Eastlake tips?

[FuzzyJuzzy]

Playing Eastlake for the first time tomorrow morning before ducking over to The Australian.
Anyone got any tips for Eastlake, besides taking a packed lunch because rounds apparently take ages and there's no halfway house?
Cheers, FJ.

[Icestorm959]

hire a cart. otherwise the skybridge is a bitch.

[Captain Nemo]

Pm Wazandnic, he's a member there.

[Grunt]

Is the hut at 10 gone? was not bad last time i played there.
Has been SLOW for ever!!

Course is a big mix of old and new, older members hate the new holes. off the fairway it is very sandy and go more than 10 feet off and you have a lottery of an easy to find ball or one that just disappears.

One of the first courses I ever played as it was good for school sport where I would play 6 holes get to the part of the course close to home and keep walking.

[wazandnic]

Sorry just saw your PM fuzz. PM replied... will copy here also for anyone else that might be interested.

Course condition has really improved in the last couple of years, green keeper is the brother of the Bonnie Doon greenkeeper and both did a big stint in the US prior to taking up their gigs back here. But being brothers they feed off each other and I think they have done a great job trying to get the condition up. The new holes are not so noticeable anymore. Newest hole, Par 3 17th has just opened. Used to be a ridiculous par 3, but quite a nice hole now. They brought the green forward and closer to the lake and returfed everywhere. 1000x better hole.

Not too much long rough... but a couple of areas and lots of little water hazards that can swallow your ball. You can loose a ball pretty easy on nearly every hole!

Is a long walk though and whilst I rarely cart it, for a first time around a cart would prob help immensely. Halfway house hut is still out there and open on most days, at least Sat, Sun and Wed, I believe.


Anyway, heres what I wrote to FJ:

Course is pretty good nick at present I hope you enjoy it. Funny thing is, most people that play there, don't! Even I am not a massive fan, but it is ok sometimes!

It is a long walk and can wear you down easy. It's not a long course, as I witnessed in the first round of the champs recently were a C grader we were playing with off 21, shot 12 over off the tips and didn't carry a driver. If you can keep it straight you should go ok.

Quick rundown:

1st - short par 4. play right of centre of fairway so as not to blind side yourself with the trees on the corner. Only need a hybrid or mid to long iron off the tee.
2nd - playing a little shorter than normal as has some work going on near the old tee. Pretty straight up hole. Another hybrid long iron enough, but can have a lash with driver if you like. Right side of the green is quite deep, left narrow. Don't go over as a tough bunker over the back.
3rd - similar to second, couple of fairway traps come into play off the tee. Otherwise not much to it.
4th - par 5 over the hill. Aim at the post and bombs away. room left of the post although it is light rough. PLenty of room to the right. Tough fairway to hold. Green is the holes defence, fairly narrow front to back. Don't go long as bunker over there also tough to get up and down out of.
5th - driver aim at the bunker and bombs away. Slight draw will have you around the corner
6th - aim at the big white ball in the distance. Small creek runs about 30m short of the green which catches any balls trying to run it up.
7th - long par 5. More room in the landing area then appears from the tee. Can go across the corner of the thick stuff with no probs.
8th - tough hole. Aim at the bunker right with a 3W or hybrid. long green. A lot more bail out area right then appears from the fairway.
9th - straight up par 3. Dont go right as it can feed down to creek
10th - straight up par 4. Straight tee shot and birdie on the cards
11th - straight drive then solid iron. Again creek crosses fairway about 80m out form green not visible if you are in the trees and trying to chip out
12th. Tough hole especially if into wind. Long drive needed to clear a creek that crosses fairway. Alt a hybrid lay up if into the wind is not bad.
13th - good luck! hit the green and no probs!
14th - great hole with lots of options. Not long, can hit drievr at the green or hybrid into fairway and flip wedge
15th - Par 5. all visible from the tee. lots of bail out room right.
16th/17th solid par 3's. play them as you see them. 16 maybe take an extra club. 17 dont go left of green.
18th - bomb driver or 3W. OB right only real trouble.

Anyway, small summation. I look forward to hearing how you find it.

Cheers,
Waz

[Icestorm959]

This is a fantastic guide Waz

[mrbluu]

For mine 14 is the best hole on the course. Great to see the water coming into play on 17.

How long does 17 play waz??

[wazandnic]

Plays about 160 from the tips I think B, but plays down hill so not long, although plays straight into the nor-easter which will make it play longer... Played 150 last weekend. Long green with a few swails. Anything left will feed off into the lake. Bail out short right.

[mrbluu]

Sounds like a decent hole now.

[wazandnic]

Much much better. If they would only play the 13th <130m, the size of the green and landing area doesn't need it to play 164m, especially as its up hill... plus fill in the ditch across the 12th so you have a chance to hit driver up there, it will be a much better course. Lots of other things they could do but those two are easy and would make a huge difference IMO.

Yeah 14 and 15 are probably my favourite holes there. 5th, first hole over the road is becoming a favourite also. Bomb that drive and it's birdie time, but don't commit and can bring a lot of trouble into play. And I like 10 also, not much to it, but its a sleeper.

13th could be a great hole, if they played it shorter.

[meh]

I have played Eastlakes quite a bit. Very good tips. I actually liked the old 17th but I am sure I am in the minority.

Have recips at the lakes now so it's nice looking that way as opposed to looking west with envy.

[mrbluu]

12 and 13 are shit. The 12th green needs to be moved to bring the water into play.

I agree with 13 either playing it shorter or moving that green so there is some landing areas around the green. That synthetic drop zone is one of the dumbest things in golf.

15 was pretty good as well.

[wazandnic]

Yeah 12 just doesn't have any decent options off the tee, its generally a hit and hope. If you try to lay up you end up still with 300+m to go. I think it plays hard enough without bringing the water into play, just needs more landing area off the tee.

Yeah 13 at >130m is a crap hole. So much potential. Agree that drop zone is ridiculous. Doesn't come into play that much. Prob seen it used a handful of times in all the time I've been there. Got up and down from it once myself from memory though! ;)

[FuzzyJuzzy]

Thanks for the tips Waz. Really enjoyed the course.
1 is a nothing hole really.
2/3 are solid short 4s, nearly drove the green on 2, then pulled my drive over the fence and OOB on 3. These are the kind of results good short 4s should produce.
5 is a nice shortish uphill 4.
I like elevated tees - so teeing off on the 6th was fun.
8 is a lovely hole, reminds me a bit of hole 4 at The Lakes.
11 I thought was a solid 4.
That water on 12 is ridiculous - an 8-capper I played with hit 6-iron off the tee. I've never seen someone hit a mid-iron off the tee on a 500-odd metre par 5. I drove over it, but pulled it and nearly went in the stream anyways.
13 is a solid 3 - it was 150m to a back pin yesterday and I put a steady 7-iron middle-green. Playing it from 170-odd would be pants-wetting worthy, but I don't think it needs to be dropped down to 130m.
14 is an awesome hole - I wimped out and only hit hybrid off the tee, but I could certainly see myself pulling driver on that tee.
15 is the best 5 on the course - just ahead of 4, for me. By the way, does anyone aim for the fairway on the 4th tee? Seemed to make more sense to me to just aim left of fairway for the rough. The rough wasn't that bad, and you're guaranteed to get a flat lie, unlike on the fairway. Shortens the hole a bit too. Putting a bunker or water hazard down the left would make sense to me.
16/17 are both solid 3s.
Course was in tidy nick, fairways nice, greens true and decent speed, tee boxes all needed a big mow though.
The course was fun to play - I read somewhere on here a good while ago that Kogarah is a better course than Eastlake, but I'd take Eastlake over Kogarah any day.
Had 32pts after only having 7 through first six holes. Wasted shots on each of the last four holes.
I didn't mind the walk - neither did the 60-something year old member I played with. The members I played with were telling me how it was crossing the road before that big bridge was built - sounded like a bloody night mare!

[wazandnic]

Yep your pretty spot on with all that. You obviously hit it ok, so that reflects your comments perhaps. It's that sort of course.

Off the tips or fighting a southerly out or nor-easter in makes it a different beast.

My comments on 13th are purely as playing it into a breeze up that hill with no landing area makes it tough. Get the greens hard and I have seen many balls hit middle of the green and end up in the crap. I just think it doesn't need to play long especially as up hill and there are enough defenses around the hole to warrant playing it shorter.

Anyway glad you liked it. You'll have to see if you can convince Blu to get back there... it beat him up! ;)

And yeah I think I only played it once before they buitlt eh bridge. Walking actually wasn't was bad as there is a thin island in the middle of the road you could go half way and wait at. The island wasn;t big enough for a cart so if carting you had to do the dash across the 4 lanes!! Crazy stuff...

Cheers,
Waz