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Coffs_Hacker
14th June 2005, 03:42 PM
I used up a late Xmas prezzy today with a free round at Bonville shot a 83 which i'm stoked about. Here are some pics from each of the Tees. Sorry they aren't a bit better (Camera isn't that great for outside pics). Cloudy and rainy so the mountains in the background are hidden in fog :(

http://home.exetel.com.au/forsale/Bonville/1.jpg
hole1 (par4) creek right, crossing then left, dam in front of tees
http://home.exetel.com.au/forsale/Bonville/2.jpg
hole2 blind shot over hill (par4)
http://home.exetel.com.au/forsale/Bonville/2.5.jpg
hole2 second shot view over gully
http://home.exetel.com.au/forsale/Bonville/3.jpg
hole3 sweeping to the right(par4)
http://home.exetel.com.au/forsale/Bonville/5.jpg
hole5 dogleg left 270 to start of dogleg (par5)
http://home.exetel.com.au/forsale/Bonville/5.5.jpg
hole5 second shot view to green
http://home.exetel.com.au/forsale/Bonville/6.jpg
hole 6 (par3) dam to left
http://home.exetel.com.au/forsale/Bonville/7.jpg
hole 7 (par4)
http://home.exetel.com.au/forsale/Bonville/8.jpg
hole 8 (long par5) creek 100m out short
http://home.exetel.com.au/forsale/Bonville/9.jpg
hole 9 (par3) water short left and right
http://home.exetel.com.au/forsale/Bonville/10.jpg
hole10 (par4) OOB left
http://home.exetel.com.au/forsale/Bonville/11.jpg
hole 11(par5) bonville answer to snake hole windaroo creek crosses fairway 3 times with water down left
http://home.exetel.com.au/forsale/Bonville/12.jpg
hole 12 (par3)
http://home.exetel.com.au/forsale/Bonville/13.jpg
hole13 (par4) dogleg right water right of green
http://home.exetel.com.au/forsale/Bonville/14.jpg
hole 14 (par4) uphill
http://home.exetel.com.au/forsale/Bonville/15.jpg
hole15 (long par5) water all down left
http://home.exetel.com.au/forsale/Bonville/16.jpg
hole16 (par4) sharp dogleg right, water right & 3wood length straight and dam short green and left green (everywhere :) )
http://home.exetel.com.au/forsale/Bonville/17.jpg
hole 17 (par4) water left
http://home.exetel.com.au/forsale/Bonville/18.jpg
hole 18 (par5) long dogleg left, narrow drive
http://home.exetel.com.au/forsale/Bonville/18.5.jpg
hole 18 second shot view, water short and left

Hope this entices a few of u to visit one day

AndyP
14th June 2005, 03:50 PM
Awwww, man, I wanted to play there before.   Now I really want to play there.  =P~

It looks awesome, although quite scary.  Looking nice and green too.

------------

Moved this thread from the 1st Tee to Golf Matters area, although I think it is time we had a Course area. :-k

Fishman Dan
14th June 2005, 03:57 PM
Ditto that - it's very high on my "Must Play" list - independent course reviews aside. Being that it's 2 hours from the in-laws farm (Casino), it makes it hard to justify going all the way, to back-track 2 hours for a round of golf.

Those pics are great Coffs, excellent stuff. Spectacular site with those trees going vertical next to the fairways.

Looks quite damp there, no run on the fairways?

amanda
14th June 2005, 04:14 PM
Wow - great pics and a great score! Were you the only one out there? I didn't see any other golfers in the pics.

BrisVegas
14th June 2005, 06:42 PM
Good work Craig. I didn't think you'd take that many pics!!! Can't wait to play it one of these days. Hopefully next time you're up we can get that game at Brookwater sorted so you can see the similarities. On the face of it I'd say Bonville has an edge in conditioning, but a little less intimidating green complexes.

Those trees are amazing! Make sure you watch the coverage of the US Open this week. Pinehurst #2 looks just like that on many holes! :shock:

Jarro
14th June 2005, 06:49 PM
great looking course 8)

markTHEblake
14th June 2005, 06:58 PM
makes you wonder how they can successfully map out a golf course on that terrain when obviously they cant see it visually.

Courty
14th June 2005, 09:24 PM
Wow, that is an awesome looking course. 83 looks to be a super score from where I'm sitting :shock:

Just out of curiosity, how much does a round cost there?

Ona
14th June 2005, 10:44 PM
dito on the awesome looking course, and in a word, quoting Fishy.. DAMP :shock: We've just had the first heavy rain for the year last night, a month or two like that and we might see conditions like those down here... without the spectacular setting :?

nice pics thanks for the effort :D

gazgolf1
15th June 2005, 02:45 AM
looks toit. :o

Jarro
15th June 2005, 05:52 AM
does look a little Brookwater-ish ..... but in saying that, i think a lot of those tee shots look a little more daunting than Brookwaters (no offence Dion)

that 5th hole looks insane :shock:

Jono
15th June 2005, 08:11 AM
does look a little Brookwater-ish ..... but in saying that, i think a lot of those tee shots look a little more daunting than Brookwaters (no offence Dion)

that 5th hole looks insane  :shock:

I had the chance to play Bonville then Brookwater 1 day apart.  I shot 79 at Bonville then 87 at Brookwater.  IMO, Brookwater is much tougher.  Bonville is a very pretty course and it has often been compared to Augusta, but it's relatively short.  Also, the greens aren't as daunting as Brookwater.

Couple of people mentioned the course looking damp.  I played on a fine day, teeing off around 8am.  Because of the tall trees, the fairways were wet until the sun finally dried out the morning dew half way through the back nine.  I would recommend a later morning tee time.

AndyP
15th June 2005, 08:32 AM
Possible road trip discussion moved here:
http://ozgolf.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2295

Eag's
15th June 2005, 08:43 AM
Wow!! that is one nice looking track :shock:

Anonymous
15th June 2005, 04:30 PM
I have played both Bonville and Brookwater quite a few times. Bonville is much easier than Brookwater. At Brookwater the greens are faster and guarded by very deep bunkers and the forest lining Brookwater is much thicker.
One thing about Bonville is check the condition of the greens. They were shocking for years as they planted the wrong stuff (for the climate) and were tight with the money looking after them. I'm told they've improved but that was an article in Golf Australia mag where they only ever say good things (don't want to upset potential advertisers). Did anyone read this months driver review? Every single driver was good :roll:

Fishman Dan
15th June 2005, 05:14 PM
After chatting to them today, this person said that some money is going into keeping the course pristine, and enhancements surrounding the course. Money problems have always been an issue there.


Did anyone read this months driver review? Every single driver was good

I recall reading a post on ISG years ago from someone who did a ball review for one of the Australian golf mags. To quote from the article (and i remember reading it) - "If this ball was a car, it would be a Camira". It was the last ball review he ever did.

AndyP
16th June 2005, 10:29 AM
looks toit. :o
It almost looks like you have to shape your shots off the tee, with the ways some of those trees are encroaching, and the way the fairways are aligned.

Speirsy11
19th June 2005, 04:51 PM
does look a little Brookwater-ish ..... but in saying that, i think a lot of those tee shots look a little more daunting than Brookwaters (no offence Dion)

that 5th hole looks insane  :shock:

As pretty as Bonville is, it's no Brookwater. Bonville would be a great place to play every day, because you could have days where you go low since all the par 5's are very reachable, and the par 3's not too daunting. Brookwater is MUCH tougher, especially around the greens. You might go a little crazy playing Brookwater every day, because even if you got hot, you could still shoot some high numbers.

I played both, and played pretty well at both, and Brookwater was at least 4 shots harder for me. I was 69 at Bonville and 75 at Brookwater, and I think I hit it better at Brookwater.

Still worth playing if you are in the area though.......it's GORGEOUS

Speirsy

Speirsy11
19th June 2005, 06:24 PM
Somethings not adding up here Spiersy....all I read are low numbers and your handicap is what ????...6 or something ???

3

And they aren't that low when they make you play from the middle tees. Plus, I played Bonville a few years ago when I could still play a little.....I was off scratch at the time....I played Brookwater in Feb. at the end of a 2 week golf bender. My first 9 holes of the 2 weeks was a smooth 43 at Royal Sydney and I gradually got better.......

Speirsy

Deano
19th June 2005, 08:38 PM
"Bonville is much easier than Brookwater"

Agreed :wink:

Bonville is fantastic,only played there once so far.
Back around xmas.

As posted earlier,you could play the course everyday
and never get bored....or pole-axed Brookwater style :lol:

Deano

Jarro
19th June 2005, 08:41 PM
OK, well looks like my initial view on Bonville was pretty much off the mark :oops:

.. looking at the pictures above though, it looks as though the fairways are narrower and longer than the ones at Brooky ... must be the pic's doing them an injustice :?

BrisVegas
20th June 2005, 08:01 AM
I played both, and played pretty well at both, and Brookwater was at least 4 shots harder for me. I was 69 at Bonville and 75 at Brookwater, and I think I hit it better at Brookwater.


75. Damn! :shock:

Onewood
20th June 2005, 08:21 AM
Wow - great pics and a great score!  Were you the only one out there?  I didn't see any other golfers in the pics.

amanda, Blakey was on the 5th and 8th :wink: :D

I had a week playing this course and as someone said it is a pleasure to play every day 8) you stand near those trees and they are so tall :shock:

Great course and a must to play :P

markTHEblake
20th June 2005, 08:54 AM
good call.

BrisVegas
2nd September 2005, 06:51 AM
Well CoffsHacker, now that you've played them both... what's your assessment of the Bonville v Brooky argument??

As I mentioned to you on Monday, I hope you come back and play it again. You were flushing it and only found trouble on a few holes. Still can't believe you wanted to play the black tees and then backed it up by flushing driver down the middle and putting a short iron in the middle of the green on the 1st hole. Love your work. #2 bit you on the arse though, eh?

Coffs_Hacker
2nd September 2005, 08:17 AM
After playing both I'm still not sure, need to play both many more times :P

Prob leaning towards brooky as a better course layout, greens are excellent along with the shape and size of the bunkers as well as the sloping fairways and hills. Think it would be a great course with more rain to liven it up, Didn't care for the scrub style rough but thats just the area it is built in i spose.

Yes bris #2 got me but thats prob why I have a high handicap, if i think I have the slightest, smallest, miraculous of reaching a green in 2 then i will try :D

Thanx for the round bris and brooky17

AndyP
30th November 2006, 08:41 PM
I've played the course now, and absolutely loved it. It's just the sort of course that I like, where the surroundings are stunning. It was a nice relaxing social round, with just Coffs_Hacker and myself and noone in front of us, so that always helps with the enjoyment of a round.

One thing that is different to Coffs photos is that the 2nd hole was out of play, and replaced with a spare hole, which still held it's own, this was the 17th. All the hole numbers were adjusted for this.

We hit off at 7am, so the course was a bit dewey, but not too bad and the overcast conditions for a lot of the round didn't help. The course was very green, but I didn't think it was that soft. I'm not sure how much rain they have had in Coffs, but there had been a little bit while I was down there.

I can't comment on the condition of the greens, as they had just had a light renovation and were rather shaggy, bumpy and sandy.

The fairways were pretty wide in most places, although some holes either require you to club down off the tee or shape the ball. We played off the white tees mostly, with a few tee shots from the back markers.
If you are having a good day off the tee, you are well on your way to a good round.

I'll agree with the comments that it is a short course, as I never felt overly tested for distance. The par 5s felt especially short, although most challenged the 2nd shot if you wanted to go for it, with a hazard in front of the green.

I paid $79 down from the normal midweek $99, because of the renovated greens. I wouldn't want to pay much more for a round of golf though, so it could be a once off visit to Bonville. However, as both CH and I posted earlier this year, they had a week of golf in June that was $65 incl carts in a comp. Next years could be something to keep an eye on.

The photos I have probably don't add too much to what CH has provided, although the lighting may have been a bit better in stages for us. Have a look anyway.
I've just set up a google album with a few pics. I've kept the file size down and I've added some captions too, so slideshow might be a good option.
http://picasaweb.google.com/andrewpholden/Bonville281106

FWIW I had a 1 under handicap, 82 nett 71.

http://lh6.google.com/image/andrewpholden/RW6oWIHTGVI/AAAAAAAAAAg/J7MtG8zBAtU/1%20-%20Bonville%20Hole%202.jpg

Ducky
30th November 2006, 09:08 PM
Sweet looking course, I wouldn't agree with them comparing it to Augusta though.

Edit: Haha, seven wood! ;)

Moe Norman
30th November 2006, 09:26 PM
Brooky shits on Bonville.

i won't bother trying to justify this stance.

Fishman Dan
1st December 2006, 07:59 AM
We wouldn't bother asking you to. But i'm still interested to know.

From what i gather, Bonville is an opportunistic course set in awesome natural growth area. Brookwater was sculpted from a somewhat open landscape (i.e. bought by a corporation with a view to destroying anything they had to) with Mr Norman bankrolling it.

Bonville was built in 1992. Brookwater opened in 2002.

I'd still prefer to play Bonville over Brooky.

BrisVegas
1st December 2006, 09:46 AM
From what i gather, Bonville is an opportunistic course set in awesome natural growth area. Brookwater was sculpted from a somewhat open landscape (i.e. bought by a corporation with a view to destroying anything they had to) with Mr Norman bankrolling it.

I'd still prefer to play Bonville over Brooky.

Nothing could be further from the truth. Brookwater was "found" in some of the ugliest, thickest and hilliest scrub in SEQ. It still amazes me they managed to route it... Brookwater also has the most generous buffer zones between housing and fairways of any course I've ever seen, so you often don't even know you're in a residential development.

Bonville looks nice, but seems more open than Brooky from the pictures. Come to Qld Dan and I'll take you around Brookwater so you can make an informed opinion.

Jarro
1st December 2006, 09:54 AM
IF you decide to take vegas up on his offer Fishy, make sure you take plenty of pills as well ;)

dc68
1st December 2006, 10:03 AM
Brookwater was "found" in some of the ugliest, thickest and hilliest scrub in SEQ.


And it has not changed since they put some tees and greens amongst it.





;)

Moe Norman
1st December 2006, 10:11 AM
It still amazes me they managed to route it... Brookwater also has the most generous buffer zones between housing and fairways of any course I've ever seen, the most generous for a course of that type for sure. Not sure it would be the most generous of all courses you have seen, particularly those with no housing surrounding!

Bonville is a beautiful location with 18 holes of very little strategic interest. Brooky is not as beautiful, but the golf is far more interesting and fun.

Fishman Dan
1st December 2006, 10:19 AM
Bonville is a beautiful location with 18 holes of very little strategic interest. Brooky is not as beautiful, but the golf is far more interesting and fun.

That's what i was after Moe. Well not substantiated ;)

To me golf is the scenery as well as the challenge. Being off 17, i find most goat tracks a challenge!

Vegas - i don't have much leave this Christmas, but if there's an inkling of a chance to come to Brisbane for a drive from Casino, i'm there.

Moe Norman
1st December 2006, 11:10 AM
i'm not talking challenge I'm talking interest.

BrisVegas
1st December 2006, 11:15 AM
the most generous for a course of that type for sure. Not sure it would be the most generous of all courses you have seen, particularly those with no housing surrounding!

Yeah, true. I was thinking of courses where the housing seems to be hard up against the fence line and always in your view. Not to pick on North Lakes, but it was one that sprang to mind where the houses intrude on the course...

Give it time they may become more apparent at Brookwater. Mirvac bought a chunk of land on the front nine, near the 4th & 5th, so who know what will end up along there??? could be high rise apartments... :shock:

AndyP
1st December 2006, 11:18 AM
Does every course need to be compared to Brookwater?
I've enjoyed both courses, and don't feel the need to make comparisons.

BrisVegas
1st December 2006, 11:20 AM
they're similar style courses, often compared by golfing journalists. It was inevitable.

Fishman Dan
1st December 2006, 11:38 AM
Does every course need to be compared to Brookwater?

No. I've always thought Royal Melbourne composite to be a good barometer. Goes like this - if it's not Royal Melbourne, and/or designed by Dr Mackenzie, then it's already struggling.