Great Ocean Road Golfing

[shazza_rs]

Hey guys,

So Pete and I are heading off to Tassie in March with the rest of the crew. Thinking of making a mini holiday out of it.

Plan is to fly to Adelaide for the CLIPSAL 500 (19-20 March). Then pick up a car and drive from Adelaide to Melbourne via the Great Ocean Road.

So that gives us from Monday 21st March - Thursday 24th March to do the drive. Thinking of playing golf along the way with rest days on Thursday and Friday before flying off to Tassie for 72 holes of golf over 2 days.

So there is

19-20 - Adelaide
21-24 - Adelaide to Melbourne
25 Fly to Launceston
26-27- Barny Dunes and Lost Farm

Anyone got recommendations of where to play along the way?

Have been looking around and have come up with Port Fairy, The Sands at Torquay and not much else.

Any help would be great.

Cheers

Shaz

[WBennett]

Shazza

I did the drive but bad weather stopped me playing. I still regret driving past Port Fairy and not being able to play....

Port Fairy would be a lock. Warrnambool looked ok as well if you have a spare afternoon, and its only 30 minutes down the road from PF.
13th Beach just south of Geelong might be worth the effort if you can get on the Beach Course, or you could look at Barwon Heads next door.

If you get a chance, do the helicopter flight over the apostles. We had a good deal and got two people on the last half hour flight of the day for $100 as there were two spare seats. Turned out the pilot went to school with me, just two years below!

[LarryLong]

Hey Shazza,

Port Fairy is the must-play on that trip, for sure. Benno is right about 13th Beach or Barwon Heads, although 13th is a bit pricey at $70 odd (Port Fairy is more like $30) and BH is hard to get on unless you stay there.

My tourist tip is to drive down the road to the Cape Otway lighthouse if you want to spot koalas - the trees along there are full of them.

[shazza_rs]

Thanks guys, I'll definitely put Port Fairy on the list.

[LeftyHoges]

Yep, definitely Port Fairy, if you don't play it your an idiot! (Sorry wbennett) :-)
If you'd like, I might even be able to take a day off work and have a round with you guys, give you a former club champs perspective! (More likely show you where not to go...)
Warrnambool and Portland are take 'em or leave 'em. You wont be disappointed with them, but you definitely wont be wowed either.

Most have been mentioned already though, The Sands, Barwon Heads or 13th beach all on the Bellarine Peninsula are your best bets. If you have trouble getting onto any of those, Lonsdale wasn't too bad either 10 years ago when I played it.

[petethepilot]

You have to play Barwon Heads. It is a very traditional club. Phone up before you go and get your club to send a fax. The first 6 holes are just like golf in Scotland! Check their website.

Well worth it!

Pete

[marcel]

Shaz,
Monday is the 21st, does this give you an extra day or still flying to Tassie on the Friday?

Do you prefer to play morning golf and travel, travel then arvo golf, or doesn't matter?

[shazza_rs]

Yeah got my dates mixed up. Have from 21-25 to get to melbourne. Flying to tassie on the Friday.

Don't really have a preference with regards to golf then drive or drive then golf. I'm pretty easy going there.

[marcel]

ok, I'd play somewhere in Adelaide Monday morning (RA, Grange W, Kooyonga, Glenelg)
Drive to Port Fairy (long day, about 600kms)
Play Port Fairy Tuesday morning. Tuesday night at Appolllo Bay or Lorne.
Spend Wednesday meandering eastward, perhaps overnight Queenscliff.
Play Barwon Heads Thursday morning (I know you mentioned rest day Thursday but this way you'd get a day and a half for the Great Ocean Road)

All dependent obviously on course availability. If you decide on the Adelaide option I am happy to check availability for you at the 4 courses mentioned.

As others have said, Barwon Heads and Port Fairy are the should plays. Others - Mt Gambier, Warnambool, Anglesea, 13th Beach (Beach Course). Haven't been to any of the others.

[peter_rs]

marcel... flights are booked can you look at the Adelaide options for us....RA would be nice but will take your advice.

[marcel]

will do.

[Moe Norman]

Anglesea is nice, and is a bit of fun. Don't make a special trip though. Barwon Heads and Port Fairy as everyone else has said are the must plays.

Other options are Mount Gambier & Millicent

[marcel]

marcel... flights are booked can you look at the Adelaide options for us....RA would be nice but will take your advice.

Pete,

unless there is a late corporate booking (most unlikely) you can get on RA from approx 7.15 on the 21st.

Let me know if you'd like me to organise it

[peter_rs]

Ok are both courses at 13th beach worth playing?

Monday- RA with Marcel
Tuesday- Port fairy
Wednesday- 13th creek
Thursday- 13th ocean
Friday- barwon heads
Sat- 2x lost farm
Sun- 2xbarny

[LarryLong]

Ok are both courses at 13th beach worth playing?

My take on it is that 13th Creek is good, but way overpriced - especially if you're also playing the Beach course and Barwon Heads.

Depends on whether you absolutely must play the premium tracks. If the answer is yes, Creek is probably the next best but I reckon you'll find the other two much better even though condition wise they are probably all about even. My advice would be to save yourself a few bucks, stay an extra day down Port Fairy way and play Warrnambool. I haven't played there, but I hear the course there is a nice country track and a night in Port Fairy would be nice. If you've already got the accommodation booked, you could maybe try one of the Bellarine Peninsula tracks - Curlewis, Lonsdale or Queenscliff. More like members' courses, but you'll save money and get to play a different style.

I played Barwon Heads a few weeks ago - it's a great course, and in brilliant nick.

Pretty nice itinerary you've got there! I can only dream of a cool golfing road trip like that.

[peter_rs]

Is the sands worth looking at then?

[Moe Norman]

no, it's terrible.

Stick with the 2 tracks at 13th

[Lagerlover]

Naracoorte in the morning, coonawarra wine tasting in the afternoon. Course in good nick when I was there Xmas time

[LeftyHoges]

Naracoorte in the morning, coonawarra wine tasting in the afternoon. Course in good nick when I was there Xmas time

Not a bad idea but you'd be better off playing Millicent over Naracoorte if you're in the general vicinity. But the coonawarra wines are fantastic and a great experience.


My advice would be to save yourself a few bucks, stay an extra day down Port Fairy way and play Warrnambool. I haven't played there, but I hear the course there is a nice country track and a night in Port Fairy would be nice. If you've already got the accommodation booked, you could maybe try one of the Bellarine Peninsula tracks - Curlewis, Lonsdale or Queenscliff. More like members' courses, but you'll save money and get to play a different style.

Have to disagree LL. Dont bother with Warrnambool if youre heading to Geelong area. Warrnie is OK but nothing memorable and nothing in comparison to Curlewis, Lonsdale or even Portarlington. I havent played Queenscliff so cant comment but have heard good reports...

[peter_rs]

Only one issue neither of us are wino's

[Jarro]

Ok are both courses at 13th beach worth playing?

Monday- RA with Marcel
Tuesday- Port fairy
Wednesday- 13th creek
Thursday- 13th ocean
Friday- barwon heads
Sat- 2x lost farm
Sun- 2xbarny

I really hate you guys .... do you know that !!

:p

[LarryLong]

Only one issue neither of us are wino's

Can't think of anything more boring than visiting a winery. They're all the same. Stick to the golf!

[WBennett]

13th Creek is way overpriced.

I was lucky enough to play both courses in a day with cart for $100 - each day has members on one track, visitors on the other - and if you are lucky you could play both. I got lucky!

[shazza_rs]

At the airport (way early).... Bring on barny!

[KristianJ]

Bumping this...

I'm on a road trip with my folks for a week and a half in April and doing the Great Ocean Road (possibly as far west as Portland). I've negotiated some golf time into the mix.

Port Fairy appears to be a lock, but given that my dad's a once a year golfer we'll probably play 9 holes only. Which 9 would be the best?

Also has anyone seen/played Apollo Bay recently, or are there any other more simple courses that would be okay for someone who hardly swings a club? Getting a round at 13th Beach, Sands, etc. probably isn't realistic, unfortunately.

[Hatchman]

It's doesn't get any simpler than Peterborough.

[marcel]

Back 9 at Pt Fairy

[wazamac]

Duck up to Cobden. About half an hour from Warnambool and has 12 holes. Where all of my family is so I played there a lot when I was a kid on holidays. It was only nine holes back then but has always been in great condition.
Hatchy and I was only discussing the area today.

[LeftyHoges]

Yep, Back 9 at PF, go to Peterborough and go to Cobden.

Don't bother with Colac, Camperdown, Timboon or Mortlake. Terang is OK. Warrnambool is not bad if you're looking for another track.

[KristianJ]

Back end of the comp was still going through so had to play the front 9. One day I'll get back out here and get a full 18 in.

Even still I enjoyed it. Fresh breeze with a couple of holes straight into the wind. Shot 41 with a 3 putt.