What a course! I’d played there a few times when I’d first started playing golf and couldn’t appreciate it beyond the glorious views, but out there yesterday at the Australian Open, wow! This course is technology proof.
I spent about an hour at the approach area of the 3rd, a 415 yard 90 degree blind dog-left par 4, would only be 315 yards in a straight line from tee-to-green. Sounds easy! But It took prisoners with the 2-3 club left-to-right wind. I saw one ball hit the fairway in 60 minutes.
In 1987, I arranged a game for a foursome, and a few of us went out there on a windy afternoon, and played a nice little money game… and it still to this day is one of the most memorable rounds of golf I played down under.
It felt like one of those courses that you could just play everyday for the rest of your life and leave the whole world behind.
I really though it was one of the most unique courses I have ever played. I don’t remember all the holes but I do remember one hole, a par 3 I had to hit a 2 wood into… and I hit it 15 feet and I remember how my heart sank when I missed the putt…
It seemed to be a hole fairly early in the round.
I remember if you missed a fairway you would be in some scrub bushes, that would not even be playable…
Big winds there today, so much that the 2nd round was delayed for 5 hours due to balls rolling off greens. Ogilvy and Senden weren’t on their games and the course murdered them. Appleby, I’m not sure what Steve Bann’s swing beliefs are but his swing is looking great. Beautifully compact. Shooting 6 under in those winds was just beyond belief.
I was amazed when I was down there how low some of the guys could go under horrific conditions.
Senior used to shoot 64 on days that everyone else was shooting 74 or worse. Hard fast greens, high winds,
tight fairways didn’t phase him. It was really inspiring. And that was with real gear too back then, not frying pans for drivers.