New South Wales Golf Club

Sydney, Australia

Up against very little competition, New South Wales is the premier golf course in Sydney. Stylistically it does not fit an archetype of a links course or a parkland golf course. The course was constructed above exposed cliff edges amongst some of the most protected and trivial pieces of land in the country. The irony of having some of the last remains of preserved coastline protected by an affluent golf course, is not lost on me. First contact of European settlement in Australia was made in Botany Bay, the same bay that the course faces. I aim to leave my personal opinions purely in the realm of golf course architecture and design, but I do find it to be a strange juxtaposition to be playing such a peaceful game of golf overlooking a monumental moment in Australia’s history...

With that being said, it’s a fantastic place to play golf and has one of the best hide and reveals in the country. Many believe that the holes 5 through to 7 is the best stretch of golf on the property (with 5 being the hide and reveal hole), but I would tend to disagree with that sentiment. It is the best land on the golf course, but the golf itself takes a back seat to the natural drama of the Australian coastline. The courses greatest strength is the wonderfully framed green complexes, that allow for both the natural land and the strategy of the golf hole to sing in harmony. Holes 11, 13 and 16 are great examples where the green complexes take centre stage and the great panoramic views are framed around the green complex. We need to remember that at the end of the day we come to these places to play golf and there are some golf holes here where you are one stray shot away from it just being a coastal walk and no golf.

New South Wales features riveted pot bunkers, something that you don’t see a lot of down under. I think the style of the pot bunkers is a nice fit for the place, but failed to really captivate me like the great pot bunkers of the United Kingdom. I get a great thrill from a pot bunker that works akin to a bath sink hole, where the golf ball lands within the bath tub may inevitably collect and drain into the sink hole (being the pot bunker.) unfortunately I didn’t find any examples at New South with that being the case and would be something that would elevate the experience of the course.

Cruit Island Golf Club

Donegal, Ireland

When the opportunity arises to go to Ireland and play golf you take the opportunity with both hands. If you’re taking that opportunity from Australia, do it blindly, because flying to the other-side of the planet to play golf is totally worth it, but an exhaustive exercise. When I do the flight again, I intend to consume Guinness like an Irishman to make the journey slightly more tolerable.

Culturally, Ireland feels like a home away from home. A wonderful balance of natural serenity, drunken disorder and a passion for good golf. I played a handful of golf courses on this trip to Ireland, two courses that need no introduction in Royal Portrush and St.Patrick’s Links. As much as I would like to write a review for both of those courses, I’m struggling to grasp and comprehend the experiences at both of those places and it would be unjust to review them at this moment in time.

A round at Cruit Island on the other hand, was one that I could savour and appropriately analyse. A 9 hole golf course that is packed full of quirkiness, cheeky blind tee shots and pot hole hazards. With your back turned on the ocean, the opening tee shot is a blind hit towards the dunes, with a slight dogleg to the right. Once you traverse the dunes, a green at the bottom of a rocky outcrop is revealed and the tone for the round is set.

The white knuckled hour drive from Rosapenna perfectly aligned with the careless dangers of Cruit Island Golf Club. The thin driveway snakes through the middle of the course and is in play for almost half of the course. I can imagine in the height of its popularity on a Summer holiday, is like driving a spaceship through a meteor shower. Fortunately for us the only other golfer on course were guest who took the advice of Arnold Schwarzenegger and went to the chopper. Which, in this scenario may of been a safer option than driving. The course itself is my ideal version of holiday golf. Laidback atmosphere, 9 holes that are engaging enough to want to repeat playing and a dynamic range of views. I highly recommend leaving the chopper at home and driving across the Irish countryside for a truely unique 9 holer…

Alwoodley Golf Club

Leeds, United Kingdom

Sometimes golf takes you to remarkable sites that are more memorable for the scenery than the golf. Others golf courses engage and captivate you with the sole purpose of playing some of the best golf in your life. As soon as you cross Manor House Lane and tee off from the 3rd, the golfing arena reveals itself with a statement of intent. I throughly enjoyed my round at Alwoodley Golf Club, which was primarily due to the best routing of a golf course that I had experienced in 2022. The close proximaty of the next tee from the green meant my ball was consistently in play and my mind was engaged in playing golf. This was reflected in my scoring. Once I became acclimatised to the local conditions a string of birdies prior to the turn, turned a casual game into something worth playing for. The closing holes did bared its teeth, complimented with a strong headwind, a few close edges were burnt and an under par round had slipped away from my hands on the final hole.

The only criticism I do have is the stretch of holes 10, 11 and 12. To which, the 11th green is furthest away from the clubhouse and has a greater feel of pasture land than heathland. I was thoroughly enjoying the synergy and flow between all of holes leading up to the 10th, but I found the transition to be quite abrupt. I agree with consulting architect Clyde Johnson that those section of holes don’t need to be heathland style holes, I believe in Clyde’s ability to continue the great flow through that section, whilst maintaining Dr.Alister MacKenzie’s design. It is a great surprise to write so many words about a MacKenzie course without mentioning the naughty doctors name. There is a great reason why his name generally features in the first couple of sentences of any course review or description, because what he has the ‘Midas touch’. What makes this one unique to MacKenzie’s illustrious portfolio, is it is some of his earliest work. An opportunity to for an architect make a splash within a highly contested golf design scene.

Alwoodley reminds me of my home golf course, two courses that are marriage material. A place that you would love to play for the rest of your life.

Port Arthur Golf Course

Tasmania, Australia

I’m not going to hide my head in shame with the sheer amount of time that I have spent online, scanning through maps of Australia. Looking at existing and non existing golf terrain. I have nearly completed the search over seven and a half million square kilometres of Australia, with only half of dozen sites that I have great interest in visiting. The course in Port Arthur was one of them.

The appealing factor was the cape hole par 3, which promised to be one of the most dramatic par 3’s in the country and an enticing carrot to make the journey. I’ve rarely made the journey to visit a golf course because of just one hole, the routing from above looked like an interesting addition and worthy enough of hitting the ‘Frog and Toad’ from Hobart to Port Arthur.

After quite a scenic drive to the course, my initial impression of the dramatic terrain took me by surprise. The first hole is a slight dogleg that plays downhill towards Carnavon Bay. The following holes form an outer loop around the lower edge of the course and the routing does begin to feel a little stuck. No bunkers and disked shaped greens were a welcoming slice of Australian Country Golf and is a low maintenance design for the local volunteers. This was displayed by one of the volunteers who appeared to be riding a greens mower that could compete in the V8 supercars at Bathurst. This greens mower would make light work of the dozen greens that they have, allowing more time to play golf.

The routing gradually climbs to a premature crescendo on the 8th hole of the course. The natural grade of the site complements the routings ability to hide the sheer size and scale of the ocean that is just over the edge of the 8th tee. This one individual hole evoked one of the greatest reactions for 2022. Not only is it a breathtaking shot over the top of a large chasm, but the green is one of the more interesting ones on site. Worthy of a 3 hour round trip and $20 green fee. The course itself and the hot 30 degree heat did not entice us enough for a secondary loop. What opted for a dip in jellyfish infested water, which proved to be painfully refreshing...

Koninklijke Haagsche Golf en Country Club

The Hague, Netherlands

Crowned as the top golf course in the Netherlands, Royal Hague is located outside of the city of Den Haag, near the coastline on some of the most desirable golfing terrain in the country. Charles Alison is credited with the original design of the course, an architect with experience in dramatic terrain. The course has all the right elements for it to be rated the best golf course in the Netherlands, just not in 2023.

Royal Hague suffers from years of miss management typical of an affluent golf course that has the financial means to implement short term solutions, without regard of the longterm benefits. Non native vegetation and tight mowing lines have suffocated some truely remarkable golf holes. The best example being the short uphill 3rd hole. The 350m par 4 slightly doglegs to the right, into the high point and corner of the property. The shoulder of the dogleg is gaurded by treaterous dunescape, making it a high risk and reward hole similar of that to the 10th hole at Royal Melbourne West. The current state of the 3rd is less enticing with invasive thick vegetation present along the right hand side to the point where no green or fairway is present. The same can be said for the 16th hole which suffers from the same tatty conditions.

A course that if it truely understood its self worth could be one of the best courses in continental Europe.

Chisholm Links

Dunedin, New Zealand

Golf in New Zealand has been in the benificiary to some of the best new designs in the 21st century. The hope now for the country, is that there is an elevation to the grassroots golf courses in a trickle down effect. Chisholm Links in Dunedin is ground zero for a lot of kiwi golfers discovering the game for the first time. A university town where the course is a great vehicle for young students to form new friendships, unwind from the stress of exams or the apt cure for a ripping hangover. The courses current state is somewhat representitive of a Dunedin Sharehouse. Once maybe a glorious Victorian home, now occupied by half a rubgy team with one kitchen and one bathroom. As the course continues to be marginalised, due to its deteriating condition. The course could greatly benefit from some funding for the future, because as highlighted earlier for its significance to the town and how the course helps its transitional occupants.

The course itself fluctuates from moments of beauty, to moments of tragedy. The high climb up to the 9th hole overlooking Tomahawk Bay, is a well put together golf hole that works with the natural terrain and shows great restraint. The following 10th hole, is promptly placed to be at the pinnacle of the round. With 180 degrees of ocean behind you, the poorly designed short par 3 takes centre stage.

This isn’t a place demanding a world class facility at a cost of millions of dollars, but culturally speaking, this is a course of significance for kiwi golfers and deserves to have a little more love. Particularly when the premium golf experience in New Zealand is thriving…