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.
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Chisholm Park
12 holes bart cape kidnappers christchurch christmas doak ed bayley hawke's bay heretaunga jane poole napier golf club new zealand puregolf2010 rangiora rarangi gc royal royal wellington the first tee the interislander waiohiki
