Brooky Over-rated?

[MatthewM]

I post this with some hesitancy, as I've not yet seen the course (hope to before year's end).

A friend played Brooky yesterday and was very unimpressed.
He expected lots and said Brooky delivered precious little.

This has come from a very good mate with a good eye for courses.

He said it's too long and pretty boring.

Surely this guys off his rocker?

Please tell me so.

Matt

[McMw]

matt, do you still intend to play the course???

if so - why bother with that person's opinion?!?!?

you like it, good...
you don't, don't play it next time around...


I've played quite a few courses that was sooo generously rated - at the end of the round, I couldn't help but feel robbed... :lol: :lol: :lol:

[Jarro]

MatthewM, i think your mate has got it all wrong.

One word i would never use to describe Brookwater is "boring" :roll:

Be your own judge and do yourself a favour and try and come up and play the course.. it's worth it 8)

[Iain]

I've played there only once, and that was last year sometime, so I can't really remember it that well, but I don't think I would use boring or even long (Although I did play from the middle markers) to describe it?

But, since I'm playing there on Thursday I'll let you know... :lol: :lol:

Iain

[cazandpaul]

Brookwater is never boring but it is tough with no holes available for a breather - how did your mate play? I always find the worse I play the less I like the course :oops:

[andylo]

Brookwater is never boring but it is tough with no holes available for a breather - how did your mate play? I always find the worse I play the less I like the course :oops:

:lol: :lol: :lol:

The only one time I played in Brookwater (Jan this year, I think) is quite challenging, even I wasn't playing well (I was still learning and use irons ONLY).

Don't really think it's long and no way it's boring. The view of the course is stunning and I still want to go again and again.

[BrisVegas]

Matthew,

Give it a go for yourself when you come up. Everyone's opinion is different and is usually based on how they played that day.

I've played there probably 10-12 times in the past 2 years and can't wait to play it again. I've also played a few of the world's "top" golf courses and Brooky holds it's own. My best score around there is 79 from the tips, which I was VERY happy with. It always manages to bite you somewhere or other....

There are a heap of dramatic elevation changes, very strong bunkers (visually intimidating and high-lipped), slick greens and it's long enough to challenge the big hitters from the tips. Despite many of the fairways funnelling the ball back to the middle, there are few chances to overpower it with aggressive tee shots.

I'm biased of course, but I'd say it's as good as National Old & Moonah Courses. In many ways, it plays like a blend of the two. It's only my opinion of course... :wink:

[gazgolf1]

Hated it the one time I played it, tricked up,bad greens,bark gardens right beside the fairways. :x
Admittedly I played crap on the day and had some problems with upstart course marshalls but there are a heap of courses around SE Qld that I would play before Brookwater.
I don't like to bag a golf course too much after only 1 round so I'll probably play Brooky again in the next 12 months and I hope I'm wrong.

Bris,
which courses are you saying that Brookwater holds it's own against?

[BrisVegas]

Bris,
which courses are you saying that Brookwater holds it's own against?

pm sent.

[BrisVegas]

I didn't want to post them all, as I don't want to come off as boasting. I've been lucky to have lived in the USA for a few years and made it my mission to play as many good courses as I could. Mostly I played in and around charlotte, North Carolina, where I lived. Took heaps of weekend trips away and a few vacations to cover as many other places as I could. Anyway, you don't care about that.... You just want me to drop some names... :roll:

St Andrews Old Course
Pebble Beach
Pinehurst No. 2
Kiawah Ocean Course :smt118
Bay Hill
TPC Sawgrass
TPC Scottsdale (Stadium & Desert courses)
TPC Las Colinas (Dallas, Tx)
TPC Myrtle Beach
Harbour Town at Hilton Head
Lancaster Country Club
Champions Gate
Orange County National
Tanglewood
Myrtle Beach National
North Shore Country Club, North Carolina
20-30 other resort courses at Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
40+ courses in and around Charlotte, North Carolina
approx. 10 courses in Maryland, DC, Virginia and Pennsylvania

I haven't ticked off many of Aus's top tracks yet, but a few I have played include..
Hope Island
Lakelands
Palm Meadows
Royal Pines
Sanctuary Cove Palms
Robina Woods
Pelican Waters
Twin Waters
Hyatt Coolum
The Grand
Indro West
Brisbane
RQ
Keperra
Laguna Whitsunday
The Vintage
The National - Moonah & Old
Moonah Links - both courses
Dunes
Portsea
Launceston
Tasmania

There are only one or two of that list I'd rate as better or tougher courses... probably Kiawah and Pinehurst. I think Pinehurst is most like Brookwater, except that the greens there are tricked up too much. Brooky has similar domed style greens, but nearly ALL of Pinehursts are inverted bowls. Off the tee, they are both pretty similar. Pinehurst has straw under the trees as well (so does Augusta). Pinehurst, like Brooky is all about the iron shots into greens. I hit the ball great at Pinehurst and hit nearly every green from the tips and still had 86.... Pinehurst was US$375 last time I looked. I played it on Dec 31 1999 for $225 at "standby rate".

Kiawah is simply the hardest course I have ever played. If you watched the PGA just gone at Whislting Straits, well, Kiawah is much the same. Pete Dye designed it for the Ryder Cup in 1992. They called it the "War at the Shore". I played the second set of tees, as they would only let pro's and invited scratch amateurs play the tips. Even then, there were some holes where I simply couldn't carry it far enough to the fairways when playing into the sea breeze. I don't know what score I had at Kiawah, as I lost too many balls. Thankfully the (mandatory) caddy found enough for our group to complete 18 holes. I'd play Kiawah again in a heartbeat, but at US$300+ I'd have to win lotto.

Pebble Beach was pretty easy, despite the strong wind and rain. I triple-bogeyed the last for an 80.

St Andrews Old was great, but purely for the history. There was not much wind the day I played, so it played easy. I had 78 with about 6 lip-out birdies...

So there you go. That's my perspective. Happy now ??? :smt024

[AndyP]

BrisVegas, you are such a braggart. :P

That's still a good list of Aussie courses you've got there. 8)

[BrisVegas]

BrisVegas, you are such a braggart. :P


=;

[AndyP]

Thanks very much Andy. That's just the sort of comment I expected. :smt016
You left the door open.

So anywho, I think Brookwater is great. And I've had a good round and an absolute shocker there.
I can't decide if I like Brookwater or National Old better. :?

[BrisVegas]

Well, seeing as MatthewM wants to know if Brooky is over-rated..... I'd say Brooky is the better course, but National is better situated. :wink: Let's see... Waterfront at Mornington Peninsular vs. Sweltering gulleys at Ipswich.... :roll:

Anyway, time for bed. Catch ya later