Courses to play in Perth

[just]

Hi
I'm going to Perth at Xmas bi-annual in-laws visit for a couple of weeks. I'm looking for recommendations on courses to play. So far I'm looking at:

The Vines-extremely close to in-laws and Joondalup, although both of these options green fees seem like highway robbery, and the Cut and Kennedy Bay, further to go but cheaper. I'm leaning towards the Cut and Kennedy Bay option at the moment.

I've already played Albany, my No 1 course in Australia - that I've played anyway-and unfortunately not likely to be able to do it again this time.

Any hidden gems that I need to look at?

Just

[raidrboy]

Just,

The Cut is well worth the drive and, I thought Meadow Springs was quite good value. It is a couple of years since I played there but I think mid-week green fees were around $40. It is about 40 minutes South of Perth but it is advisable to book in advance.

[Andrew]

If you are looking for a true hidden gem, try Binningup Golf Club.

It's only a 9 hole course, but is extremely well routed & designed. Simple, but lovely.

It's pretty cheap to play, as well.

[Speirsy11]

If you are looking for a true hidden gem, try Binningup Golf Club.

It's only a 9 hole course, but is extremely well routed & designed. Simple, but lovely.

It's pretty cheap to play, as well.

Don't waste the drive....I live about 20 minutes from Binninup and it's in horrible shape right now. They've had a lot of trouble with the greens and tees, it's not worth it.

I'd lean towards The Cut as choice #1, it's a great course, very tough but fair. If you hit good shots you'll score well. Play it after 3pm and it's only $30 with a cart....Best price in Golf......

Kennedy Bay is great as well, but very difficult......About $55 last time I played there. Also worth it......

Secret Harbour is also supposed to be a very good track in Mandurah (I'm playing here in 2 weeks, I'll try and get a review up ASAP.....), so if you get 2 days down there, you can go Secret Harbour/Cut AM/PM, then Meadows/Kennedy the next........It'd be 2 great days of golf for under $200 total.........

In Perth, there are lots of good ones, but very expensive......See if you can find a way noto The WA Golf Club in Yokine. Nice 75yr old course that runs up and across hills in Perth's North West. Royal Perth is good, but not great......Araluen is very good but dear, as are the Vines and Joondalup.......

If you make it down to the South West, try Bunbury GC, its well routed through the trees and has some of the best greens you'll see......And you already know about Albany.........

If you get here before Dec 18th, let me know....I'm in Canada and Japan from Dec 18-Jan 22......

Speirsy

[Courty]

I'm hoping to play Kennedy Bay this Sunday. I'll give you my verdict afterwards (assuming I get on). If not, I will be trying Secret Harbour, and maybe this place called 'The Cut' (never heard of it). :???:

[Speirsy11]

I'm hoping to play Kennedy Bay this Sunday. I'll give you my verdict afterwards (assuming I get on). If not, I will be trying Secret Harbour, and maybe this place called 'The Cut' (never heard of it). :???:

I'm going to be in Mandurah too, planned on playing The Cut or Secret.....Shoot me a PM if you want to catch up for a round, or beer.....

Speirsy

[wavemaker]

If you are going to the vines, try and get hold of Paul Smith. [Golf Guru elsewhere] He lives at the Vines, He is a top bloke and may even be able to get you on as a guest.

[Speirsy11]

Courty

All set, booked at Kennedy Bay 1:10pm........Ring my mobile and we'll get it all set. I'm onto a friend about a set of clubs for you, I'll see what I can do......Hope you can hit blades :p

Speirsy

[AndyP]

This could be the first WA OZgolf day.

[Courty]

Sounds like it might be. Maybe I should start a thread in the 1st tee forum to see if anyone else wants to join us. ;) :roll:
If only the 2 of us play, is that enough to get some money in the Player of the Year event? I might still be in with a chance. :lol:

[Courty]

The Vines-extremely close to in-laws and Joondalup, although both of these options green fees seem like highway robbery, and the Cut and Kennedy Bay, further to go but cheaper. I'm leaning towards the Cut and Kennedy Bay option at the moment.

If you're gonna play Kennedy Bay, bring your A+ game. It is absolutely brutal.:smt087

[just]

I am going over on the 18 th December and I have checked with the in-laws and they are going to let me borrow a car so I can get a few games in, given it will be the Xmas period I think I will start making some bookings now.
Kennedy Bay was difficult Courty? Unfortunately I only have a C game but I am willing to give it a go. What was the cost if you don't mind me asking?
My plan at this stage is to play The Cut and Kennedy Bay in one day. Apart from being hard what did you think of the course?
Thanks
Just

[Courty]

Kennedy Bay was difficult, but I made it more difficult than it needed to be.
That said, I'm still glad I played it as I don't get the opportunity to play Top 100 courses very often.
The course was great, and presented a challenge with every single shot
I played. I know nothing about arkitekcha, so I won't comment on the design or layout. However, each hole runs in a different direction from the last, so pay special attention to the wind direction. Stay away from the bunkers. They may be small, but there are lots of them, and you have no shot if you find yourself in one.
Green fees were $60.

If you're not gonna bring your A game, just make sure you bring a couple dozen balls. :???:

[Speirsy11]

Here's the rub with Kennedy Bay......It's not enough to avoid the rough, if you don't you'll lose LOTS of balls as anything off the fairway is 85% certain to be gone. If not lost, then 90% unplayable. The fairways are wide, but really punish you if you miss them.......You need to be in the right part of the fairway. This goes for off the tee, as well as in the lay up areas of par 5's and where you miss greens......a good example is the par 4 9th. It plays in the area of 410m, but bunkers (small deep pot bunkers) run diagonally across the right side of the fairway. I hit a drive dead straight down the guts, but it caught the last bunker and I couldn't reach the green (140m) as I was hitting wedge to the 85m mark to get out of it. Next time I play there, I'll be hitting 2 irons off the tee and 5 iron in instead of trying to fly it 285m over the bunkers (which brings trees/bush into play on the other side). It's all about placement and the margins for error are not large.........When you play there notice the lay up regions on par 5's. If you miss the perfect spot, the fairways will run towards bunkers or swales making your 3rd shot very tough. If you hit it in the right spot, an easy flat lie awaits.......No more swiping at a 7 iron without thinking on your lay up.....(buy a course guide....it'll save you more than a few strokes and it's a great little souvenir for $3.50)

If you're a fan of real golf, you'll love this place. You cannot see other holes from the one you are playing, you rarely see other groups, and it challenges each and every shot you hit. If you are a fan of breaking your handicap and hate it when you don't, then stay away. This is a course that rated 78 in the members comp on Sat, so there is obviously local knowledge required to break 80. It is golf at it's best to me........

The Cut is similar in that it is a challenging track that rewards good placement and management, but goes about it differently. You'll find that the greens at the cut are more severe (but less subtle....the greens at KB are very tough to read since the breaks are small.....The breaks at the Cut are huge but tough to make) but the rough less penal (in so far as lost ballsare concerned...playing from the rough at both courses in nasty). The front nine at The Cut is good, but the back nine is spectacular (both nines are visually spectacular as they have many ocean views but the front runs through houses for a bit which kinda sucks). You'll find that #10-12 is an amazing run, as is 14-15 and 17-18.....Only the two par 3's disappoint on the back to me......

You'll have a great time at both, but you'll find that one does it for you more than the other. The big debate in the area is "which is better, KB or Cut?".......You'll get good answers from both sides, a few guys (like me) who really enjoy both and find the good in both, and some that think we're all crazy and prefer Secret Harbour (easier to play every day as it is less punishing while still being a great track).

Have fun, I'm sorry I'll be on a plane home and can't join you that day, it'll be great.

Speirsy

[BrisVegas]

Can't wait to play KB & The Cut, I've heard nothing but good things about both of them.

[gregorywannabe]

Hey Speirsy and Courty, how were the fairways and greens at KB in terms of firmness? I played there a few weeks ago (on an extremely windy day) and found that some tee shots could land on the fairway and take quite big bounces into the rough. Same with the greens, big bounces and quite hard to hold, particularly downwind. Not easy to bump and run either as most greens sit raised with large runoffs into swales/bunkers. I don't mean this to sound like a complaint, I loved the course. But geez that rough/scrub is brutal!

[AndyP]

Nice to hear from you, gwb. You're in WA, aren't you? I was thinking Speirsy was our only member over there.

[Speirsy11]

Hey Speirsy and Courty, how were the fairways and greens at KB in terms of firmness? I played there a few weeks ago (on an extremely windy day) and found that some tee shots could land on the fairway and take quite big bounces into the rough. Same with the greens, big bounces and quite hard to hold, particularly downwind. Not easy to bump and run either as most greens sit raised with large runoffs into swales/bunkers. I don't mean this to sound like a complaint, I loved the course. But geez that rough/scrub is brutal!

Gotta love links golf right? Very firm when we played, just as that course is designed to be......If it was soft and fluffy the fairways would be way too wide and you could eat it alive......But firm and fast and it's the hardest course in the state.......

[gregorywannabe]

Nice to hear from you, gwb. You're in WA, aren't you? I was thinking Speirsy was our only member over there.

Yep, sure am. Been lurking a fair bit with not many posts. Guess I haven't really had much to say!

[Iain]

Yep, sure am. Been lurking a fair bit with not many posts. Guess I haven't really had much to say!

Don't worry about that, we've got Jarro to post crap when he doesn't have anything worthwhile....

[just]

Just an update.

Booking a game at The Cut. Should be good - looking forward to it. I will play others based on cost and time available, probably suburban tracks but may try to fit in the Vines since I am going to be staying close.

[AndyP]

Mmmm, sounds good. Maybe you should PM our new member, Johnny Canuck for a game.
It depends on whether you can handle the accent though.

[Johnny Canuck]

let me know if you are still thinking about playing kennedy. my availability is good (not working many hours til the new year), and I can get you on for half price as a guest. i can also offer some course advice that should save you another $$$ in golf balls.

[Courty]

Just, still take heaps of balls. Being told exactly where to hit it still wasn't enough for me. I lost 9 balls in my round there even with Speirsy's directions. :oops:

[Johnny Canuck]

i have a "rock box", which is an old tomato box that i store all of my top flights, etc.. that i always dip into when i bring a guest. kind of eases the pain a little bit.

[just]

Johnny
If you are happy to play with a super chopper who has a handicap in the twenties( on the upside I play reasonably fast and I don't chuck clubs) then I would be interested in playing Kennedy Bay with you.

I would be available Wednesday 20th Dec, Thur 21st Dec, Sun 24th Dec, Wed 27th, Thur 28th Dec and Fri 28th. If any of these days suit you and you don't mind having a laugh at my golf game send me a PM and we can arrange a time.

Many thanks
Just

[Johnny Canuck]

i will let you know a little closer to the dates, but more than likely wed the 20th or thurs the 21st should work.
i'll get back to you as soon as i have a better idea.
jc

[peter_rs]

OK I'm over there two and would love a game.

[AndyP]

How many of you are there?

just, I'm jealous of the courses you look like playing.

[Johnny Canuck]

no problem peter. we'll arrange something. can we get a forth?