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Thread: Tathra (NSW)

  1. #1
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    Default Tathra (NSW)

    For those who haven't played Tathra, you're missing out on one of the best 9 hole courses in the country. There are 2 other holes they swing into the round, one on each 9, but the layout flows effortlessly over native sand dunes beside the Bega River. My wife grew up there so I have been playing it for 15 years now, full membership is great value at around $150 per year. The addition of effluent water to the course a few years ago has done wonders with an unlimited supply. Course staff total 2 fulltime and a part timer during summer. Grasses are kikuyu tee/fairways and seaside bent/poa greens which are putting pure. It is also a fine example of using the contours and not having to rely on bunkers everywhere. There are probably 7 - 8 bunkers on course.

    Opening tee shot:



    Second to Par 5 2nd:



    2 green (Bega River behind):



    Approach to long Par 4 5th (doubles as Par 5 15th):



    Second to Par 5 7th (green is lower right):



    Par 3 9th:



    Tee shot on 10:



    Only let down is the 8th which the club built in house around 5 - 6 years ago. Whilst still having the nice rolling features of the property, it is a non-descript Par 4 with a sharp dogleg left around the 180m mark leaving around 130m in. Someone with a bit of influence could suggest some tree clearing on the inside replaced by some hollows so the lower marker can take it on a bit more.

    Well worth the visit if you are ever down that way. Around 20 minutes east of Bega.
    And the mayor announced from Thursday on should not be shat into the creek anymore, because on Saturday beer is brewed.

  2. #2
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    Heard good things about it.
    Some nice tracks down that way.
    Pambula is sposed to be a great track too?

  3. #3
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    Haven't played Pambula but have been in there a few times. It's fairly flat compared to Tathra, well suited to retirees. The other courses nearby are struggling (Bega, Tura Beach, etc).

    Here's what the greens are like at present:

    And the mayor announced from Thursday on should not be shat into the creek anymore, because on Saturday beer is brewed.

  4. #4
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    Looks nice!

    Pambula rocks too!
    In the bag

    Taylormade Stealth 2 9.0 - AD DI 7X, Taylormade Sim 5 wood - AD DI 8X, P790 2/5-GW S300 AMT, Taylormade Hi Toe 53/14, 57/14, 60/10, Taylormade Spider, Taylormade 2018 staff bag

  5. #5
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    Nice write up mate...

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    I spent some golfing time at Merimbula two years ago. I didn't play Tathra that time around, but I recall being very impressed by the greens the time I did play it.

    Narooma is the absolute jewel of the Far South Coast, but Tura Beach is also good (but hilly) and Pambula-Merimbula is well worth a visit. Eden Gardens is OK as well.

    Overall, the Sapphire Coast is a very good place to play golf when taking a holiday.
    "There are 50 things to remember in the golf swing. Trouble is that I can only remember 49 of them" - Bob Hope.

  7. #7
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    I am in Narooma til Saturday. Without clubs....
    Never played Bermagui or Tathra but heard good things about both.
    Pambula is a nice country track, and Tura Beach is built for goats.

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    Narooma is not bad, but feels very disjointed once you leave the beach side holes and head into the bush holes. Nothing like the level of excitement when you stand on 2 tee and know what's coming.
    And the mayor announced from Thursday on should not be shat into the creek anymore, because on Saturday beer is brewed.

  9. #9
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    I've only just discovered Tathra and it is one of the best courses in the country.
    People will laugh at such a ridiculous statement but don't get me started on the sorry state of golf in this world.
    Oh well, since you've asked!
    1. Looking for your ball, losing your ball and not being able to finish the hole is not fun. This idea that you need to have 100's of bunkers and they need to be head high, or that you need massive hills or large water carry's to be a good course is crap. I'm not against a bunker, a water carry or a change in elevation but they should only be used to put a player out of position, not to ruin someone's day. You could lose a ball to the right of the first and second at Tathra but you are hitting away from the trouble so I never even considered it. Although there are lots of trees there is very little scrub so only a really bad shot would be lost. And there are very few bunkers. I would rather see an unkept shallow bunker as a form of penalty rather than a perfectly manicured deep bunker which only penalises little old ladies.
    2. Walking is an integral part of the game and you shouldn't be forced to hire a cart or wonder where your lungs have gone as you get near the ball. Brookwater and Bonville take wonderful photos but they are terrible pieces of land for a golf course. The love for these courses gives me the shits.
    3. A good golf course makes you think about how to play the shot. I blame the USPGA for ruining golf in many ways. Most people think you just play down the middle of the fairway and aim at the pin. I recently had a discussion with a former tour pro who hated one of my favourite courses because he had to aim away from the hole a couple of times! And you could see the Americans, apart from Tiger, took a few days to understand this at the Presidents cup. The undulations at Tathra are constantly asking you how to play the shot. The 4th tee shot is a pearler. There is a ridge running down the right hand side of the fairway and the tee is to the right of the fairway. If you play a right to left shot and hit the downslope of the ridge your ball gets kicked into the left hand rough where you are blocked by trees. If you play a left to right shot along the length of the ridge you get a softer bounce and your ball trickles to the perfect spot on the fairway. I was there on a very quiet day and stood there for ages trying to position the perfect drive just because it was fun!
    4. Golf courses shouldn't be near cars and houses and it's a bonus if there is something nice to look at. Tathra is a wonderful escape on an isolated piece of land with views out over the lake and the wetlands. Lots of Kangaroos and I even saw a couple of big monitor lizards.

    You could argue that it's only 12 holes, you could argue it isn't long enough or that there aren't enough bunkers or changes in elevation. But these arguments are only nitpicking. It's not a New South Wales or Royal Melbourne or Barnbougle but the reason I say it's one of the best courses in Australia is because it gives you everything you need for a great game of golf and I didn't want to stop playing. Surely that's the highest compliment you can pay a golf course?
    The only criticism I have is that the greens need to be firmer to fully appreciate the wonderful design features. It was a bit too easy to stop the ball. They were beautiful to putt on though.

    The best hole on the course is the par 4 6th/16th. 6 has a tee level with the fairway and requires a fade while 16 has a slightly elevated tee and looks straight down the fairway. There is a series of grassed dunes that form the right hand side of the fairway and the safest play is a fade down the left. But if you can play down the right and get a kick off the downslope of the dunes you pick up and extra 30m. Again I stood there for ages trying to get my drive to kick off the dunes just because it was fun! The green is shaped like a saddle and sits diagonally to the fairway. The front left pin is the best. If you land next to the pin your ball hits a downslope and runs away from the pin. If you land short you hit a bank and trickle back off the green. But you can play your ball off a bank to the left that feeds the ball to the pin. Have I already mentioned that I stood there for ages trying to hit the perfect shot just because it was fun!

    Another feature was the 8th green. It's probably the only fairway that doesn't quite fit. It's a short par 4 with an almost 90 degree dogleg and a big tree on the corner. I would remove the tree and encourage players to take on the corner to what is a narrow undulating fairway anyway. Still not an easy shot. But the green is really wide and shallow with a big bank running across the back. I was deliberately hitting shots as far up the bank as I could to watch them spin back to the hole just because it was fun!

    I could carry on about every hole on the course like this but have already taken up enough of your time. As much as I love my golf I can't remember the last time I had so much fun playing shots. I think the best way to enjoy the course the first few times is not to go in a comp but simply play shots.

    I don't get to travel overseas very much but from what I've read there seems to be a push against the idea that tougher. longer, bigger is better. Hopefully this continues because the game needs more courses like Tathra.

  10. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by flathook View Post
    I've only just discovered Tathra and it is one of the best courses in the country.


    Wrong.

    Its ah honest 9 holer, its in good nick. But the statement that its one of the best courses in the country is just wrong.

    You need to play other courses.
    Last edited by WBennett; 29th December 2019 at 08:36 AM.

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  11. #11
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    Quote Originally Posted by WBennett View Post
    Wrong.

    Its ah honest 9 holer, its in good nick. But the statement that its one of the best courses in the country is just wrong.

    You need to play other courses.
    If I look at the latest top 100 from the Australian Golf Digest I've played 15 of the top 23. Even though I rate fun very highly I also still appreciate the other qualities of a golf course and probably couldn't put Tathra ahead of any of these 15. But of the rest I've played the pure fun and enjoyment at Tathra outweighs anything else I experienced at the other courses I've played in the top 100.
    Brookwater (terrible piece of land for golf, can't walk)
    Royal Canberra (smells like money but bland)
    13th Beach, Beach Course (too much scrub)
    Bonville (nice photos but can't walk, aiming at the right rough to finish in the left rough!!!!)
    The Cut (couple of nice photo opportunities but awful golf course)
    Huntingdale (bland, living off old memories)
    Yarra Yarra (very good course but had more fun at Tathra)
    The Glades (bland disjointed resort course)
    WAGC (good members course but had more fun at Tathra)
    Lakelands QLD (bland resort course although beautiful greens)
    Links Lady Bay ( couple of good holes but way over rated)
    Long Island (good members course but had more fun at Tathra)
    Mt Lawley (very good members course but had more fun at Tathra)
    Meadow Springs (very good public course but had more fun at Tathra)
    Curlewis ( love the front 9 at Curlewis and would almost have this ahead of Tathra)
    Secret Harbour (over rated)
    Federal ( good members course but had more fun at Tathra)
    Narooma (2 exceptional holes and a handful of good holes out the back but had more fun at Tathra)
    The Vines, Lakes (bland resort course)
    Mt Compass (really like Mt Compass but had more fun at Tathra)

    I realise fun and enjoyment don't rate highly among the golfing elite. Penalty seems to be well regarded but not everyone who plays golf is a sadist.

    What criteria would you use to rate a golf course Mr Bennett and what would you consider to be your best golf courses played?

  12. #12
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    WB can answer for himself, a few thoughts and a link below.

    I'm not sure who the golfing elite are, however there are plenty who are in favour of courses that are not brutalist tests and also have little to no interest in resort style golf. I think you would be surprised how many people are in this group.

    Have a look at the criteria that this guy uses to rate a course. Tathra does not get a gig, perhaps next year.

    https://golfclubatlas.com/147-custod...he-game-year1/

  13. #13
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    Ok, you are right.It's probably in the best 100 9 holers in the country.I haven't played them all for comparison purposes though.

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    Quote Originally Posted by PerryGroves View Post
    WB can answer for himself, a few thoughts and a link below.

    I'm not sure who the golfing elite are, however there are plenty who are in favour of courses that are not brutalist tests and also have little to no interest in resort style golf. I think you would be surprised how many people are in this group.

    Have a look at the criteria that this guy uses to rate a course. Tathra does not get a gig, perhaps next year.

    https://golfclubatlas.com/147-custod...he-game-year1/
    Thanks Perry.
    I love Golf Club Atlas and I'm also a big fan of The Walking Golfers Society. Just need to win Lotto so I can play all these marvelous courses I keep hearing about. I know Tom Doak insists on his courses being very walkable and playable for all level of golfer. Hopefully one day I'll get to play his reversible course. I'm not offended by Mr Bennett and enjoy the banter but you can see from his reply how quickly most people would dismiss a little course like Tathra because it isn't grand enough. When I look at most of these top 100 lists the raters seem influenced by all the superficial things, yet for me the heart of golf is the pursuit by foot of the little round ball and trying to plot your way to the hole, hopefully with good company. The undulating land and clever positioning of greens and fairways at Tathra make it so much more entertaining than most of the courses I have played on these lists. I've had a very nomadic life and constantly run into attitudes from people running golf venues that are stuck in this terrible space that bigger, longer and tougher is better which is not helping the game.

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    I missed out playing Tathra when visiting up that way and as a kid on family holidays, so bit bummed to not have given it a game.

    With kikuyu being the predominate grass there (and many of the courses in that area) it takes away one of the great things that makes a 'fun' golf course and thats the ability to run the ball to greens.
    I really like Narooma (surprised how nice the back nine is), but the
    kikuyu really holds it back imo.

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    I played Narooma a few years ago and really liked it , don’t even remember any kikuyu

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    Quote Originally Posted by Grumpy8 View Post
    I played Narooma a few years ago and really liked it , don’t even remember any kikuyu
    The kike at Narooma is very short as the course is dry and rock hard. When it's lush it is challenging to chip off and through.For shits and giggles I putted from 80m on 18. To 4 foot.

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    It was decently lush a couple of years ago, most front nine greens were ringed with it.


 

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