Aussie golfer Rod Pampling has just won the Bay Hill Invertational!! A double boogy on the 13th saw him drop back to a tie for the lead with Englishman Greg Owen. Owen stumbled at the end finishing double boogy, boogy for Pampling to win the tournament by 1 shot. Pampling finished the last 2 holes boogy, par, but it was enough for him to secure his second tour win, his first being the The International in 2004.
All posts by Cary
Ringwood Golf Course
Neil is arranging a round of golf at Ringwood on Thursday the 16th of March. If you are interested in joining him please leave a comment below or email me at cary@golfinmelbourne.com I’ll be there, if not sure if that is a positive or a negative ; ) The plan at the moment is to book in for a morning round, about 10 o’clock or so.
Cheers
Cary
Whittlesea
On a glorious Sunday, Stuart, Roger & I went out to Whittlesea for 18 holes. The course was it pretty good condition. The greens were fanatsic & the fairways were pretty good for this time of year. They were a little patchy in places but after summer this is to be expected in the country.
It was Rogers day, taking all the money for the closest the pin’s & shooting one of his best rounds. Stuart won in the end with a score of 84 from Cary 94 & Roger 102.
I like Whittlesea & look forward to going back out there again soon, firstly to pick up my phone & secondley to play another round ; )
Afternoon round at Strathallan
On Wednesday the 8th of March we are planning ducking out to Strathallan for 9 holes in the afternoon. The plan is tee off around 3 o’clock.
Let me know if your interested in joining us by leaving a comment or sending me an email Cary@golfinmelbourne.com
 Cheers
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Cary
Brighton Public Golf Course
Address: 232 Dendy Steet Brighton 3186
http://www.brightongolf.com.au/
Number of holes: 18
19th Hole: No
Motorised Carts: Yes
Mick, Liam, Stuart & took a trip on a Saturday morning to a course that “regularly ranks in the Top 5 of Melbourne’s metropolitan public courses.” I was suprised that the course wasn’t busier than it was.
A lot of the holes at Brighton play with a slight rise in the fairway leaving you a few blind tee shots. The majority of the holes are straight you can wack away off the tee. The greens are in good condition & roll fair & true. A couple of the fairways were a bit patchy but in general they were pretty good.
The first hole is pretty typical of Brighton, from the tee you can’t see the green as it is down a slight hill. This is one green you don’t want to go long on. The back is protected by water. The green itself is a tough proposition. Depending on pin placement, the two teir green can leave you with a very difficult up hill or down hill putt.
The third is index one on the course and plays slightly uphill. The main feature of the 3rd hole is the greenside bunker. This thing is huge, anything right of the green will find it’s way in there. The middle of this bunker has an island of shrubs & bushes just to make life a little more miserable for those unfortunate enough to find it.
It’s about here that I have to mention the highlight of the day. The par 3 4th was setting for what was nearly the shot of the year. Mick’s 9 year old son Liam came within a proverbially bees …. from chipping in from about 20 metres off the green. He did manage to make the putt for an amazing par. Congrations to you Liam, I can’t remember at what age I made my first par but it was a long way from 9.
One thing I need to mention is the width of the rough & trees between holes. Most of the time it is only a tree width which leads to a bit of cross fairway play. What I mean is that there are people playing every which way on the fairways which can make things a little unnevering. I assume that this was worse being a Saturday, but as I mentioned at the begining it was all that busy.
On to the back nine. The first 2 holes are, in my opinion, the best holes on the course. What makes these holes special is the presenation of the greens. With deep bunkers on both holes, they look fantastic. The 10th is a 345 metre par 4, so your second shot needs to be good or you’ll find youself in the sand. The 11th is fair bit shorter. At 253 metres, it is a green that you can have a crack at driving, which Mick nearly did. The problem with holes like this is you tend to try to hard. I sent my drive way off to the right, leaving a tricky chip over a very intimidating bunker. Stuart went too far, flying his ball over the green, again leaving a very nasty chip back.
The day was going along nicely until we got to the 14th green. All of a sudden the wind picked up & then the heavens opened up. It dumped down, & we were at the futherest point from the club house. After sheltering under some trees for about 10 minutes & no respite in sight, we made our way back along flooded fairways.
Brighton is a nice course, perhaps I was expecting more having heard it was rated in the top 5 public courses in Melbourne. I would like to go back & complete the course some time soon!
Back to Bundoora
Neil, Scott & myself played the front 9 holes at Bundoora on the 2nd of February. They have started changing over a couple more fairways to couch grass. From memory there are 3 of the 9 holes on the front 9 which are a bit of a mess. You need to tee your ball up on the fairways on these holes. As I mentioned the last time we played here, the holes that have been upgraded are just fantastic, which makes playing the crappy holes just a bit easier. The greens still in pretty good nick. One problem with Bundoora is that are still charging full price for a round when about 6 or 7 holes of the 18 have fairways that are un-playable, a bit unfair if you ask meÂ
Ivanhoe revisted
Cary & Shane went out to Ivanhoe on a gorgous Thursday. Trevor was supposed to join us but couldn’t get his clubs out of his shed. I’ve heard some lame excuses but this takes the cake ; ) The place was chockers so we got paired up with a couple of blokes, Barry & Bob. We had a great day, Shane is still trying to figure out how to play after mangaling his finger but he is getting there. I’m trying to deal with the horrible problem of driving the ball straight, the problem being I’m still aiming left to compenstate for a slice that appears to have run away. The course was in good condition with lush fairways & smooth (once your clear the leaves) greens.
In the end, after handicaps, Shane beat me by 1 shot.
Whittlesea Update
Stuart & I played 9 holes at Whittlesea on the 2nd of January. The place was pretty busy & we got paired up with a couple from Wattle Glen. The course is in pretty good condition, but it is starting to get dry in places.
The best part of the day was my birdie on the 6th. I was left with only a 3 foot putt & made it. Stuart beat me by 4 shots but he didn’t get any birdies ; )
Round at Yarrambat
Neil organized a round of golf out at Yarrambat & invited Trevor Ian & myself. The day was fantastic, 27 degrees with a little breeze. The fairways were in good shape & as Ian & I found out the bunkers were soft & thick. The greens were being mowed while we were playing making some like glass & some putting friendly. We had a great day, with a lot of putts missing by a smidge & going past by 5 or 6 feet. Ian won the front nine (after which he had to fix his pops fence) & I won the 18.
Pre-Xmas Golf at Bundoora
Stan & I played here on the 20th of December. Neil joined for the back 9. The works at Bundoora are coming along nicely. The three holes on the front 9 that have been changed to couch look & play fantastic. There are 4 more holes in the process of being changed over. Probably best to give the back 9 at Bundoora a miss for the next couple of months until these holes have a chance to grow.