GolfTraxx: A fusion of Golf, GPS, Database, Mapping, and FUN technologies

Hole 1

Hole Name

From The Tee The American golf course architect, Donald Ross, likened his ideal starting holes to that of a firm handshake.”no pushover but at the same time not so grueling that it might sour golfers”.

From The Fairway He could easily have been describing the 1st on the North. Whilst there is ample room off the tee to avoid trouble, bunkers pinch-in on both sides around driving distance.

On The Green A solid drive will leave a short iron or pitch but it’s a dangerous gamble as your first shot of the day. The more conservative play with a long iron or hybrid will avoid most of the trouble but leave the more difficult mid iron to an elevated green.

Flyover click here to view flyover

Hole 2

Hole Name

From The Tee One of the most picturesque holes on the North, the shot across the valley to a green set into a large dune has some similarities to the famous 5th hole on Royal Melbourne’s West Course.

From The Fairway The most important yardage here is to the front edge of the green, and the dilemma when the greens are firm is deciding how close to flirt with it. Land just a few feet short and your ball will finish at the bottom of the slope some 30 metres from the green.

On The Green Play too boldly and you’ll be lucky to hold the green. – Mike Cocking (Course Architect)

Flyover click here to view flyover

Hole 3

Hole Name

From The Tee New tees were added well to the left (and lower) which has given the drive an extra dimension and arguably made for a more thrilling tee shot across the heath and the cavernous bunker in the side of the hill.

From The Fairway An aggressive drive and the reward is a shorter shot and full view of the green, but a bad swing and you can easily find either of the left bunkers or worse still, end up playing another.

On The Green Laying up further back in the fairway takes full advantage of the wide fairway, but the view to the green and the short hazards will be blind.

Flyover click here to view flyover

Hole 4

Hole Name

From The Tee The tee shot on the 4th must be threaded between the sandy waste on the left and bunkers down the right. It looks much narrower and more difficult than it actually is, and for shorter hitters, the fairway is at least 40m wide, only narrowing where the longer hitters drive their ball.

From The Fairway The new green here is receptive to running shots played out to the right, with slopes helping shoulder a ball toward the middle of the green.

On The Green Only when the flag is tucked in the left corner does the player need to take the more attacking line directly over the bunker.

Flyover click here to view flyover

Hole 5

Hole Name

From The Tee The tee shot on the 5th is like no other on the sandbelt; a thrilling drive through a valley with steep banks on either side. The fairway is wider both short and long of the valley making for an interesting decision from the tee.

From The Fairway This par five is easily reachable for those who can drive beyond the valley but for those needing an extra shot or two, its best to hug the left side of the fairway for an easier pitch to the green.

On The Green To the right the fairway drops off into a bowl leaving a difficult uphill pitch across a deep greenside bunker.

Flyover click here to view flyover

Hole 6

Hole Name

From The Tee The 6th is the first of the drivable par fours on the North course and this one is somewhat unique for the sandbelt as it plays fairly steeply uphill.

From The Fairway There are a multitude of options from the tee depending on how you feel on the day. Short of the bunkers, up the narrow tongue of fairway left, safely out to the right and away from the hazards, or attempt a thrilling drive across the sand.

On The Green Each will result in a slightly different approach – sometimes easier or sometimes harder depending on the pin position of the day. The challenge is to figure out what works best for you.

Flyover click here to view flyover

Hole 7

Hole Name

From The Tee The 7th is one of the highest parts of the property and among the most picturesque tee shots on the North course.

From The Fairway Aiming for the widest part of the green on the right is generally the best play here with only the bravest (or silliest) taking dead aim when the pin is tucked in the left corner.

On The Green Surrounded by deep bunkers and a cavernous hollow over the back, anywhere on the dance floor is often a great result here.

Flyover click here to view flyover

Hole 8

Hole Name

From The Tee Many of the world’s great short par fours feature a penal hazard which one must flirt with to gain an advantage, and here we find perhaps the biggest, deepest, angriest hazard on the course.

From The Fairway There is an abundance of fairway to the right but the angle into the green makes for a more difficult pitch from here. In the right conditions, some will choose to try and carry all the trouble to finish on or around the green and leave a relatively simple up and down for birdie.

On The Green For those who can’t make that sort of carry, a small bump just right of the big hazard can help funnel a running ball further around to the left, leaving a fairly straight forward pitch.

Flyover click here to view flyover

Hole 9

Hole Name

From The Tee

From The Fairway The 9th begins the most difficult stretch of holes on the North. This long par four has been stretched as part of the redesign and will require your best two shots to find the green.

On The Green The best line off the tee is close to the sand down the right, leaving a slightly more friendly angle into the green.

Flyover click here to view flyover

Hole 10

Hole Name

From The Tee Back to back strong par fours at 9 and 10 and here we have one of the narrowest and most difficult tee shots to boot!

From The Fairway This green is loosely based on a “redan”, a design concept where the putting surface tips from front to back and right to left and tends to reward those who can bounce or run the ball into the green.

On The Green The most difficult pins here are at the front where the player must land their shot well short and on a small flat spot close to the bunkers on the right. From the very back tees, this hole measures 465 metres,

Flyover click here to view flyover

Hole 11

Hole Name

From The Tee A long sandy waste up the left and a cluster of bunkers at around 240 metres on the right generally takes the driver out of the hands of the longer hitters.

From The Fairway The approach plays to one of our favourite greens on the property. The smart play is to land short with a running shot and allow the contours to funnel the ball towards the middle of the green.

On The Green

Flyover click here to view flyover

Hole 12

Hole Name

From The Tee The “hogsback” is a wonderful feature in golf course design and, whilst not that common in Australia, we are lucky to have a few within a few hundred metres of each other…one here, another on the 8th South and then again next door at Long Island on their fabulous 8th hole.

From The Fairway The hogsback rises at around 210m from the tee and extends all the way to the green. Tee shots short of this are relatively simple as the fairway is wide and fairly flat but it leaves a long, difficult second.

On The Green With a well struck driver or 3 wood, those wishing to take on the domed fairway will enjoy a significantly shorter second but the risks of finishing in rough or sand are high and a certain bogey awaits.

Flyover click here to view flyover

Hole 13

Hole Name

From The Tee

From The Fairway Much like the 12th hole, the tee shot here becomes riskier the more club you take. For most, the best play is a long iron or hybrid, with the angle a little better from the left side of the fairway than the right.

On The Green The pitch can be a difficult one when the wind is gusting with deep bunkers on most sides and a putting surface tilted strongly from back right to front left.

Flyover click here to view flyover

Hole 14

Hole Name

From The Tee The North course is blessed with some beautiful backdrops on the short holes, and this one, whilst the flattest is no exception, surrounded by an amazing expanse of heath and sand. A lot has changed here since I first joined as a 15 year old.

From The Fairway Back then, pine trees covered the hill behind the green and trees lined both sides of the hole. There was little in the way of any heathland or sand, and the trees were so thick it was like someone had turned off the lights as you walked down the fairway.

On The Green With careful tree removal and some encouragement of the heathland plants and grasses which originally covered much of the site, we were able to return this ground to what it once was and give the 14th its unique look,

Flyover click here to view flyover

Hole 15

Hole Name

From The Tee For years the fifteenth has played as a medium length par five where golfers had to walk back the full length of the hole just played in order to tee off. As part of the redesign we kept these tees so the hole could remain as a par five but also added the option of playing this as a long par four from tees located next to the 14th green.

From The Fairway Not only is it a terrific long par four, but adds some variety to the layout and cuts down on the long walk. Both tee shots are largely blind, playing over a ridge which runs across the fairway, but they open up a great looking second.

On The Green There is some nice visual trickery at play with the second shot as the bunker on the corner of the dogleg merges with greenside bunkers and those around the 9th green, making it appear like there is more trouble (and less room) than there actually is.

Flyover click here to view flyover

Hole 16

Hole Name

From The Tee Counter to the downhill 7th hole which tends to favour a right to left shaped shot, the 16th is best played left to right.

From The Fairway The safe play is a little left of centre where a small mound helps nudge a ball towards the middle of the green.

On The Green The most difficult pin is far right and over the large bunker. To get close, one must take dead aim over all the trouble.

Hole 17

Hole Name

From The Tee

From The Fairway At 550 metres, the penultimate hole is the longest on the property and is a legitimate three shot hole for practically everyone. Two huge bunkers guard the preferred line from the tee and the reward for playing over these is a clear view of the green and a much shorter shot.

On The Green The green is a tricky one with the hollow at the front difficult to see from the fairway and easy to hit into, making for a difficult up and down. Bogeys are plentiful from down here!

Hole 18

Hole Name

From The Tee The tee shot at the last gives no hint to what lies around the corner…perhaps the most photogenic approach on the property, with the green sitting at the base of a huge natural amphitheater and framed by bunkers and heath.

From The Fairway The longest hitters will try and drive the corner bunker and leave a short pitch, but plenty of trouble awaits anything off-line. I quite like playing a shorter tee shot with a 3 or 4 iron.

On The Green The slopes help funnel the ball close to the corner bunker and it eliminates virtually all risk and leaves an 8 or 9 iron with a great angle when the pin is over on the right.