Okey Doakey. We are in. I’ve got in touch with Justin out at Hidden Valley & he has booked us in. We have two groups with the first one hitting off at 9 o’clock.If you want to come drop me an email or leave a comment.
Please keep in mind the dress code at Hidden Valley. No denim or tracksuit pants & you must have a collered shirt. Last time we were out there Mick had to buy a pair of pants 😉
Cheers
Cary
The morning started off pretty badly. We got to Woodend at about 7 o’clock & it was still dark & it was raining. Not promising at all. Stuart suggested that we travel to Kyneton &Â if the conditions hadn’t improved by then pull the plug.
When we got there it was drizzling slightly so we figured we would give it a go. The drizzle continued for about 3 or 4 holes & then cleared up.
Starting in the rain at this course is a real contrast to what the course looks like. It is very dry & the dams & lakes are nearly empty. This is a great course & it’s a shame to see it this way. A couple of holes play over the dams & you can imagine that they would be quite spectacular & intimidating if there was water. Having said all this, we still had a good day out.
The plan is to try again for a round at Woodend in the near future.
We are heading up to Woodend on Saturday morning. The plan is to tee off at about 7 in the morning. Let me know if you want to come along by droping me an email Cary@golfinmelbourne.com or by leaving a comment here on this posting. If you haven’t played this course before it is worth the trip. Check out our review here
Stan, Garrett, Dick & I trundle off to Goonawarra on a gorgous morning. I started the day with a par, & Dick in his ever positive frame of mind said “It can only get worse from here”. The next two holes proved him right, Barstard 😉 But the real story of the front nine was Stan. He was on fire!!!!! He played the best golf I have ever seen him play, he shot 3 pars & a birdie, & was fantastic to watch. On the holes he didn’t birdie or par he was hitting clean, great shot, just slightly misdirected 🙁 At the end of the day he finished with 5 pars & a birdie. Garrett & Dick both finished with a par a piece which was pretty good going considering the heat.
The course is in fantastic condition considering the water restriction that are now in place. The fairways are lush & the greens are green (funny that) and quick. One thing that was a pain in the ass, when we finished the front nine & made our way over to the 10th tee, there was a sign saying closed for watering. It was closed for a couple of hours so we had to play the front nine again. I wasn’t overly fussed, I had played here a few times & so had Stan. But this was Dicks first time there & he was a little dissapointed not to play the full course.
If you wanted to see the full review you can check it out here
Stan is planning on having a hit at Goonawarra on Thursday. The plan is to get away around 9-9:30. For those of you who haven’t played here before here is our review . Stan played here last week & he said that the course is in great nick. Let me know if you interested in playing by either droping me an email or leaving a comment.
 Cary
Address: Yarra Bend Road Fairfeild
Number of Holes:18
19th hole: The Kiosk serves beer
Motorized carts:Yes
Â
Yarra Bend is one of my favorite course to play. With the Yarra river as a back drop on a number of holes it is a very pleasant round. The fairways are well maintained & the greens are normally in excellent condition. One thing of note is the colony of Flying Foxes the have been relocated to the trees behind the second green. It’s quite amazing to see the number of these creatures in one place.
Yarra Bend isn’t one of the longest course around, there is only the 2 par 5’s (1 on the front & 1 on the back) & one of the par 3’s is only 112 metres. It is a very challenging course all the same. On the front 9 there are a couple of holes worth a mention. The first is the par 3 3rd. The hole is 160 metres from the back markers but I think it plays about 10 metres more than that.From the tee the fairway dips down then rises again to the green. The distance is quite deceiving. Even after you hit the ball it doesn’t seem to travel as far as you first think.
The second is the par 5 6th. This is a gorgous hole. At 486 metres from the back tees it’s not an overly long hole but half of the hole is downhill. This brings the green within reach of a good tee shot & a good second shot. One thing that does fool me nearly ever time is the bunker on the righthand edge of the fairway towards the green. It appears to be a greenside bunker from a distance but is a good 10 metres short of the green.
On the back nine there is again two holes that are worth a mention. The first is the par 4 12th. This par 4 has a dogleg left with a group of tree at the start of the dogleg. The temptation is to drive over the trees but be careful. The dogleg is not as server as it seems, if you drive goes too far left or clips the top of the trees you will find your self in a gully. When you appraoch the green, the easiest wayis from the right hand side of the fairway, there is a bunker protecting the front left side of the green & the back right.
The other hole is my favorite hole on the course & one of my favorite holes of all time. The 16th is a brilliant hole. At 341 metre from the back markers, par 4 has a slight dogleg to the left. You need to play this hole from the right hand side as there is a group of trees blocking your approach if don’t leave yourself enough room to go over the top. To complicate things a little further the fairway slopes from right to left. Your approach from the right isn’t a piece of cake either. There is a large deep bunker proctecting the front of the green & some nasty rough over the back. It is a hole that makes you earn your par & is also visually spectacular.
In the past Yarra Bend has been rated the number 1 Public Access Golf Course in Victoria & it is a fantastic course. With it’s proximity to the city it does carry a lot of traffic, especially on the weekends, so you do need to be patient some times when you play here.
Neil wants to celebrate the anniversary of our countries birth by playing golf. Let me know if you are intested in joining us. We don’t have a tee time as yet, Yarrabend only take bookings one week in advance, but we are hoping to get out as early as possible. For those of you who aren’t sure, Australia day is on Friday the 26th of January.
Cheers
Address: 156-200 Melton Valley Drive Melton
Number of Holes: 18
Carts available: Yes
19th hole: No
Â
Â
Â
Â
Melton starts you off with an intimidating first tee. Right beside the clubhouse & the road close by on the left. You need you game face on here from the outset. The good news is that the hole itself, aside from the distraction, is an easy par 4.
Melton Valley is a very nice course with some challenging holes, the fairways are in great condition & the greens can be quite tricky if you land your ball in the wrong spot. The first green is a good example of this, sloping toward the right hand side.
The back 9 begins in much the same fashion as the front, but this time you have the carpark close by on the right & the clubhouse at your back. The 11th hole is probably the pick of the bunch. A 468 metre par 5 with a dogleg right. The are trees on the left & water on the right. It is a tough tight fairway but if you get your tee shot right you have acrack at the green, get your tee shot wrong & you could be in for a long hole.
The are a couple of great par 3 here at Melton. The 9th has you playing over lake & the 12th also has water in play on the right handside of the green.
We enjoyed our round out at Melton Valley & I’m sure we will be back in the near future.
You can check out all the photos here
Â
Everyone at GolfinMelbourne.com would like to wish you & your family a Merry Christmas & a Happy & Safe New Year.
Cary
Address: Browns Road, The Cups, Mornington Peninsula
Number of Holes: 18
Carts Available: Yes (with GPS)
19th hole: Yes
From the outset this course is something special. Your fist view of the course when you come in from the car park is gorgeous. Don’t worry, the green you see completely surrounded by water is only a practise putting green.
In the clubhouse you have the option of taking a GPS system with you, whether you are walking or riding. These things are really handy & annoying at the same time. While standing on the tee it can tell you how far away from the green you are but it will also tell you how far you are from the lake, bunker or any other hazard you don’t want to know about.
This course is outstanding!! One of the best courses I have ever played!! Everything about this course was magnificent. The tees, the fairways, the greens & even the bunkers. The fairways were, on most occasions, narrow requiring a good tee shot & the greens were well protected by bunkers & ran true & even.
From the first tee the course makes you go “Wow!!”. The approach to the first green is spectacular & intimidating at the same time.
I can wax lyrical about nealry every hole here but I will concentrate on just a couple.
My favorite hole here at Eagle ridge would have to be the par 5 7th. It is just a brilliant hole. From the tee the hole dog legs to the right but then the green is back to the left. The green is obscured by a grove of trees on the left, pretty much forcing you to lay up down the middle, but don’t hit it too far or you’ll run out of fairway, or too short leaving you a tough chip over the trees. Oh yeah did I mention the group of bunkers in front of the green!! This is one hole you have to play right to get right & I loved every metre of it.
My other favorite hole was the par 3 6th. This is one of the best par 3’s that I have ever played!!! At 170 from the back tees, it is a testing length hole. The bunkers surruonding the hole also get in your head. What the photo doesn’t show properly is the gully in front of the tee which has a number of small bunkers just waiting for the topped tee shot.
As I mentioned early this has become one of my favorite courses & I can’t wait to get back out here to have another crack.
Check out all the photos of our day out here