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Went out for a hit with Neil, Luke & Matt after work last night. 9 holes at Bundoora. The course is in pretty good nick at the moment except for a couple of small exceptions. The greens have recently been cored but are now good to go. Looking forward to the next hit after work 🙂

Matt, Neil & myself headed out to Hidden Valley on what can only be discribed as a horrible day for golf. It was Matt’s first time out so it was a shame the weather didn’t do the course justice. Apart from the weather the day wasn’t too bad. Lost a ball on my first shot of the day but I did hit one of the best shots I think I ever have. On the second hole, about 120-130 from the green, in a fairway bunker, managed to put it in the hole for a par 🙂 Not to be out done, Neil chipped in on the same hole, also for par. The day was certainly one of extremes, but we all still had a great day & it’s nice to see water back in the back dams at Hidden Valley, it really makes the 13th (I think this is the hole number) a spectacular hole.

Neil Matt Ian & I headed up to Creswick to use up a couple of vouchers on the weekend. The weather couldn’t have been any better, the sun was out & the wind was pretty much non existant 🙂 The course itself……. well that another story 🙁 I sad to say that the course was in pretty bad shape, very very boggy. I surprised that they allowed carts out at all. The sign at the pro shop said to tee up on the fairway & to treat all bunkers as GUR. There were a couple of holes were we fish tailed the buggy’s up the fairway & trust me that wasn’t on purpose. It wasn’t all doom & gloom but, some of the holes were still in reasonable condition & a few more days on sunshine will do the place wonders. I just hope that too much damage hasn’t been done in certain areas. With any luck the weather has turned the corner & we can start getting back out on a more regular basis.

Trevor, Neil, John & myself played Goonawarra on Sunday afternoon. We teed off at 12:30 & only just scraped home before it got dark. The course & the weather were fantastic but as I mentioned in the title, the greens killed us. I couldn’t seem to get the speed right all day long. Had quite a few that burned the edge but then sailed on 2-3 metres past 🙁 The company made up for the pain caused by the greens & it was still a pleasant day 🙂

Trevor booked us in for a round out at Phillip Island using a voucher from one of the websites. The weather was great & the course was in good condition. We have a couple more vouchers so I’ll do a more detailed review next time we head out there. Let me just say that it’s a nice course but I don’t think it’s worth the drive from Melbourne just to play here. If you are down this way & have a spare day it’s well worth it, but if you are going to drive for 1 1/2, 2 hours I would suggest going the the Penisula & playing on one of the courses there.

Trevor had a couple fo vouchers for the Sandhurst North course & invited me Neil & Matt along. We had a perfect day for golf, bright sunshine & just a slight breeze. The was the first time I had been out to Sandhurst & with any luck it wont be my last. It is a great set up. 36 holes with fantastic facilities.

Let’s start with the small draw backs. They are in the process of putting down new sprinklers or drainage on the front 9. This leaves a bit of a patch work of sand lines throughout the fairways. Having said that, it only effected our shots once or twice. The other issue was the sand in the bunkers. Sandhurst is in the same boat as most other courses in Melbourne, after the heavy rains we have had in the last few weeks, most of the sand has been washed away. I’m sure that the bunkers would be much better normally.

Too the positives. What a great course, wide open fairways with well positioned bunkers, both fairway & greenside. The greens were large & if you didn’t get yourself close to the pin you could be left with a 3 or 4 putt to finish off the hole.

There are some great holes here as well, the par 3 called “The Wall” is interesting. Not an overly long par 3 but the green has a stone wall surrounding the back. Came in handy for me, after I left my tee shot short then thinned my chip. I got a nice ricochet of the wall & on to the green 🙂

My favorite hole on the course would be a toss up between the 9th & the 18th with the 9 just winning. There is a lake down the lefthand side of the entire hole with a estuary running in front of the green.

I recomend this course to anyone & from what I hear, the Champion course is even better. So make the trip & have a hit, you wont be disappointed 😉