Had a hit with the RSL out a Craigieburn on Sunday. This course has come a long way in the last 5 years. It used to be one of those places you only went to if you had to. Now the fairways are in great condition, the greens can be challenging, as I found out with my 40 putts The day was a little over cast & looked like it was about to pour down on a couple of occasions but the weather held off & the wind was pretty good.

I wouldn’t mind getting back out here again with my camera.

We had a ball out at Yarrambat. Again we had a few of late withdrawls but we finished with 5 players. Me Stuart, Dick, John & Russell. It was Russells first time out so we were on on best behaviour The course was in great condition, we had a few problems with the greens being an uneven pace but it was still a good day out. I think I three putted more today then I have in the last four rounds combined John was on fire & he & Stuart were miles ahead of the rabble, both of them shooting around 90. The day was near perfect for golf & I hope Russel enjoyed his day out with the Golfinmelbourne mob & Yarrambat.

Address: Anderson Road Kilmore
Holes:18
Carts: Yes
19th Hole: Yes
Costs: 18 — $21.00 weekend June 2008

One of the first things that strike you about Kilmore Golf Club is that is a country golf club in all the best ways. The staff are friendly & helpful & everyone you meet out on the course is also friendly & courteous. I love playing at courses like this, it is 100% better than playing at your inner city courses where you can get into a punch up for looking at someone the wrong way.

You have to take into account where this course is when you judge it. This course is in the Victorian country which when we first played here was in the middle of a 10 year draught. You can’t expect immaculate fairways & pristine greens. What you get are are greens that are quick & fairways that are good but patchy in places. The rough is pretty much non existent, just dirt, but the way the course is set up you dont want to get off the fairways. Nearly very fairway is tree lined so if you stray off line you are going to be in trouble even if there wasn’t a draught.

The clubhouse here at Kilmore is first class. It is on the opposite side of the road to the course which may cause some confusion the first time you come out. The 19th hole is set up beautifully with a BBQ on the balcony for a great after round function. 

To the course. I don’t know if it is the country air or what but every hole looks further than the metreage at the tee. On the front 9 you have back to back par 5’s. The 4th (426 metres) & the 5th (446 metres), neither of them overly long on paper but to look at them they are intimidating. There is only the one par 3 on the front & that is the 7th. The front 9 is a lot tougher than the back. The back 9 along with being easier to play is also easier on th eye. It starts with what is to me the best looking hole on the course, the par 3 10th. At only 155 metres from the back tees it is not an overly long hole but it looks spectacular. It is downhill with water behind & it is a gorgeous hole. Ther are a couple of holes where the first time player may get a little lost as to the direction that they are heading, no more so than the 16th. This holes bends around in behind the 13th tee but there is little help as to where the green is. I’m sure that once you have played here once that would not be an issue but for the golfing tourist a little more help would be appreciated : )

In summary, I think that Kilmore is a great country course. A friendly & competent pro shop staff & a friendly & very reasonably priced 19th hole should make this course a must make stop on your Victorian golfing weekend.

Check out the photos here

We headed out for an early morning tee off with the Epping RSL to the Growling Frog. It was a bit chilly at 7 in the morning & the breeze wasn’t helping much. The course was in magnificent condition. The fairways looked a little dry in places but were soft & lush under foot. The greens were spectacular. There are quite a few holes here that have very intimadating approach shots to the greens. With well placed bunkers & good sand it makes for a very intersting round. The group I played with all put our drives into the fairway bunker on the 18th. This is an amazing course which only seems to be getting better. The place was buzzing with a heap of people out there.

Here are some photos from previous vists. A lot of them need updating. I’ll have to remember that next time I’m out here.

A group of us headed out to Woodend on a gorgous Saturday morning. Neil & John hadn’t been out here before & the course couldn’t have been in better nick for their first outing. The fairways were in great shape & the greens were perfect. This really is a visually fantastic course. The views from the top of the hills is just stunning, the only problem is getting to the top of those hills It’s hard work, espically the approach to the 16th green. We all had a great day, even after some knob tried to ruin it for us, John sorted him out. You can see photos from previous trips to Woodend here.

A group of took an extra long weekend & headed out to Whittlesea today. The course is in pretty good nick considering the lack of water they have had out there. The greens were in fantastic condtion & the fairways, even though there were a couple of bare patches were still pretty good. The course would have to be one of the best value for money going arong, $15.50 for 18 holes midweek, you can’t go wrong. They seem to be in the process of doing a few improvements around the course, most noteably the 9th. They have put a shit load of dirt down the left hand side of the fairway to pretty much level it out. It is still GUR at the moment & probably will be for a couple of months more.

Neil Dick & I went out to Keilor on another gorgeous Melbourne summer’s day. We started out early, 9:30, to avoid the worst of the afternoon heat. The course was the busiest that I have ever seen it. While we were in the clubhouse they sent away a bloke looking to play 9 holes because he didn’t have a booking. Neil called him back from the carpark to join us. Nice guy by the name of Josh. He made us all look like idiots on the first 2 holes, par the first & just missing his par putt on the second. As for the rest of us, we were all a little rusty. I shot an 8 on the first hole & I was lucky to get away with that The condition of the course was pretty good. The greens were a little long which made judging the pace on the putts a little tough. Even with the extra people on the course, & the group two in front of us having 6 people in it, the round flowed pretty well. The prices have gone up at Keilor, but still it’s a very reasonable priced course.

A group of 6 of us headed out to Cape Schanck to celebrate my birthday. There was Dick, Shane, Neil, Trevor, Stuart & myself. We had a near perfect day for our little adventure, clear blue skies with a little bit of wind.

The course is one of the best that I have played at, from the first hole it is a gorgeous course to both look at & play. The fairways are perfect & well looked after the greens are HUGE with massive undulations through them, it is quite easy to 3 & even 4 putt on these greens if your leave your self a long way from the hole. Some of the greens looked to be 20 to 30 metres long!!

There are so many things to mention about this course that I can’t do them all justice is this little review so I wont try. There are a couple of thing I would like to point out.

There are back to back par 3’s on the front nine. The 172 metre 4th followed by the 137 metre 5th. The par 3 7th & the par 5 8th both have water in play off the tee. The 8th is a spectacular hole, in my option the best on the course.

On the back 9 there were a couple of holes that I would like to mention. The 12th is a 334 metre par 4. The hole has a blind tee & doglegs to the right. The green is well below you for your approach shot, it makes for a very interesting hole.

The other hole is the 153 metre par 3 14th. It is another gorgous hole, with a ocean back drop. The second private course here at Cape Schanck is visible from here as well.

Another thing of mention about Cape Schanck was the staff. They were pleasant & very helpful. We had a group of 6 & they charged each of us for half a cart even though 2 of us were in a cart by our selves.

We had a great day out & would like to thank everyone who came out especially Shane & Stuart who drove us all out there. Thanks for making it a great day.

You can check out the photos here

Cheers

Cary

Dick & John took off to Cragieburn for their Thursday round of golf. This was Johns first time here & Dicks second or third. Both say that they enjoyed the round & the course. The fairways & greens were in brilliant condition. According to Dick, all of the renovations around the course have been completed with the walk from the par 3 around the lake becoming a feature instead of a hindrance.

From the sounds of things Craigieburn is in good nick & well worth the effort. I hope to make the trip some time soon.

John Dick & myself went out to Yarrambat on a picture perfect day for golf. I was at work for an hour & thought bugger this, I’m hooking up with the old man & John for their usual Thursday game of golf. The course is in Mickey Mouse condition. The fairways were brilliant & the greens were fantastic. We had a passenger for the front 9 who was a nice enough bloke but talked himself up a bit too much, worst of all he didn’t deliver. On the back nine John went nuts!!!! He par the first 3 holes (one of each a 4 a 5 & a 3) & played out of his skin. It is probably the best 9 holes I have seen him play. Dick was driving like a pro, except for the 9th but let’s pretend that didn’t happen Down the middle all day long. His score at the end of the day showed what centre golf will give you. Nothing flashy but very concistant. No par run for Dick but he still beat John by a shot.

I’m sure I say this every time I play here but I do love this course. The fairways are wide & the greens, on most holes, are very receptive. I can’t wait to get back out here again soon.