Favourite VIC Champs venue

[Courty]

I've had some discussions recently with a few VIC Champs regulars about favourite venue, and have subsequently decided to throw it to the people. I've devised a 'March Madness' style knockout tournament to get this done:

• I listed out all of the Thursday-Sunday official courses.
• Due to some duplicates I was short a few, so I threw in a couple of the better-attended Monday venues and a special 'wild-card' to round it out to 32 courses.
• They were then seeded based on their 2020 Top 100 ranking, with the unranked courses in random order.
• I have a table with all of the matches which will be posted here shortly.

I'll provide a link to a Strawpoll each day, which will end at 7pm the following night (I've allowed an extra day for the first poll). The first match will go a bit longer. The results will go up in this thread/ post, and the next link will be provided. I'll update this post with anything else I've forgotten.

Now, the important stuff... your vote should be for your 'favourite' Champs venue. It has nothing to do with the best architecture or conditioning. The Top 100 rankings already does that for us.

Which course invokes the best memories, where did you feel like you were in golfing heaven on earth, which course suited your game better, where did you have the most fun etc? That is the sort of thing you should consider in casting your vote.

To jog some dusty memories, here is a quick summary of the courses and related info:





Round 1
Match 1: https://strawpoll.com/d7p9dy93
Match 2: https://strawpoll.com/s74hr799
Match 3: https://strawpoll.com/6b99ek8e
Match 4: https://strawpoll.com/k76g49ss
Match 5: https://strawpoll.com/6r2efhb8
Match 6: https://strawpoll.com/2ywpff39
Match 7: https://strawpoll.com/xre5zec3
Match 8: https://strawpoll.com/ck4gpf45
Match 9: https://strawpoll.com/313a7sr2
Match 10: https://strawpoll.com/w6p74g5d
Match 11: https://strawpoll.com/f8e66a7b
Match 12: https://strawpoll.com/p4wwg369
Match 13: https://strawpoll.com/xrr8ghcb
Match 14: https://strawpoll.com/y3fkdyya
Match 15: https://strawpoll.com/82aaf24e
Match 16: https://strawpoll.com/w6xr546k

Round 2
Match 17: https://strawpoll.com/chh7keh7
Match 18: https://strawpoll.com/wk9f29k8
Match 19: https://strawpoll.com/2d198ppe
Match 20: https://strawpoll.com/p7pfsfza
Match 21: https://strawpoll.com/4ge41x78
Match 22: https://strawpoll.com/pf927e77
Match 23: https://strawpoll.com/zzghh3x3
Match 24: https://strawpoll.com/fgz747fs

Round 3
Match 25: https://strawpoll.com/s9brgy6y
Match 26: https://strawpoll.com/1xz94kp8
Match 27: https://strawpoll.com/6rgrhyd2
Match 28: https://strawpoll.com/cg2w34be

Semi Final
Match 29: https://strawpoll.com/awse5rrb
Match 30: https://strawpoll.com/8cer86yr

Finals
Match 31 (3rd/ 4th final): https://strawpoll.com/ba8bcag3
Match 32: Grand Final: https://strawpoll.com/5g6g6gba

[3Puttpete]

@ Barwon last year I said 'Good Morning' to a large group of female members who were teeing off (after paying for my round that started at dawn) all I got was crickets and you could cut the air with a knife.In all fairness though an older lady (on her own closer to the clubhouse) replied, 'morning, hope you enjoyed your round'.

The dears at Portland offered greetings and a chat

[thecollective]

The dears at Portland offered greetings and a chat

Just to be clear (and I have since edited my post), they weren't actually teeing off, hence you would understand if that distracted someone mid swing.

Despite the beautiful clubhouse, fantastic course, great Par 3 track, lovely and welcoming staff there is a distinctive vibe of snobbery. It's a crying shame.

[LeftyHoges]

The dears at Portland offered greetings and a chat

Is that all they offered you? You got the short shift there.

Unrucky....

[3Puttpete]

Is that all they offered you? You got the short shift there.Unrucky....

They had a certain Prince’s stench on them. I was ok with a chat.

[Courty]

Barwon Heads takes it with 87.5% of the vote.

Next match is in the OP.

[Dcanto]

Oh dear, playing from forward tees and complaining that the designer put a bunker (and surrounding slopes to feed ball into the bunker) at the distance that you would drive it from said tees. Can't really categorize that hole as a forced layup when depending on the tee, wind and your driving ability you have plenty of options. If you want a forced layup go play Half Moon Bay 13....Just imagine the complete reverse direction this thread would have taken if Lefty had aimed straight at the bunker, flown it using his beast skills and ended up with an easy 170 into the green for his second. The par that followed would have been epic

The 13th at HMB is very strategic.

[BUSHY]

The 13th at HMB is very strategic.

Remind me, Is that the dogleg up against the mangrove? Iron off the tee?

[LeftyHoges]

Remind me, Is that the dogleg up against the mangrove? Iron off the tee?

Yep. 6 iron, 9 iron is the way I've played it most.

[SundayHack]

The 13th at HMB is very strategic.

That is the worse hole I have ever played. Actually there is a few holes on that course that would make the 18 worse holes ever made.

[hippo10]

Yep. 6 iron, 9 iron is the way I've played it most.

Don't sell it short, there's options. Into a 1 club wind it could be as much as a 5 iron off the tee and downwind it could even be a 7...

[Dcanto]

That is the worse hole I have ever played. Actually there is a few holes on that course that would make the 18 worse holes ever made.

Well, a number of holes were built on or beside a reclaimed rubbish tip. I'm guessing 5 will be another hole on your list. That's the one where you tee off to an elevated fairway and then 2nd shot down to a green surrounded by oob mangrove.

[BUSHY]

Well, a number of holes were built on or beside a reclaimed rubbish tip. I'm guessing 5 will be another hole on your list. That's the one where you tee off to an elevated fairway and then 2nd shot down to a green surrounded by oob mangrove.

Not one of my most hated but 5 is up there...

[Dcanto]

Not one of my most hated but 5 is up there...

You wouldn't be alone. I'd not heard this comment until after I joined HMB - you start off with rubbish, what do you expect to end up with?

[LeftyHoges]

Well, a number of holes were built on or beside a reclaimed rubbish tip. I'm guessing 5 will be another hole on your list. That's the one where you tee off to an elevated fairway and then 2nd shot down to a green surrounded by oob mangrove.

From memory 5, 13 and 17 were particularly high on his shit list.

[Courty]

Match 10 link in the OP.

[Captain Nemo]

Mmmm?

[Ron Burgundy]

Mmmm?

Tough choice for you mate. Winning the champs vs getting beaten by a 12 year old! And mine is NAGA vs winning the day.

[Captain Nemo]

Correct!
Although the 12yo was a state player and verging on turning pro!
I played ok once he walked off, even had a kakaaaaaa on the last I think!

[Captain Nemo]

Although I’ve had 2 golf weekends at 13th beach and highly rate the joint as a venue ......
Royal Hobart, meh.... Royal by name but.........?

[Courty]

Match 10 will probably be the toughest match for me personally to choose from.

13th Beach [Beach] was the site of my first (and only) Champs daily win, but Royal Hobart was the day I consider to be my finest showing at a Champs/ UCW/ unfamiliar track. Great memories from both...

[3Puttpete]

Royal Hobart was the day I consider to be my finest showing at a Champs/ UCW

Did you halve your match?

[Courty]

Did you halve your match?

Better than that. 1up.

[Courty]

Royal Hobart wins in the closest match so far (57%)

Next match link is in the OP.

[LeftyHoges]

Royal Hobart wins in the closest match so far (57%)

Next match link is in the OP.

Ooh, I like dis.

Well done non-sheeple.

[benno_r]

Royal Hobart wins in the closest match so far (57%)

Next match link is in the OP.

Is there a 3rd option in this poll? If not, can there be?