The Dunes Port Hughes

[Hatchman]

I've been trying to squeeze a game in here and have a look at the course for the last 2 years. Finally things aligned and I got down there for a game in their Open.
The course is a Greg Norman design and part of massive development that was undertaken a few years before the GFC struck. The developer went under and things got messy for the whole development and those caught up in it.
The plan was to start with 9 and build the second 9 later. Things went pear shaped before any work had started on the second 9 so will remains as a 9 hole course until $11 million dollars is found to finish it to the final plan. I don't see that happening any time soon if at all ever.

I was lucky enough to play it in calm conditions as being right on the coast I'm sure there are more strong wind days than there are not. I was a little disappointed that we played off the Gold blocks both times and not the Blacks as you normal expect Opens to be playing the course at it maximum and best.
I can easily see how this could be one very tough course when the win gets up not just from a tee to green game but also once your on the green as at the speed they have them wind affect on putts would be a definite issue.
The course has large greens with 2 pins per green. Black flags denote the front 9 pin to play at and the Red/White fro the back 9. There are 4 sets of tee blocks being Gold/Black for the men and Jade/Silver for the women.

By The Card
Gold 9 Par 36 @ 2920
x2 Par 3's, x2 Par 5's, x2 Par 4's
Black 9 Par 36 @ 3173
x2 Par 3's, x2 Par 5's, x2 Par 4's

Layout
The holes make there way up and back on a long skinny piece of land behind a housing development through the natural sand dunes close to the coastline. Whist the the holes run up and back they are not close enough to each other to spray from one hole onto another one.
There is a mixture of straight and gentle dogleg holes that use the natural slopes and elevation changes of the sand dunes but one thing that is common with every hole is your final approach is to a push up green.
while there are quite a few bunkers on either the fairway or around the greens it didn't seem as though it was over bunkered to spend a round playing out of sand all day.

Fairways
Fairways are very generous in width through out the whole course.
Grass is a couch variety and well covered although the ball does sit tight. Not sure if this is due to the relatively young age or if it's a maintenance or variety thing. Some will really like this for spinning the shots into the green where others will not.
There were a few Fairway bunkers placed at driving distance on one of the sides only and a couple in the middle of the wide fairways on the par 5's 100m out from the green.

Off The Fairway
Outside the cut fairway there is a generous amount of second cut which is mostly well covered in in the same fairway grass cut longer.
Once your wide of that its thick knee high oat and barley grass. You also have to contend with natural dunes shrubs and of course the sand. If you hit one out into this boonge reload straight away to save yourself a walk back as losing a few balls is on the cards. Not to mention this is very good snake country.
There are no trees to worry about apart from one row of stunted eucalyptus on the 6th hole waiting to catch a snap hook.
There are 3 waste land areas that from a distance look like giant bunkers. These are just areas of firm sand and rocks and can easily come into play if trying to hit down a tight line rather than go for the generous landing areas provided on 2 of the par 4's. The other is short and left of the green on a par 3 and would be the easiest of all to get into.

Green/Surrounds
The greens are very large in size, sculptured and have a number of mounds tiers or slope in them.
Each one has two pins (one for each 9) with enough space between the 2 to not cause any interference.
Green speed can only be described as very quick or slippery. These are easily the quickest in the state but are still very playable when conditions are calm. I'm not so sure how playable they would be when the wind gets up though.
They a super smooth due to being rolled several times a week and it was a pleasure to putt the ball on a line and not have it bounce, wobble and wiggle off the line.
Given you can clearly see mounds and slopes on the change of tier there were no big breaking putts seen for the day. It was easy to over allow for break by double the amount. They don't break as much as they look.

Every green is at the top of a sand dune and are push up in various heights from the surrounds.
Every green is like an upside down saucer with balls making it onto the greens running off the front, back or both sides if near the edge. This results in the ball running a long off from the green down some sort of slope or hollow. This became tedious/frustrating and detracted from the enjoyment of the course after awhile. The worst example of this is the 5th hole. A medium par at 354m off the gold and 383 off the Black. The green is a part of a double green with the 2nd. It peaks in height at the back of the 5th with a small pot bunker right in the middle. Unless you hit the ball and stick it to the middle nothing will stay on the green. Short left it doesn't get up. Left it runs off into a small hollow. Anything just right and just short right runs down a massive step drop off. I can honestly say this is the worst/stupidest designed green I've played out of the 117 courses I've played. With the upside down saucer nature exaggerated on this one it's just a time waster for people to play cross crossing the green and taking several shots from the bottom of the slope to get on the green. You should only get bent over for very poor shots not ones that are just not quite right.

The sourrounds are the same tight couch on the fairways. Good for nipping the ball clean and getting that check spin. Every green has at least one bunker mostly on one side or in front only although there is the odd one either side. Sand was very soft and fluffy and good for splashing balls out off I was told.


Club House/Pro Shop
Both are incorporated in the one little temporary transportable building located 700-800m walk from the 1st tee.
There is very small amount of merchandise in the Pro-shop.
The Club House has more of a cafe style/feel about it with alcohol and meals available.
There is a plan ready to go for a clubhouse between the 1st tee and 9th green which is delayed further to to a funding grant being knocked back recently.

[wazamac]

Good write up Hatchy. Very accurate to my thoughts.
Only thing I would probably add is that we were all fooled at some stage with the amount of break/ or lack of on what seemed very undulating greens.
I quite enjoyed the greens, once I got on them. Just didn't get the check on some of the chips I was expecting or get on other courses.

[Hatchman]

Thanks Waz, I forgot about the surprising lack of break at the time of writing over last night and today. I've put that bit now.

[nadg63]

Pro shop is a doosey! You pay your money, walk out and not a blade of grass to be seen - need a map to find the first!

[thecollective]

Good writeup Hatch!

I really enjoyed the greens the single time I played it (back in 2010). It was very windy but I thought the course accommodates that well with the wide fairways and large greens. I remember them being fast but probably not the speed that you mention above.

Such a shame the course could not expand into 18 holes. I really think the course has some good moments and could be a real game changer in S.A with some funding and of course 9 more holes.

[Hatchman]

Cheers TC.
As your more into course architecture than myself I'm interested in your thoughts on the 5th green design?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[thecollective]

Cheers TC.
As your more into course architecture than myself I'm interested in your thoughts on the 5th green design?
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Hard to remember (being so long ago); looking at the design again the entrance point to the green seems to be critical part of this hole. Any ball entering from the RHS fairway is going to be hard to stick with such a large drop off at the front - the LHS fairway is the key to hitting the green in regulation, aim point being back LHS - looks like there is a mid-point funnel in the green on the high side that will allow a mid iron to run out a bit. Looks like any tee shot right will struggle to hold the green.

Would have to play it again to cast judgement on the design