Australia’s Top 100 Courses 2012

Australia’s Top 100 Editorial 2012
by Selwyn Berg

View the list of Australia’s Top 100 Public Access Courses 2012
View the list of Australia’s Top 100 Public Access Courses 2012 – Best Design
View the list of Australia’s Top 100 Public Access Courses 2012 – Best Condition
View the list of Australia’s Top 100 Public Access Courses 2012 - Best Aesthetics

Everyone was waiting for the second course to open at Barnbougle on Tasmania’s north coast and Bill Coore’s Lost Farm hasn’t disappointed.

Jumping into our rankings at Number 2, Lost Farm provides 20 holes amongst towering sand dunes, even larger than those on its neighbour, Tom Doak’s Barnbougle Dunes, still ranked Number 1 for design and overall, but clearly challenged by the new kid next door. Our judges were split, but the majority gave it to the original Barnbougle course.

Coore has created a fascinating routing that runs in all directions through these huge hills, west and inland of the original course, that is simultaneously different and complementary, challenging, and yet highly playable for all, with very wide fairways and greens that are gentler than Doak’s. There are coastal holes, beside theForesterRiverand inland holes, rather then the typical ‘out and back’ along the coastline with and against the prevailing wind for the original links. The fairways are already good, with scope to improve as they mature.

The Dunes just edged out The Legends this year – both well-established favourites with our judges, and the many visitors to the Mornington Peninsula- otherwise little changed amongst our top 25 courses.

Ross Watson’s redesign of The Palms at Sanctuary Cove has entered our list at Number 26, just ahead of The Pines next door, to join his courses at Magenta Shores and Pacific Harbour.

Ross is incredibly proud of this latest work, especially the creation of the rugged bunkering style, which complements the palm trees and is a welcome change from the pristine white sand at many Gold Coast resort courses.

We flew to WA to sample Graham Marsh’s desert course at Kalgoorlie, Number 27 and were highly impressed with this oasis. What a winner for the locals, who gave up their 9 hole sandscrapes so that this magnificent fully watered layout could be built by the city of Kalgoorlie-Boulder and managed for them by Prime Golf WA. As course rankers we try to assess what we find on the ground, but in cases such as this it is difficult not to provide an additional design point to the creators of such interest from a flat and ‘boring’ canvas. The new fairways and greens contrast dramatically with the red earth that forms the rough, and generally presents an easily found wayward ball and the chance for a recovery, albeit from a tight lie. There are several tee options (up to six) on each hole, and with generous fairway widths and gentle undulation, the course is definitely playable for all.

It’s sad to report on the continuing decline at Laguna – ranked as high as No 2 by this Guide in 2004. Clearly lack of money has led to a reduction in maintenance and hence conditions, but we’ve also ranked the course lower in the Design category. The two are related, as poor playing surfaces can, in cases, defeat the intent of the architect to provoke a strategic approach to a hole, as can poor greens that are either too soft and slow (so that a lob from anywhere will stick) or too unreceptive to spin to reward a skilful shot. And, I must admit, at least some of our judges are human, and simply cannot appreciate all the beauty or design brilliance on a track that has been sorely neglected – where balls wind up in unsodded divots and putts veer off due to bumpy greens.

Major improvements at Curlewis (50) and a new course at Ballarat saw them enter our Top 100 list, along with Kingston Beach and Ulverstone hidden away in Tasmania, and the Tasmania Golf Club at Barilla Bay, with its ‘Pebble Beach’ 3^rd hole has been elevated to Number 37. It may well be true that Barnbougle’s brilliant courses have attracted attention to some of the Apple Isle’s other gems.

Other newcomers are an improved Lonsdale, re-opened Palm Meadows and the new Lynwood Country Club northwest of Sydney.

Looking at the individual categories that add up to the overall ranking, it is clear that the brilliance of their designs, coupled with stunning aesthetics accounted for the Barnbougle placings. Subtle movements on the Design table for other courses usually reflect minor course work, or the preferences of the individual judges, as it is not possible for every panelist to see every course each year.

Conditioning at many courses was seen to improve this year, as the drought broke in most areas or as water supplies from other sources were secured. Our panel particularly noted improved conditions at HopeIsland, moving up to 4^th place. Other small changes most likely reflect the luck of the draw with the timing of our visits. For the new courses, there is both the opportunity to move up the list as surfaces grow in, and the challenge to maintain conditions despite user traffic.

Public Courses –the best courses are mostly privately owned these days, although a few are council owned. These courses have no members and are available to anyone who pays a green fee and conforms to a few simple requirements such as dress codes and owning or hiring a set of clubs.

Resort Courses – privately owned, with additional facilities on site such as accommodation.

Private Courses – most golf courses throughout Australia are private clubs. An annual fee, and often a joining fee, is required, and members then do not usually pay green fees. Most clubs have tee times when the public may pay green fees and play the course, sometimes including club competition times. Such courses are considered “public access” in this Guide if they permit green fee players several days per week.

Some private courses are only accessible to the public whilst they stay in on site accommodation. These courses are included in the list.

Other clubs are more exclusive, requiring guests to be introduced by a member, or permitting unaccompanied non-members access only if they are club members visiting from interstate or overseas. These courses are excluded from this list.

However, since some of our readers qualify to play, we have printed the course rankings from Australian Golf Digest as a guide. These rankings are based on slightly different criteria from those outlined below, principally with a lower weighting on conditioning, so they are not strictly comparable.

How the lists were compiled

The Golf Course Guide has published a list of Australia’s Best Public Access Courses every year since 2001. Our list differs from those found in other publications in some important aspects. Clearly, we are focused only on those courses that encourage green fee players (see details under “what are public access courses”). Our judges have a range of ages and golfing abilities and are instructed to reward course designs that cater for golfers of every level. For the Design category in particular, courses that offer higher handicappers an exciting test will find themselves rated better in this Guide, and courses that are really only playable by low markers will be ranked lower. We are extremely proud of the methodology that we have developed over many years. We strive for transparency, with clear criteria, and we offer separate lists based on course design, conditions and aesthetics to enable readers to select courses that will most readily appeal to their own preferences.

Panellists were asked to score only courses they had played. Colleagues who play certain courses frequently were consulted to more accurately assess year round conditions. The judging period is from September 2010 to August 2011 in order to print the Guide and have it on sale well before Christmas. This unfortunately penalises courses that have made improvements too late to be judged. All scores were standardised to compensate for any particular harshness or leniency, and spurious high or low results were rejected.

Course Design (40% weighting): How each hole presents an enjoyable, even thrilling challenge to golfers of all abilities from scratch markers to high handicappers and shorter hitters. The variety of different holes that make up the course, and the variety of shots that they require to test every facet of your game. The strategic design of each hole – where hazards come into play, reward for risk takers plus the existence of a safer/easier option, maybe with an additional stroke, for those who choose not to take the risk.

Courses with two separate 18s considered as two courses; where 27 holes available, the “best” 18 selected.

Course Conditions (40% weighting): Year round playing conditions (from best to worst season) and course maintenance of greens (greatest weighting), fairways, tees, roughs and hazards.

Course Aesthetics (20% weighting): The obvious beauty of the setting and also that very subjective quality of ambience and tranquillity that allows the golfer to lose himself in his environment. For some golfers, the thrill of playing golf in a stunning (eg coastal clifftop) environment can far outweigh lacklustre design strategy, and even mediocre fairway conditions. For these players, our allocation of only 20% weighting will seem inadequate, and they should seek out courses from our Best Aesthetics list, rather than the overall rankings

The Judges

George Begg is Secretary of the Australian Golf Writers Association and writes for several publications. Handicap 20 at Sanctuary Lakes, also a member at Corowa, Eagle Ridge and Altona Lakes.

Selwyn Berg is the Managing Editor of ausgolf and the Editor and Publisher of The Golf Course Guide. Handicap of 13 at Commonwealth.

Graeme Bond is Sports presenter on 3AW Fairfax Radio network where he has covered all the major Australian golf events for the past 15 years. A member at the National and Settlers Run, handicap 11.

Rohan Clarke is a Senior Writer for Australian Golf Digest, handicap 8 at Beverley Park.

Steve Keipert is the Editor of Australian Golf Digest, a role that takes him to golf courses across Australia. His handicap is 9 at Ashlar Golf Club, Sydney.

Garry Kennedy is Editor and Publisher of Hacker Golf Quarterly and General Manager of The Golf Course Guide. His current handicap is 14 at Howlong.

Peter Nolan is a keen golfer who plays off 10 at Rosanna.

Kevin Pallier is a panellist for a number of golfing publications including Australian Golf Digest and Golf World (UK). He is a member at Wollongong Golf Club with a handicap of 10.

Leon Wiegard OAM is a member at Commonwealth, handicap 14. Ambassador for Heritage and Moonah Links, Hon Life member Portsea and Patron at Clifton Springs.

David Worley is a member at Commonwealth, Sorrento and Moonah Links who plays off 11. Author of comprehensive books on British Links.

We gratefully acknowledge the input of all judges and additional contributions by Jeff Blunden, Darius Oliver, Bill Parker and Graham Holmes.

Australia’s Top 100 Courses 2012

Australia’s Top 100 Editorial 2012 by Selwyn Berg

How the lists were compiled

Australia’s Top 100 Editorial 2012
by Selwyn Berg