Commonwealth Golf Club (31)

Another SGA Tour Victoria golf day, this time at another Melbourne Sandbelt classic, Commonwealth Golf Club.  This was my first visit to Commonwealth and was the last of the eight sandbelt courses for me to play.

Par 4 First hole

A shotgun start but we were on the first hole, so a gentle start to the round.  A generous fairway awaits a long iron and wedge to the green.

Commonwealth was rated 31 in the 2012 Golf Digest Top 100 Australian Courses and after falling a few places from 2010 I note they have climbed back to 28 in the 2014 rankings.

Par 3 15th - Hole in one competition hole

Today we had a hole in one competition on the short par 3 15th.  Only 127m in length but the pin was tucked just over the front bunker and the prize did not go off.

Par 4 16th

The par 4 16th hole bends around the lake and is a challenge.

A great day on a beautiful course, look forward to another game here soon.

Huntingdale Golf Club (38)

It was the first Social Golf Australia Victorian game for 2015 at this favourite Melbourne sandbelt course.  Huntingdale was in excellent condition, and with their very impressive new clubhouse now in operation, it was a pleasure to spend a day on the course.

Par 3 Third Hole

Finished the day with 32 stableford points and left a few out there so reasonably happy with the start to the year.

Par 3 5th hole

Still need some work to correct the over the top swing but had the irons generally under control and striking the ball better.

Par 4 18th hole

Leura Golf Club ( - )

A family holiday to the Blue Mountains in NSW provided an opportunity to enjoy a game at Leura Golf Club.  The course is one of the oldest in the Blue Mountains and enjoys spectacular views of the Jamison Valley.  Unfortunately the day I played was one of heavy mist so the famous view of the 14th was unable to be seen.

1st tee

Par 4 - 1st hole

Looking back down 1st hole to clubhouse

The course has the two nines separated with holes 2 to 10 a short cart ride after completing the opening short par 4 first.

I teed off early about 6:40am and so had the course to myself.  A light misty rain for the first two holes then cleared although the mist remained for the rest of the day in Leura.

5th tee

Elevated tee of Par 3 - 5th hole

After completing 10th, you ride back past the 1st green to the 11th tee to complete the back nine.  These holes overlook the Jamison Valley and have spectacular views on a clear day.

14th tee

Approaching 14th green - mist obscured views

The 15th is a 136m par 3 and as I was walking to the tee, the mist from the valley started to drift across the course.  by the time I teed off, I could no longer see the green which made for an interesting shot, which found the bunker right of the green.

15th tee

15th hole - mist coming in.

The 16th is a good par 5 with two water hazards to the right.  A lay up short of the hazards leaves an uphill shot to the left hand side of the green that feeds down to the hole.

16th fairway and green in centre.  17th tee and green in background.

The last is an uphill short par 4 finishing below the clubhouse.

18th tee

Par 4 - 18th hole

Leura Golf Clubhouse

Royal Canberra Golf Club (37)

It was actually a number of years ago when I managed to play at Royal Canberra Golf Club, which was a reciprocal club of Royal Fremantle Golf Club of which I was a member for many years.

On a holiday visit to Canberra, I took the opportunity to visit the club pro shop and pick up a ball.

The course is in a magnificent setting amongst the trees of Westbourne Woods with pine, cedar and birch trees lining the fairways.

10th hole

They have added a new nine holes since I played making 27 in total.  On a quiet Saturday in Canberra after Christmas the one place that was busy was the Golf Club with members teeing off in cool conditions.



18th hole

I look forward to a visit in the future and playing again on this magnificent course.

Box Hill Golf Club ( - )

Spotted a tee time available via Golf Link so quickly booked in as Box Hill Golf Club is about 5 minutes from home.

Arrived and initially thought I was going to join a group of local members, however at the last minute their 4th arrived, so I teed off behind them.  Whilst I was happy to do so for this practice round, one of the local members Martin, kindly hung back after the first hole to accompany me for the first nine.  A very generous act and I was appreciative of the company and local knowledge.

Par 3 Sixth hole

The greens had just been sanded, but otherwise the course was in good condition, the fairways particularly are very lush.

Par 4 Eighth hole

Off the yellow social tees today so that shortened some of the holes more than others, including the par 3 ninth, that  was only about 90m.

On to the back nine, which is a bit of a walk from the ninth, past the clubhouse, through the car park.  Got to the tee and had no one in front of me.

Gardiner's Creek runs through the course and comes in to play extensively on the back nine, particularly the way my slice was going.

Par 5 Eighteenth hole

Didn't encounter another group until the 17th hole, so managed to complete the second nine in a little over an hour.

Yarra Yarra Golf Club (34)

It was a Monday in November so that must mean time for the SGA Victoria Charity Day in aid of Movember.  This year we were off to the fantastic Yarra Yarra Golf Club in Melbourne's famed sandbelt region.

Yarra Yarra was established in 1898 and has a history of hosting major tournaments.

Weather threatening

The weather was not looking too promising when we teed off in a shotgun start at 8am.  However we managed to get most of the way around before lighting suspended play with our group on the green of our penultimate hole.

We started on the 10th hole and soon cam to the signature par 3 11th, a fantastic and challenging medium length hole.

11th hole

Completed the back nine which included a hole in one from the group playing in front of us on the short 14th

Par 3 First hole

Rain clouds had been gathering and then rain started including some very heavy showers at times.

Play suspended briefly before we managed to get back out and conclude proceedings.

Morack Public Golf Course - Driving Range

Well after a second lesson during the week at Golftec in Melbourne I headed off to do some practice at the local range.

Morack Public Golf Course is located in Vermont South where the picturesque course is complemented by an 18 bay driving range.  The range can get busy and today was no exception, but only a short wait for a bay to free up and in to some practice.

The lesson with Phil Wright had concentrated on trying to straighten up my takeaway and getting my downswing getting the club back on line.  This was to promote a more in to out swing path, rather than my current out to in.

Like any change it takes a while to get used to but managed to hit a few straight shots by the end of the bucket.