The weather forecast for the day was pretty terrible a couple of days before hand but I’m glad we didn’t call it off. The day was perfect We had blue skies with a slight breeze & I couldn’t have asked for more.

Let me start off by saying this was one of the most enjoyable games of golf I have had in a while. The course delivered what it promised & at one of the most reasonable prices going on the Peninsula. It also offers some of the best ocean views of any of the courses that I have played in Victoria. To top this off, the staff were friendly, helpful & very accomodating.

The courses starts off with a short par 4 with well placed bunkers, the bunkering at this course is great, making for some interesting club selections. The sand in the first bunker was a little hard but after that they were pretty good. The greens were top notch, the fairways were close to perfect. It took me 4 holes to find a fairway but when I did hit one they were a pleasure to play off

There are some spectacular holes here at Flinders, none better than the 4th (The Coffin) & the 5th (The Beach Hole) which are played right along the cliff tops offering magnificent views.

I couldn’t have asked for a better day, great friends, great course, great weather an all round fantastic birthday

Flinders website

Ian, Neil, Min & myself headed out to St Andrews Beach on a day that didn’t look too promising at all. Although we were looking forward to playing a course ranked in the top 10 in Australia, the weather wasn’t playing fair

The day was windy & wet, at one point during the round we were pummled by hail stones, nearly blown off our feet, drowned in a down pour & bathed in sunshine. We had the lot. It wasn’t the worst conditions that I have ever played in but it came close.

The course was surprising right from the carpark. Maybe I built it up a little too much in mind before we got there, but compared to other courses around the same area it is understated to say the least. The clubhouse is just a small shop with a marque style balcony out the front for the 19th hole. Nothing wrong with it, it does the job, but I was expecting along the same lines as Cape Shanck or Eagle Ridge.

The course was along the same lines as the clubhouse. Maybe I was expecting too much. The course was challanging & to quote the Club Pro “Not for beginners”. It is a wide open Links style course where you get punished from vering off the fairways. The greens were fantastic, a consistant speed on all of the them & they run true. From a distance (i.e. the tee) they look a lot bigger than the actually are. The bunkers are placed in perfect positions to catch your ball. Min found himself in a number of bunker, it was out of the ordinary when he went a hole without landing in one The quality of the bunkers was great, the sand was great, this made even more impressive considering the amout of rain the we had prior to our round.

There wasn’t a stand out a hole, one that you would consider a signature hole. Most were nothing special to look at but there were a couple that looked brilliant. The 18th was a great way to finish the round.

Ian had a new set of clubs that he was trying out for the first time so he was a little wayward. Neil was up & down but he was the first to get a par & the only one to grab a birdie. This was Min first hit since Werribie but he hit some wonderful drives. My game was like Neils, up & down but I did have a purple patch in the middle with 4 straight pars. This was offset but the 9, the 8 & the 7

All up the day was a little dissapointing, mostly caused by the weather. It’s not a course I would rush back to play

I’ve add some photos that we took. You can check them out here

We headed up to Broadford on Sunday for a hit with the RSL. We were supposed to play at Mt Durmit but they put their prices up & it was a little too much for the RSL. 

We played a different format this time, one is wasn’t familiar with. American Foursomes. The way it works is you both tee off, your partner plays your second shot & you play his. Then you choose a ball to play & alternate until the ball is in the hole. Puts a little bit more pressure on your shots knowing someone else will have a play the results of each of your shot As it happens I dragged Bob down to my level of play & we proceeded to 3 putt (& a 4 putt) our way around the course. Neil & Jimmy on the other hand blitz’s the comp, coming in with a net 59 to win by about 7 shots

 It was a cool start to the day, 2 degrees on the first tee, but the day turned pretty nice. The sun even came out a couple of time

The morning didn’t start well. Sitting in the RSL carpark at 6:15 in the morning, it’s raining & it’s freezing, & I’m thinking to myslef “What the hell are we doing????. We must be out of our minds”. When we got to Heathcote it was all good. The sun was out & there wasn’t a breath of wind, still cold but a lot more bearable than Epping. The course was in pretty good nick. The greens were surprisling fast. I though with the amount of dew & frost in same cases that they would be slow, but no. I had a couple of shocking holes, I finsihed with a 9 on one hole after putting my tee shot out of bounds & then following that up with one under a shrub. I had 3 3 putts on the front but some how managered to come in with 18 putts for the front 37 in total. The best putts for the day was an amazing 25. It was a good day out at a nice country course

Headed out to Craigiburn on Sunday with the RSL. Yet again it was blowing a gale. I don’t think I have ever played here without wind & I’m not sure if I will be heading back

My mood wasn’t helped by my first hole which I finished with a 9 with 5 putts. 5 FRIGGIN PITTS I had another 9 on the par 5 4th on was thinking about chucking it in at the turn.  Thankfully I didn’t sooking like a little girl & mangered to pull myself together. I finshed the day with a few pars & a birdie on the 18th with a net round of 76.

Neil, Stan, Min & myself went out & had a hit a Werribee on the weekend. The weather didn’t look too crash hot early on but I’m glad we didn’t pull the pin Min took a wrong turn & got to the course a little late, thankfully he managered to catch up to us. A bit of luck that the 2 tees (the one we were playing & the one Min was playing) were so close together. It’s been a while since I have played Werribee & it was Neil & Min’s first time. Neil was impressed & is talking about going back out again. I have added more photos to the original lot here. There are some nice holes at the course, there is a river that runs along a couple of holes. One of the best looking views is the 14th green. The fairways & the greens were in great condition. A couple of things to keep in mind. We couldn’t get on course until after 2 o’clock on a Saturday afternoon, it is members only until then, this isn’t an issue during daylight savings but in winter you will have buckleys of finishing 18 holes before it gets dark. They also charge you $2 for the use of a sand bucket, this is a first for me. It’s not an option, they just charge you the 2 bucks when you pay your green fees & hand you a bucket. I’m not sure if you get your $2 back if you give them the bucket back at the end of the round because the pro shop was closed when we finished up.

All up we had a good day, nice course & great company. I hope Min enjoyed his first hit with us & will be back soon.

Neil Trevor & I popped over to the 9 hole golf course at Strahallen after work yesterday. It’s been about 12 months since I’ve been here & the course is in pretty good condition. The greens are green & the fairways have grass on them (mostly). There is a temporary green on the 1st, they appear to be reseeding the rest of the fairway. I like this course, the close proximity to work helps but it has a couple of great holes that I enjoy.

You can check out some old photos of the course here. The view of the city from the 6th green is quite amazing.

We headed out to Broadford on Tuesday the 29th for a round. We figured that any of the course closer to Melbourne would have been chocker block. Turns out it only took 35 minutes from my house to get there so it wasn’t too bad at all. The course is in pretty good shape. The greens are well looked after & were in great condition. There were a couple of fairways that were a little worse for wear but only 2 or 3 at the most. It is a nice course with quite a good lay out. The heat hits you from both directions out here through, boucing back off the hard ground as well as the aireal assult, so if you are playing out here best to get out early in the summer.
We had a good day with Shane pulling off the shot of the day. A perfect chip in on the second hole Neils best shot of the day was a duffed drive, it finished on the fringe of the green on the short par 4 on the back 9
It is a really nice set up out here with a big clubhouse the looks out over the 9th & 18th greens. The are in a simaliar situation to Whittlesea, both being country course & short on water, but also both being great course to play.

Neil & I had last week off work so we headed to Ivanhoe. I haven’t been here for a while & was looking forward to getting back. It’s a nice short course, just the 1 par 5 but it is also in a nice setting. We were paired up with a couple ladies & were hoping to beat the cool change. I’m not sure if it is a deliberate ploy by the ground staff here or we just caught the course before a haircut but the rough was quite long especially around the greens. As I mentioned it’s not a long course & if this is not the norm around the course it should be. The thick rough added a couple of shots at least, Neil got caught out a couple of times.

Hopefully it wont be so long before we head back out here.

We headed out to the Dunes with a couple of last minutes cancellations. In the end there was a group of 6 of us. Neil, Trevor, Luke, Russell, Glen & myself made the trek. I had been waiting to play The Dunes for a few years now & finally got the chance & I must say I wasn’t disappointed.

From the 1st tee this is a challenging course. Get off line & it will bit. Conversely put it down the middle & you will reap the rewards. The fairways are perfect & you drives will run.

A bit of local knowledge comes in handy on this course, or you can buy a course guide from the pro shop. There are 2 available, the el cheapo for about $3 or the deluxe model for about $9. They will pay for themselves on quite a few holes as there are a number of blind tee shots on this course.

The course is beautifully bunkered with fairway bunkers right on the driving distance & the greens are brilliantly protected. Once you are on the green, if you get the line right they will run true.

We got lucky on the day we played, the wind was not really a factor. Having said that even on a calm day there a couple of holes that are higher up than the rest of the course & the wind was still a factor. This course could be an absolute beast if the wind is up.

I enjoyed our day out here & it is one of my favorite parts of Melbourne to play golf. There are so many great course out this way that you have to make the time to come out.

You can check out the photos here