaun came across, welcomed me to RQ and gave me a course guide to help me through. The course guide said something along the lines of: “at RQ it is not simply about hitting it to the middle of the greens, but you need to assess the exact position of the flagstick and ensure you position your ball on the right area of the green”. This was the most pertinent comment of the day and the defense of this course is undoubtedly it’s greens. My first taste of this was on the gentle par 5 opening hole. Just short for two I pitched up to around 25 feet, where I proceeded to four putt for a 7. The pin was on a treacherous spine and the hole was one you just couldn’t attack.
The next episode came on the glorious short par 4 third hole. At about 290m this is a genuine chance to knock it on and make 2. But water looms to the right and the green is one that you must approach from the right spot on the fairway. This green has a swale in it front right that is seriously deep and any shots even 4 feet to the right of the flagstick (or short if the pin is position on the back of the green) will gather to the bottom of the swale. I made the error of leaving my sharply uphill putt from aforementioned swale short and watched as it rolled right back to my feet. Humiliation. This was a green that some might say was “tricked up” but on this short par four it really worked for me. The other short par four on the course, number 11 also worked nicely with perfectly positioned bunkers protecting a more gentle sloping heart shaped green.
As Ray and I wandered down the next few holes I really began to enjoy the atmosphere of the place. With the yachts cruising along the river running alongside the course, 100 year old heritage-listed fig trees dotted here and there and the huge man-made feature arching over us RQ really has a distinctive feel. The main block of land directly in front of the clubhouse was particularly peaceful as the holes glided through the trees almost inconspicuously before the greens and surrounds really got up to give the course bite.
The two main features of RQ as a golf course are the bunkers and the greens. Both of these features were like no others that I have seen this year. The bunkers were like little trenches, cut out of the ground on the fairways and around the greens. They are so thin that there is often no flat ground at the bottom, so you either get a downhill or uphill lie. They are dotted all over the course and are timid on the eye, but a real obstacle to play out of. They are, of course, surrounded by the scruffy Mike Clayton edges, which again I don’t think are always necessary, particularly on a traditional track such as this one. This is not a links course. After a day or so to dwell on it, I have decided that I really like the bizarre style of these bunkers. What I don’t particularly enjoy are the 2 or 3 waste bunkers which line the 8th, 11th and 12th holes. To me, these are out of character with the quaint bunkers on the rest of the golf course.
As I have already described in part, the greens are gnarly. And I can say that from experience after my 42 putts today. Ray also knocked it around the hole with frustration a few times so we could relate to one another. I imagine many a member walks in after striking the ball well only to read a scorecard that looks a bit sorry-for-itself. The swales here do not start besides the green, but actually on it. Take for example the 4th hole where the back tier is barely 30 feet wide, but has a serious slope on the left quarter of it making it that much more difficult to get to. Another gnarly slope like this was on the left side of the 7th green. Although the 7th green also had an unusual ditch running sideways right through the middle of it, separating it’s front and back sections. My ball ended in this ‘ditch’ giving me a stepped putt back the short distance to the hole on the front “tier”. Unusual.
The 9th and 18th greens and 1st and 10th tees are all laid out in front of the clubhouse on an expanse that has very few trees but allows you to look across and see other golfers all enjoying their walk. I enjoyed this outlook, and could imagine this area of the course lined with spectators watching a big aussie tournament go down the wire.
Despite hitting it pretty well all day both Ray and I just couldn’t convert. I ended up with an 83, 11 over par which was particularly poor considering that I hit about 10 greens in regulation. But all in all it was a thoroughly enjoyable round with great conversation and exactly what the doctor called for.
After the round I had another chat with Shaun and Josh in the pro-shop. Shaun (in his bright pink shirt he wore so it could feature on the blogroll) has previously been at Royal Canberra and played a few of the great golf courses in Aussie so we shared a few war stories, including hearing about his spectacular round at the World Famous in Australia Barnbougle Dunes where he only lost one golf ball (can you believe it) on the last hole. And yes, before you ask like every other Aussie golf fanatic has over the last two months, the plan is to get to Tassie at the end of the year on the way back to NZ to have a crack at this gem!
But back to RQ, another gem of a day in tranquil surrounds on a golf course I would definitely recommend. Thanks to Ray for joining me and for Ross for hosting puregolf2010.
Shinnecock
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