Chopperlink
WITB
Cobra Speedzone::Cobra Speedzone Tour 3 wood, Cobra F6 5 wood: Mizuno H4's, :Mizuno 50, Mizuno MP 56 and 60*:TM Works #7
AndyC will always be my AndyB(unny)
FYI - Barny now has 3 courses
Driver- Slazenger Bruce Devlin 1 1/2
Fwy Wood - PGF Kel NagleIrons - 2-PW Keith Knox R700
Wedges - Wilson Jerry Pate
Putter - Bulls Eye Copy
Now we're in my wheelhouse, piss off all those other stupid links tracks and just hit the absolutely pure golden goodness that is the Melbourne Sandbelt.
My order is:
1. RM West - Absolutely must do. If you come to Melbourne and don't play it I will hunt you down and berate you and make sure you regret it for the rest of your life.
2. Metro - Probably a controversial call amongst most, but I think the architecture here is exquisite, just a shame it's let down by 2 holes (9 and 10, you'll see why when you get there). The way the bunkers are cut into the greens is a thing of beauty.
3. Peninsula North - Haven't played it since its reno, but it was great before then, can only imagine double digit millions of dollars has made it amazing.
4. Victoria - A fantastic track, you MUST have a go at the greens on 1 and 15 if you're only playing it once. Great course throughout, just let down by a lack of a "signature hole".
5. RM East - C'mon, it's the shitty little brother, but it's STILL Royal Melbourne.
6. Peninsula South - Was my favourite of the two courses pre-reno, but has always been viewed as the lesser of the two tracks.
7. Kingston Heath - Another controversial call, but it underwhelms for me. I even find its "signature hole" fairly meh.
8. Yarra Yarra - Was once regarded as one of the premium Melbourne tracks (and one of my favourites), but it slipped down the rankings without so much as a whimper. Has had renos recently and is reportedly getting back to its glory days.
9. Commonwealth - A solid, yet slightly unremarkable track, it's good / great, but you'd be a fool to play it ahead of any of the others. Exceeeeppppttttt......
10. Huntingdale - Don't go anywhere near this piece of dogshit. If ever a course has run off its reputation for far too long, it's this one.
If you're after a little relief on the wallet, other suggestions in the area include Spring Valley and Woodlands. Both would be on the same level as Commonwealth, maybe slightly better.
If you're an absolute sadomasochist, head down to Long Island. I've never had a course that looks no tougher than any other so consistently and repeatedly kick my arse.
Ping G430 MAX 9° - Tour Alta CB Stiff
Ping G430 MAX 15° - Tour Alta CB Stiff
Ping G430 Hybrid 20.5° - Tour Alta CB Stiff
Srixon ZX7 4-PW - Dynamic Gold Tour Issue 120 S300
Cleveland RTX Zipcore 50°, 54°, 58°
Custom Lajosi DD201 - 390g head
GolfMap
Ping G430 MAX 9° - Tour Alta CB Stiff
Ping G430 MAX 15° - Tour Alta CB Stiff
Ping G430 Hybrid 20.5° - Tour Alta CB Stiff
Srixon ZX7 4-PW - Dynamic Gold Tour Issue 120 S300
Cleveland RTX Zipcore 50°, 54°, 58°
Custom Lajosi DD201 - 390g head
GolfMap
Chopperlink
WITB
Cobra Speedzone::Cobra Speedzone Tour 3 wood, Cobra F6 5 wood: Mizuno H4's, :Mizuno 50, Mizuno MP 56 and 60*:TM Works #7
AndyC will always be my AndyB(unny)
Ping G430 MAX 9° - Tour Alta CB Stiff
Ping G430 MAX 15° - Tour Alta CB Stiff
Ping G430 Hybrid 20.5° - Tour Alta CB Stiff
Srixon ZX7 4-PW - Dynamic Gold Tour Issue 120 S300
Cleveland RTX Zipcore 50°, 54°, 58°
Custom Lajosi DD201 - 390g head
GolfMap
Ping G430 MAX 9° - Tour Alta CB Stiff
Ping G430 MAX 15° - Tour Alta CB Stiff
Ping G430 Hybrid 20.5° - Tour Alta CB Stiff
Srixon ZX7 4-PW - Dynamic Gold Tour Issue 120 S300
Cleveland RTX Zipcore 50°, 54°, 58°
Custom Lajosi DD201 - 390g head
GolfMap
Speaking of random courses.
If you want the ability to hit every type of transport in Melbourne in a round, play Royal Park, can hit a Train, Tram, Bus, Car, Cyclist & Pedestrian and as a added bonus you could also launch one into the Zoo.
I would easily go to King Island to play Cape Wickham on repeat. IMHO, it's the best course I've played in Australia, and miles better than Ocean Dunes. If you do need a little extra, 9 holes at KIGC is worth squeezing in.
Ocean Dunes isn't terrible. The coastal stretch is what saves it from being a massive disappointment. If it was in Queensland, I'd say a must play. But it's big brother totally eclipses it, and why I will never miss a potential round at CW to play it again.
Chopperlink
WITB
Cobra Speedzone::Cobra Speedzone Tour 3 wood, Cobra F6 5 wood: Mizuno H4's, :Mizuno 50, Mizuno MP 56 and 60*:TM Works #7
AndyC will always be my AndyB(unny)
Chopperlink
WITB
Cobra Speedzone::Cobra Speedzone Tour 3 wood, Cobra F6 5 wood: Mizuno H4's, :Mizuno 50, Mizuno MP 56 and 60*:TM Works #7
AndyC will always be my AndyB(unny)
The thing about King Island is that 2 days out of 5 you can hardly stand up for the wind/weather. Barny can blow but its still playable in a 5 club wind!
Gamers
Ping G430 LST 9* Driver with CB55 stiff flex shaft
TM Stealth 2+ 3 wood with Crazy Boron 75g Stiff shaft
TM Stealth 2 Hybrid with Nemeses 90 M4 stiff shaft
Srixon ZX 5 (mk2) irons with Proj X LZ 5.5 shafts 4 to PW
Callaway MD5 Raw wedges 50/10 56/14 60/12
Lajosi Custum Flow Neck putter *Titty Pro V1X ball.
Driver- Slazenger Bruce Devlin 1 1/2
Fwy Wood - PGF Kel NagleIrons - 2-PW Keith Knox R700
Wedges - Wilson Jerry Pate
Putter - Bulls Eye Copy
Chopperlink
WITB
Cobra Speedzone::Cobra Speedzone Tour 3 wood, Cobra F6 5 wood: Mizuno H4's, :Mizuno 50, Mizuno MP 56 and 60*:TM Works #7
AndyC will always be my AndyB(unny)
I would put Metro above Vic, but that may not be the common opinion.
If I had 6 days to smash out some courses around Melbourne I'd be looking at something like this (ignoring price/ access):
1. RM West
2. PK North
3. KH
4. Metro
5. St Andrews Beach (Mornington Peninsula)
6. National Gunnamatta (Mornington Peninsula)
If wife/ time permits, you could easily turn the Peninsula days into 36 hole affairs and add The Dunes and Moonah Legends.
Just read some more posts...
I agree with Lefty about Spring Valley & Woodlands being underrated tracks. But there are bigger fish to fry before they enter the equation.
Barny is great and by all reports Cape Wickham is off the charts (I'll get there one day soon!), but they are links(y) courses more akin to Mornington Peninsula than anything like what you'll find on the sandbelt.
Vic is amazing now. If u haven’t played it in the last 3 years…it is much improved.
Metro is always superb condition but unchanged as a golf course pretty much!
Gamers
Ping G430 LST 9* Driver with CB55 stiff flex shaft
TM Stealth 2+ 3 wood with Crazy Boron 75g Stiff shaft
TM Stealth 2 Hybrid with Nemeses 90 M4 stiff shaft
Srixon ZX 5 (mk2) irons with Proj X LZ 5.5 shafts 4 to PW
Callaway MD5 Raw wedges 50/10 56/14 60/12
Lajosi Custum Flow Neck putter *Titty Pro V1X ball.
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