Laguna anyone know how the course is?

[hopeihitstraight]

Got to organize a golf day there, I heard that its gone down a bit is this true? Or if you can suggest another course in the area.

[BrettM]

Spoke with a rep during the week who called in there recently. They have 2 staff (un-qualified) mowing what they can. Greens are 90% weeds, rest of the course is no better.

Real shame as we put alot of work into the course in 1997/98 to get it to No. 1 Resort Course in Australia.

Bowen has a nice links style 9 holer on the beach which is fun to play. Only other 18 is Proserpine and Mackay. I read recently that Mackay lost over 400 trees in the cyclone recently, with another 200 damaged to a point.

[PeteyD]

Guys I played with on Saturday reckon it is a disgrace at the moment.

[pom]

Got to organize a golf day there, I heard that its gone down a bit is this true? Or if you can suggest another course in the area.
There are some recent photos on one of the other sites. The place is extremely run down & definitely not worth a visit. As for another course, depends on where you are & how far you wish to travel. Mackay is suffering a bit. still cleaning up after last months Cyclone. Bowen is not bad for a small 9 hole course. Proserpine is OK too. Nothing of real Quality unless you are prepared to pay big money for a round at the new Dent Island course.
Other options if travelling would be Townsville 3 courses or Cairns with 3 also . One being Paradise Palms.

[backintheswing]

I was at Mackay yesterday. It has recovered fairly well after the cyclone damage. Greens were good.

[hopeihitstraight]

Thanks all for the info

[Dazza]

As others have said, give it a miss. We went there after our wedding in Aug 08, and it was stuffed back then. Didn't bother playing, just hit some rangeballs. Even the range hitting area was stuffed. I rang the proshop beforehand, and they were still trying to charge the full rate.
Bit of a shame really.
There was talk of an Adam Scott designed course being built in an Aspen housing estate just south of Bowen (Plus motel/clubhouse & unit accomodation), but that was postponed indefinately because of the GFC. (And the fact they're not selling any blocks)
People are paying a premium for golf course frontage blocks, I'd be spewing if it got canned altogether.

[BrettM]

I hate posting these pics, but I took these in September 2011. We got it to No. 1 in 1998. Met my future wife there (she ran the conference and events department), got married there. The resort was exciting, vibrant and a great place to work.

Now, it's stuffed. The Lodge is shut with the roof falling apart in places. Someone please buy it and I'll go and fix it up for you. You will need to start again by taking 100mm off the top, trenching in new irrigation and re-grassing it. Golf is now run out of the little conference centre. The owner has recently purchased the Mirage in Port Douglas. Will it happen up there as well? Doubt he will let the resort get to the point Laguna is, but the golf course is already stuffed.

16 green:

15687

Behind 1 green:

15688

[Daves]

Who owns it now Brett? The failed Marriner development/ownership was its death knell. I can remember it well from the late 90s. Attended a few conferences there and its future looked positive back then.

[BrettM]

Daves, Marriner owns it still, unfortunately it is right at the point of no return if nothing is done shortly.

[PeteyD]

It is sad. Look at the Terranora Lakes thread over on OSG for more sadness.

[Sydney Hacker]

Brett, I may well of met you many years ago up there. It is a real shame about that joint, I used to love having a hit up there, the conditioning around the period you said was nothing short of amazing!

[mike]

The failed Marriner development/ownership was its death knell. Did its isolation have anything to do with it?

Miles from anywhere.

[BrettM]

It is sad. Look at the Terranora Lakes thread over on OSG for more sadness.

Yep that's another one which we can toss into the "I hope someone picks that up" basket. I went up there many years ago when I was working for Starwood Hotels as the plan was for a Sheraton there and a new course by Arnold Palmer. I've seen Graham Marsh's name mentioned, but Palmer had the gig when I spoke with the GM.

[Courty]

The owner has recently purchased the Mirage in Port Douglas.

That's interesting. How recently are we talking? I don't remember hearing anything locally about it.

[Dazza]

That's interesting. How recently are we talking? I don't remember hearing anything locally about it. www.realestatesource.com.au/david-marriner-pays-35-million-for-port-douglas-sheraton-mirage.html

[AlexMc]

The photos of Terranora were sad, however it was an average track at best. Turtle Point was a sensational track and I'm glad I played it when it was in its prime, because those photos are just devastating...

[Sydney Hacker]

Had to search hard to find this thread. I was reading the news on line today an article about Qld resorts that had closed down and I noticed that Laguna had finally closed their doors.

A little digging and I found the 2 websites below, it is a real shame and sad to see the place look like that. The conditioning in the 90's was nothing short of fantastic!

http://www.savelagunawhitsundays.info/Save_Laguna_Whitsundays/Welcome.html


http://www.dailymercury.com.au/news/resorts-snap-up-laguna-whitsundays-hospitality-sta/1286865/

[backintheswing]

I am just down the road from Laguna and it is definitely shut. Even for the last 2 years, the course has been in terrible nick. They were mowing the greens with a rough mower.

I remember watching a skins tournament there and just thinking how good it was. One of the best courses I have ever played.

[spanner039]

I had no idea it went this way, I do remember watching the skins and it was pretty amazing - damn shame

It was really the talk of turfies even in Melbourne at the time - was it 417 or something on the fairways?

[Sydney Hacker]

BrettM would be the best to answer that, he was one of the supers there at one stage I believe.

[solarman]

Yep, played 3 days in a row there, off different markers each time.
Every time it was vastly different, especially when the wind came up.
What a shame.

[BrettM]

Spanner039, the grass was 328 on tees, fairways and rough with TifDwarf on the greens. At their lowest in the first half of 1998 we were mowing fairways with ride on greens mowers at 4mm.

Solarman's got plenty of money, buy it Bob and I'll do it up for you.

[Dcanto]

Solarman's got plenty of money, buy it Bob and I'll do it up for you.Do it Bob.

[spanner039]

A nomination - New champs venue!!!!!!

And thanks BrettM

[BrisVegas]

Sad. Wonderful course, so glad I saw it before it deteriorated.

[Sydney Hacker]

Same, I got to play there alot in the mid to late 90's and it was a great place to have a hit.

[CobraSS]

Yeah I've played there for a weekend in 94 or 95 as a result of a bus trip organised by the Mission Beach Social golf club (when I was lucky enough to live up there), still rate it as the best golf course I have set foot on. The resort was great, and interestly it was the first time I discovered

20061

the first one was an aquired taste but it was amazing how quick the rest of them went down.

[Jay1]

Wow, what a depressing thread. Never got to play the course but heard nothing but positive reviews. It's a shame to see it seemingly go the same way as Kooralbyn.

[Nut]

Such a shame. It really was an amazing course. Still the best layout I've ever played, the 10th hole was ridiculous!