Settlers vs Ranfurlie

[Deester]

G'day guys.

Looking to join a private/semi private club locally to me (Seaford).

The current contenders are Settlers and Ranfurlie due mainly to location and price (2.5k range). Anything above 2.5K is starting to get out of my reach in the funds dept.

Was hoping anyone out there could offer any feedback on either course. I've played Ranfurlie once on a pretty wild day weather wise ... Although was enjoyable.

Actual course is more important to me than the club culture as I only play one day a week.

I'm looking more at which course is the better of the two and which better handles Melbournes weather ? Have read SR has had drainage issues, but those reviews seem to be dated.

Hoping there may be some more current feedback on either.

Any input welcome.

[LeftyHoges]

Hey Deester, I've played both and take this with a grain of salt as of course, opinions vary, but I prefer Settlers Run as a course. I've played it twice in late September / early October and never experience any drainage issues, but then again, Melbourne loves a good bit of rain June to August as you'd know, so any wet patches may have disappeared by then.

I can't say that I'm a fan of either track though so I'm showing my bias here, but of a 10 round split it would be a minimum of 7 Settlers / 3 Ranfurlie. Just obviously I wouldn't be expecting to avoid bad weather at either place. All 4 rounds I've played at both (2 each) have had a minimum of 40k winds.

Good luck on your choice, you can't make a bad call either way, but gun to my head I'd be going with Settlers Run.

[spanner039]

Agree with the left one on this apart from the 1st at settlers I find it a lot more enjoyable

But cranbourne is better than both not sure of $$$$ though

[LeftyHoges]

Agree with the left one on this apart from the 1st at settlers I find it a lot more enjoyable

But cranbourne is better than both not sure of $$$$ though

1, the par 5?

Piece of piss opening hole. Doesn't have to be a good hole if it's a doddle.

[spanner039]

1, the par 5?

Piece of piss opening hole. Doesn't have to be a good hole if it's a doddle.

For us mere mortals Its not!!!!

Dee there will be a few similar threads below.

[Cymru]

Settlers out of those 2, would Keysborough be an option? Just up the freeway from you.

[Pingsta]

Dee,

Cranny is a pretty good members track to play week in week out, course condition at the moment from what I hear is not at it's optium. P.S. I was at Cranny prior to Longy

Longy would have been perfect for you prior to the merger.

Keysie I reckon would be another good option, I personally love the layout and as mentioned it's not too far from Seaford.

[Scifisicko]

Sandhurst?

[marcel]

Mornington?

[Deester]

G'day Gang,

Thanks for the replies and feedback.

Looks like SR may the front runner at the moment. I'm more partial to the links(ish) style courses as far as preference too.

I looked in to Cranbourne, Sandhurst and Keyesie ... But they are all just outside my price bracket unfortunately. If the funds were not an issue Cranny or Sandhurst would be the front runners.

The reality is I can only really get one day a week to play, anything more will result in divorce. I also like to play the comp format so a 7 day membership is best suited (saturday comp day).

So with that in mind, it can get exy for one round a week on average for anything above the $2.5K bracket for membership fees.

The other option is St Andrews Beach, but travel time comes in to play with family life with the additional 1 hour travelling round trip ... Not to mention the walk at St Andrews can be a ball ache in certain conditions and I'm a dedicated walker.

Mornington and Devil Bend where considered too, both great tracks ... Just not sure I would want to play them weekly year in year out.

Dom, yes I tell/remind my wife often that I should of joined L.I when I had the chance as I could of also used the range there too instead of paying elsewhere ... So handy location wise too !

Going to get down to SR for a sunday hit and see what I think of the course and club.

[Moe Norman]

My opinion differs significanly from those above.

Having played both, I think Ranfurlie is a superior track in every way. Settlers to me is a basic cookie cutter course with limited architectural merit and pretty boring.

Ranfurlie is a thinking mans golf course, with great use of angles - is well bunkered and on the whole, has reasonably interesting green complexes, while Settlers Run is very bland in this regard.

The best bit about Ranfurlie is that a string of low markers will tell you how easy it is, because its so wide open as they hand in their card having shot 75 - while lesser players will actually enjoy it because they have options for recovery. It's a great blend of being difficult for good players due to the strategic merit, but easy for lesser golfers because it isn't particularly penal.

Each to their own I guess, but if the course is all that matters to you - Ranfurlie wins hands down.

[LeftyHoges]

My opinion differs significanly from those above.

Having played both, I think Ranfurlie is a superior track in every way. Settlers to me is a basic cookie cutter course with limited architectural merit and pretty boring.

Ranfurlie is a thinking mans golf course, with great use of angles - is well bunkered and on the whole, has reasonably interesting green complexes, while Settlers Run is very bland in this regard.

The best bit about Ranfurlie is that a string of low markers will tell you how easy it is, because its so wide open as they hand in their card having shot 75 - while lesser players will actually enjoy it because they have options for recovery. It's a great blend of being difficult for good players due to the strategic merit, but easy for lesser golfers because it isn't particularly penal.

Each to their own I guess, but if the course is all that matters to you - Ranfurlie wins hands down.

And I guess this is the beauty of human opinion, I find Ranfurlie to be as boring as bat shit with very little imagination used in the design. So for me, Settlers Run wins hands down.

[Deester]

G'day Moe and Lefty,

All info and opinions welcomed. Good to hear both sides of the coin ... Reckon I'll go play both and make decision as to what appeals to me more I guess.

[Moe Norman]

And I guess this is the beauty of human opinion, I find Ranfurlie to be as boring as bat shit with very little imagination used in the design. So for me, Settlers Run wins hands down.

Just a thought,but it might be a lack of imagination in the golfer in this case.

Everyone is of course entitled to an opinion, but viewing a course through the narrow spectrum of your own game can be detrimental for a thoughtful design like Ranfurlie. Settlers is on decent land, but they didn't yield as good as a result as they could have imo, while Ranfurlie is probably on inferior land - but got a slightly better result.

Deester,

I would definitely play both and make up your own mind, as you are the one who is paying the $ and playing the golf. If you like strategic and thoughtful golf on an open site - then Ranfurlie will likely appeal. If you like quality aesthetics, condition and target based golf using a proven, but formulaic design method integrated with a residential development - then Settlers is your bet.

There is no right or wrong preference, only your preference.

[LeftyHoges]

Just a thought, but it might be a lack of imagination in the golfer in this case.

Everyone is of course entitled to an opinion, but viewing a course through the narrow spectrum of your own game can be detrimental for a thoughtful design like Ranfurlie. Settlers is on decent land, but they didn't yield as good as a result as they could have imo, while Ranfurlie is probably on inferior land - but got a slightly better result.

Deester,

I would definitely play both and make up your own mind, as you are the one who is paying the $ and playing the golf. If you like strategic and thoughtful golf on an open site - then Ranfurlie will likely appeal. If you like quality aesthetics, condition and target based golf using a proven, but formulaic design method integrated with a residential development - then Settlers is your bet.

There is no right or wrong preference, only your preference.

Wow, really?

[Moe Norman]

worded poorly, apologies for any offence.

Obviously its a matter of taste and/or opinion, I just can't fathom how there is a suggestion that there is a lack of imagination in the design of such a good golf course on such a questionable plot of land. Regardless of whether someone likes the end result, I've never heard it said that the design at Ranfurlie lacks imagination.

I think its a great credit that they managed to create such an interesting layout on such an uninteresting site with a routing challenge of coming back to that hideous clubhouse on the hill.

Pretty much every hole asks you questions that challenge your creativity and understanding of your own game, something I don't feel Settlers run does. Settlers is very much laid out for you without a hint of nuance, and in some cases some questionable strategic elements - while Ranfurlie uses angles brilliantly. One of few courses you can hit your tee shot dead straight up the middle all day, and more often than not find yourself out of position. My comment on lack of imagination on the golfer refers to this, as I've often heard folks say of Ranfurlie (and RQ and others that use width to create interest) that they can stand up on the tee and hit it anywhere onto the wide fairways and its like a driving range, which to me suggests these golfers don't put any thought into their next shot and don't realise why they shot 75 playing off scratch despite hitting 14 fairways.

Different course, but same theory - I played RQ 2 weeks ago with a mate off 9. He is a decent enough player and is well travelled. Sitting in the clubhouse he tells me he much prefers Indooroopilly because its not so easy and RQ isn't a test, the fairways are wide and he can hit it where he likes. I pointed out to him that he hit 12 fairways and shot 86...he repeatedly hit approaches that had their first bounce on the putting surface too, but just had his angles all wrong.

Ranfurlie isn't in the class of RQ, but it uses the same methods in testing your game.

[andigold]

Ranfurlie has a lot of good holes but the course doesn't really work as a whole for me Moe. It's like reverse synergy where the sum of the parts is less than the whole. I am always underwhelmed when I play it and yet I like most of the holes. Settlers is dull and simple but has an undeniably brash appeal. It's like comparing a fat girl with a good personality to a vacuous but (moderately) pretty one.

Lefty does have a narrow lens, he doesn't rate Kingston Heath for example, but I can see the appeal for Settlers in a direct comparison. The OP should do exactly what you said and play both, he may find that he has a strong preference.

[LeftyHoges]

Ranfurlie has a lot of good holes but the course doesn't really work as a whole for me Moe. It's like reverse synergy where the sum of the parts is less than the whole. I am always underwhelmed when I play it and yet I like most of the holes. Settlers is dull and simple but has an undeniably brash appeal. It's like comparing a fat girl with a good personality to a vacuous but (moderately) pretty one.

Lefty does have a narrow lens, he doesn't rate Kingston Heath for example, but I can see the appeal for Settlers in a direct comparison. The OP should do exactly what you said and play both, he may find that he has a strong preference.

Hey, cmon, I didn't say I didn't rate it, just that Vic and Metro are better IMO. They're the courses that deserve to be pushing RM, not KH.

[Coldtopper]

Dee,

Cranny is a pretty good members track to play week in week out, course condition at the moment from what I hear is not at it's optium. P.S. I was at Cranny prior to Longy

Longy would have been perfect for you prior to the merger.

Keysie I reckon would be another good option, I personally love the layout and as mentioned it's not too far from Seaford.

You have proven that you can play it. K or Cranny best options Dee

[Moe Norman]

Metro, KH and Vic age all fine courses. I've played Metro hundreds of times and the others less than 5 times each, but i have Metro well behind Vic and Vic is behind KH by a similar margin.

I really love Metro, but she's a bit of a dumb blonde compared to the other 2.

I'm sure the OP would like to be choosing between those 3 though!

[LoveGolf2012]

Metro, KH and Vic age all fine courses. I've played Metro hundreds of times and the others less than 5 times each, but i have Metro well behind Vic and Vic is behind KH by a similar margin.

I really love Metro, but she's a bit of a dumb blonde compared to the other 2.

I'm sure the OP would like to be choosing between those 3 though!

Metro a dumb blonde?So,what's Augusta? A fat redhead??

Metro is pure as they come...IMO

[andigold]

Metro, KH and Vic age all fine courses. I've played Metro hundreds of times and the others less than 5 times each, but i have Metro well behind Vic and Vic is behind KH by a similar margin.I really love Metro, but she's a bit of a dumb blonde compared to the other 2.I'm sure the OP would like to be choosing between those 3 though!

Yeah agree with this, KH is sublime, Metro is just excellent. It is a course that seems to get better with subsequent plays though and the quirk factor is the highest in the sandbelt. Take 17, it is such a metro hole, you could improve the hole by cutting down the trees but it would weaken the course IMO. I love how it comes together in 5, using a land form to create uncertainty on the drive, the wrinkles and rumples on the fairway and the unbelievably sharp straight lines of the green side bunkering. It's a very good course, But Vic is better and KH is way better.

[BenM]

I liked Metro, in terms of conditioning it was fantastic and it had some really nice holes (16 stands out) but I definitely felt like Vic had infinitely more variety in its layout and more interesting holes. It's been over a year and I still remember that steeply uphill par 3, the drivable 1st and the short par 4 with the masses of fairway bunkers up the left where I managed to hook a 4 iron into!

Can't buy into the Settlers vs Ranfurlie debate as I haven't played them but if KH is better than Vic, I definitely need to bribe, beg or steal and get a hit there.

[Moe Norman]

Metro a dumb blonde?So,what's Augusta? A fat redhead??Metro is pure as they come...IMO

Only in comparison to Vic and KH.Let's not get caught up in semantics, all 3 are superb tracks!I've been playing Metro regularly since before i was 10 years old, I absolutely love the place.

[LoveGolf2012]

Only in comparison to Vic and KH.Let's not get caught up in semantics, all 3 are superb tracks!I've been playing Metro regularly since before i was 10 years old, I absolutely love the place.

Good point..id love to play Metro more I really enjoyed it.KH is pure also,but I haven't played every hole their..my coach is their!