Gerringong

[mike]

Has anybody played Gerringong GC? I drove past it last week and nearly had an accident. Too busy looking at the course, veered onto the wrong side of the road. Wow wow wow.

Spectacular looking course. Is it any good?

[Dotty]

I played it once about 5 years ago, and it wasn't too bad.

I gather that it is maintained by the local council, and nothing too annoying (WYSIWYG). Worth a game, if you are in the area and have some time to kill.

The 'clubhouse' consists of a starter's hut / honesty box, but the local fishermans' club is a few km south, for a good post-game beverage, feed and view down Gerroa beach.

Coffs-Hacker is now about 30km south of there, so he may provide a more in-depth review.

[mike]

Yeah we were heading for the Gerroa Fishing club for dinner. Missed that turnoff too because of the view down 7 mile beach.

Next time I'm down I'll have to bring the clubs.

[Andrew]

Mike, I played it about 9 months ago. I got talking to their club captain for quite a while.

Kevin Hartley designed the routing & the club built the course themselves, initially 9 holes, then adding the second 9 when they could. The club owns the course as a local farmer donated the land.

Their greenkeeper is their only staff member, with members working as volunteers in the shop & on the course. The course is generally well maintained for only having one greenkeeper, but the land is well suited to having a golf course in it, so that helps a lot.

The course is not a world beater, but it is a lot of fun. The 10th is the only really awful hole on the course & the holes down toward the ocean are quite good.

[AlexMc]

The view there is amazing. Gerroa Fisho's is awesome :)

[cobra]

The gerringong course is on my to play list
have stopped and checked out the new clubhouse and had a look around
Typical little country track but with absolutely spectacular views
they have a web site so check it out
Beautiful part of the world down there
The fishos club is about 2ks down the road and is definitely worth a sunday drive for lunch spectacular food and views
another 10mins on is the town of Berry
for the wife to enjoy
Great day out
Give them a ring at the golf club as im sure you could get a Sat hit in their comp

[Greeny]

I hesitate to post direct links but I was lucky enough to be down there and have time for a game last year and posted a review (http://aussiegolfer.blogspot.com/2009/08/course-review-gerringong-gc-nsw.html).

Loved every minute of it out there.

[AndyP]

I've had your blog on RSS Feed the last couple of months, Greeny. I'm not a huge golf reader, but I do have a look at your posts.

[symowallo]

Played it today as a matter of fact as I'm on holidays in Gerroa. Lovely course. Everything in the South Coast is very green at the moment as they've had good rainfall in the last few months. Therefore it looks really nice right now. Magnificent views.

My (since departed) Grand Uncle was on the original committee that put the course together. They did a great job, considering that it's public, the course was basically built by volunteers, and they didn't have a lot of money to play with. What I like about the course is the fact that you can lose your ball in a real sand trap - the beach!

Worth a visit if you're holidaying down south.

One other nice thing about this course - you can see almost the entire course from pretty much anywhere within the course. This is due to the way the land slopes down and around the beach.

[mike]

One other nice thing about this course - you can see almost the entire course from pretty much anywhere within the course. This is due to the way the land slopes down and around the beach.

I noticed that, too. The course is shaped like a bowl.
What are the fairways and greens like?

[symowallo]

I noticed that, too. The course is shaped like a bowl.
What are the fairways and greens like?

Well, my opinion is hardly worth anything, as I'm a hacker, but the fairways were good.

Some of the greens have a bit of dirt showing through in various parts. Still satisfactory, but not fantastic.

Yeah, a bowl is a good way to describe it. Watch that 4th tee, it's a ball loser. I lost 3 balls on that hole.

Overall I think it's being well looked after, especially when you consider that they don't have a licensed club to draw revenue from. I played on Friday from 2.30PM and it was pretty quiet.

[JohnLLL]

Great picture from greenys site.:smt038

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_eIBFYajXBMA/SmQg8oacA7I/AAAAAAAAAwM/WDPwGuBnA04/s1600/4.jpg

[symowallo]

Great picture from greenys site.:smt038


That water hazard probably has 2 of my balls...

[ParMaster]

WOW. That last hole looks so much like the 18th at The Coast, except for the green and closeness of the water.

Anyone else notice that?

[Greeny]

WOW. That last hole looks so much like the 18th at The Coast, except for the green and closeness of the water.

Anyone else notice that?
Yeah I see what you mean about the image BUT the photograph is a little deceptive.

I took it from the side of the green. The fairway for the hole (I think it was the 11th or 12th from memory) is actually coming down from the left.

The fairway beyond the water is for the next hole.

I do know what you mean though. Would be nice to see them side by side!

[jimandr]

I played Gerringong today for the first time. It will take me two days to recover. It is one of the hilliest courses I've ever played, and after recent rain it was very soft. So the walking was very hard.

The rough was also really deep due to the recent rain, so it was hack it out 100m if you got a bad lie.

It is a course you need to play twice. The first time is to enjoy some of the best coastal scenery you'll ever see on a golf course, and note where the hazards and dogleg distances are. The second time might be a real game to concentrate on the score.

The tee shot from the 4th tee is the most exciting driving scenario I've ever seen. Better than 14 at NSW or 2 at Narooma. It is very much like the 18th at Pebble Beach. You really do drive the ball over the corner of the beach. Just fantastic. Pity about the placement of the hazards though, they are terrible. You can't see the one in front of the green from the fairway.

The 11th is the other really great hole. It is the green in Greeny's photo, but he should've taken the photo from the tee or half way down the fairway. Maybe he did. I'll check out his website after posting this.

Great fun for $24.

[mike]

Thanks Jim. I plan to play it this year sometime. Next time I visit the family.

[Nuffie]

I played Gerringong about a year ago whilst living in Wollongong. It was a course I played when it was only 9 holes, back in the late 80's/early 90's as a kid, being shown how to play golf with my grandparents.

The views are top class and the Fisho's club down the road is a great spot to stop at after the game. The course is quite undulative and this made a few drives/approaches quite interesting. But I didn't find the layout all that strong on some of the par 4's, for example on one of the hardest holes, I hit driver and then 8 iron onto the green. A few Par 5's were interesting holes, namely the 4th and 11th and I've heard the 110m par 3 that plays west on the back nine (think its the 17th) can play very long when the westerly blows. Whilst I was living in Wollongong I was a member of The Links - Shell Cove. I would still say that is easierly the toughest layout in the area. Gerringong's level of difficulty compares to Jamberoo, but as long as the wind doesnt blow.

The tee shot on the par 5, 4th is great and this was one of the better holes IMO. The Par 4 - 10th hole was a bit of a let down. I didnt take driver off the tee (hit 4 iron instead) but if I did it would have run over the hill and out of bounds. The greens were a bit on the slow side but there had been a bit of rain the days before I played there. Gerringong is worth a look but it's one of those tracks that rates easier than par so beware of that with your scoring, you need to be on your game. Wind adds a different dimension to this course, but fortunately it was still the day I headed out.

[Andrew]

Nuffie,

Gerringong needs to be taken for what it is - A fun, quirky seaside course.

[terrys]

Nice report, Jim. I was planning on going down on Sunday to play, but I picked up some hay on Monday from just the other side of the hill at South Gerringong and all their paddocks were waterlogged, so i thought it was best to wait until it dries out a bit. Your comments confirmed it!

[Nuffie]

Nuffie,

Gerringong needs to be taken for what it is - A fun, quirky seaside course.

That is exactly what Gerringong is, and it was a great experience when I played there. The air is so fresh off the ocean and views are unbelievable.

Forgive me for being very picky with my review, just I'm quite spoilt over here now in WA playing places like Kennedy Bay, Mount Lawley, Hartfield and Joondalup. When I lived in Sydney, I wasn't as fussy with where I played. I played at places like Fairfield and Georges River all the time.

[Andrew]

Forgive me for being very picky with my review, just I'm quite spoilt over here now in WA playing places like Kennedy Bay, Mount Lawley, Hartfield and Joondalup. When I lived in Sydney, I wasn't as fussy with where I played. I played at places like Fairfield and Georges River all the time.

Mate, I'm a member of Newcastle GC & still had a ball at Gerringong. :)

[Greeny]

Yeah sorry, I didn't take a pic from down the fairway towards the green. I wasn't originally taking the pics for a review and just liked the views!

Couldn't agree more though with you Andrew. A fun little seaside course with wonderful views. I think these inexpensive, fun little golf courses are disregarded too often. It is no high quality links but I'd play again in a second.