Barnbougle Lost Farm, Bridport, Tasmania

https://barnbougle.com.au

Mens' Terracotta (Boobyalla) par 78 (20 holes), SSS 71 (18 holes), 6102 metres
Ladies' Blue (Melaleuca) par 79 (20 holes), SSS72 (18 holes), 5338 metres

Take a flight from Melbourne to Launceston in Tasmania and then drive for about one and a half hours north and you will arrive at the golfing haven of Barnbougle.  Set on the north east coast of Tasmania there are two beautiful true links courses, Barnbougle Dunes and Barnbougle Lost Farm.  The complex, although smaller, is reminiscent of Bandon Dunes in Oregon which is testament to the fact that the developer Richard Sattler had advice from the Bandon Dunes founder Mike Keiser.  Barnbougle is named after Barnbougle Castle on the shores of the river Forth near Edinburgh, the home of the original owners.  The second of the two courses,  Lost Farm was named after a portion of the original farming land which became surrounded by sand dunes and was designed by Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw, the architects of Bandon Trails.

The 3rd hole at Lost farm

We played Lost Farm on a warm, calm but wet day  The course is on classic links land, with large sand dunes reminiscent of many British or Irish courses but only a few glimpses of the sea or of adjacent holes.  The fairways were wide but the rough was suicidal marram grass, guaranteed to swallow up a stray ball. The greens were less fast than they appeared, possibly because of the rain, but all of them were sloping making many putts very difficult to read.  With a total of 20 holes this is an unusual course.


The first memorable hole is the 3rd which is a short par 4 on the side of a sand dune with a large bunker threatening the drive in the middle of the fairway.  The green is steeply contoured so it is essential to keep the ball below the pin, as in most of the greens.  With a lovely view from an elevated tee overlooking the dunes to Barnbougle Dunes the 4th is the first of the strong well bunkered par 3s on this course,  Hidden behind a huge sand dune with a bunker at its base, the drive at the 5th is blind to a curving fairway leading to an elevated green.  The 6th is another par 3 with a long carry to the green and some impossible pin positions, especially behind the bunker guarding the right side.  The next few holes were pleasant but not really memorable until the 11th where there appears to be a wall of bunkers awaiting the drive.  The 12th is a par 5 which doglegs to the left, followed by the 13th with its green nestled in a hollow between sand dunes.

The 4th is guarded by a large bunker short

13a, one of the extra holes

Then comes the first of the extra holes, 13a which is another well bunkered par 3 from an elevated tee.  Another big carry faces the player at the 14th tee which is a short par 4 with a green protected by runoffs.  The 15th is a par 3 sheltered in the dunes but with great views of the beach and overlooked by the restaurant at Lost Farm which must be one of the most scenic golf club restaurants in the world with a wall of glass overlooking the course and Anderson Bay.  Do not be distracted by the views as the green is a tricky back to front sloping one where a 3 putt is easily achieved.  The 16th and 18th are long par 4s, separated by another strong par 3.  The final extra hole is 18a which is a par 3 with lots of bunkers and a viciously sloping green.

                                                                         

                              

                      The clubhouse has magnificent views

Worth playing?  A long way for us Scots to travel but worth every mile.

Port Fairy Golf Links, Port Fairy, Victoria, Australia

www.portfairygolf.com.au

Blue tees par 72, SSS (ACR) 72, 5887 metres

Red tees par 72, SSS (AWCR) 72, 5063 metres


Port Fairy Golf Links lie on a spit of land between Port Fairy Bay in the Bass Strait and a lagoon called Belfast Lough on the south coast of Victoria.  The bay was named by the crew of a whaler 'The Fairy' in 1828 and the town was briefly named Belfast between 1854 and 1887, hence the two names.  To the west of the course lies the town of Port Fairy, which is a convenient stopping place at the end of the scenic Great Ocean Road.  The original course was in the town but by 1963 nine holes were in operation on the present site, followed by an 18 hole course in 1985.  Significant changes were made in 2000 by Michael Clayton who describes Port Fairy Golf Links as being 'largely unaltered by man and only mown to define fairways and rough'.
 

The 3rd hole turns into the dunes

We played Port Fairy on a sunny but windy day and found a delightful and scenic true links course.  There are five holes on the flatter ground outwith the dunes - the 1st, 2nd, 9th, 17th and 18th which are somewhat disappointing but when the course turns into the dunes at the par 4 3rd hole it comes into its own.  The par 5 5th is a classic links hole well bunkered and winding uphill to a sloping green on the side of the dunes.  The outstanding holes are along the ocean with views of the Bass Strait.  These are the 12th to 16th holes and are all proper links holes, made more difficult by being into the prevailing wind.  Our only criticisms of these holes would be that the par 4 14th and par 3 15th holes would be improved by some bunkering around the greens.  At the farthest end of the course the 16th is a dogleg from right to left to an elevated green which has the Belfast nature reserve as a close out of bounds on the right.

Looking back down the 12th hole

.  Worth playing?  Yes, a lovely links course.  Stay at Oscars Waterfront in Port Fairy and have dinner at Conlan's.

The Cut, Dawesville, Western Australia

www.the-cut.com.au

Blue tees par 72, SSS (ACR) 73, 6077 metres
Red tees par 72, SSS (ACR) 74, 5209 metres

The Cut golf course lies on a spit of land bordered on one side by the Indian Ocean and on the other by the Peel Harvey estuary just south of Mandurah in Western Australia.  It is a modern course, built in 2005 and designed by James Wilcher. This course has a split personality – part true links and part Mediterranean style.  We played it on a warm, sunny and inevitably windy day and enjoyed the fast running undulating and tilting fairways, the fast greens with subtle borrows and the fabulous views of the Indian Ocean.  

Holes 1 to 4 are true links holes with fairways meandering through the natural sand dunes.  The 1st has a fairly easy drive although placement is key.  Anything to the left leaves an almost impossible approach shot up a steep slope to a high sloping green.  We thought it was reminiscent of the 1st hole at North Berwick (20/11/14).  The next three holes follow the coast with stunning views of the ocean.  The 2nd and 3rd are typical well bunkered par 4s although the 3rd is a real risk and reward hole, tempting the longer hitters to attack the green with their drive but risking bunkers or a blind shot from behind the dune which protects the green on the right. 

The first few holes follow the Indian Ocean

Turning inland the character of the course changes, with the 5th to 9th holes being probably the weakest and least links-like holes on the course.  The second nine has more true links holes.  The 11th is a challenging par 4 with another elevated green where the approach shot is blind.  It is memorable for me as when I reached the green I realised I had holed my second shot for an eagle 2.  The 12th is the most spectacular hole on the course, a narrow hole running through sand dunes to an elevated sloping green with beautiful sea views and played into the prevailing wind.  The 15th is a par 5 with green nestled in a hollow to the right which was blind from most of the fairway.  Unusually this green had no surrounding bunkers.  Sitting on the highest point of the course the 16th tee  plays downhill to a green guarded by a large sand dune to the right.  This results in an easy hole when the pin is placed at the front of the green and an almost impossible hole when the pin is back right.  The last two holes thread their way back through the dunes to the modern clubhouse.

Looking back from the 12th green (above) and a view of the course

from the highest point at the 16th tee (below)

Worth playing?  Yes - a lovely course in excellent condition in an idyllic setting, it is mostly a true links course.

The Links at Kennedy Bay, Port Kennedy, Wetsern Australia

www.kennedybay.com.au

Blue tees par 72, SSS (ACR) 72, 6107 metres
Red tees par 72, SSS (ACR) 74, 5274 metres

The Links at Kennedy Bay lies south of the city of Perth just outside Port Kennedy on the Indian Ocean coast. Opened in 1998 it was designed by Michael Coate and Roger Mackay with input from Ian Baker-Finch, the 1991 Open champion.  The course has been closed twice since because of financial problems but re-opened in 2008.  Fortunately the second period of closure was only for five months which minimised any effect on the course.

First impressions are not good as the clubhouse leaves a lot to be desired but the friendly staff assured us that there are plans for a new development including a hotel.  The course itself is a delight, winding through sand dunes with numerous challenges.  The fairways are fast running but tight with dense thickets of scrub close to the edges. The greens are gently sloping and surrounded by swales to catch even a slightly errant shot.  The 115 bunkers on the course are fed by the slopes on the fairways making them difficult to avoid but we were disappointed with the quality of the sand which was hard packed and most unlike links sand.  Although the Indian Ocean can be heard at the far end of the course it cannot be seen which is a pity as views of the ocean would have added appeal.

                                         

Five bunkers guard the 6th green

We played Kennedy Bay on a warm sunny day, accompanied by the constant south westerly wind.  Although there were many good holes, few are particularly memorable.  The par fours are strong and well bunkered.  The 5th is a good example.  Named 'Thread the Needle' it narrows progressively between bunkers to a green shared with the 7th.  The 7th itself is a short par 4 which might tempt the longer hitter to go for the green but the bunkering and the steep run offs around the green make it much more difficult than it appears at first sight.  The 15th is a lovely par 4 up a valley but into the prevailing wind.  Avoid the left side where there is a blind shot to the green which lies in a bowl and is quite forgiving to the approach shot.  Probably the best hole on the course is the par 3 16th, 'Wee Tap'.  It is only
123 metres from the blue and 104 metres from the red tees but the shot is to a narrow green guarded by a bunker on the left and a deep swale on the right with a prevailing right to left wind.  The course finishes with a strong par 5 which needs three good shots to the well guarded green and a final well bunkered par 4.

'Wee Tap', the challenging par 3 6th

Worth playing?  Yes - the truest of the true links course in Western Australia

Seaview Golf Club, Cottesloe, Western Australia

 www.seaviewgolfclub.com.au

Blue tees par 71, SSS (ACR) 70, 5564 metres
Red tees par 72, SSS (ACR) 73, 4998 metres





Today was the start of the Australian odyssey - seven true links courses in three weeks.  We started at Seaview Golf Club which is at Cottesloe on the beautiful coastline north of Perth, Western Australia.  The golf course opened in 1909 and was designed by founder members NC Fowlie and Peter Anderson.  A Scot from Forfar, Anderson won the British Amateur Championship in 1893 which he followed by tying for 19th place in the Open championship in the same year.  Both were played at Prestwick, an iconic true links course.  Initially the course was owned by the Cottesloe Golf club which moved to a new course in 1931, when Seaview Golf Club was formed.

A view of the Indian Ocean from the 7th green

We played Seaview on a warm and sunny summer day but buffeted by the Fremantle Doctor, the nickname for the strong south-westerly breeze which blows in the afternoon. It is a nine hole course which disappointingly is not really a true links course.  Although by the sea with lovely views of the Indian Ocean and built on sandy soil the course does not have hard and fast running fairways and has a substantial number of Norfolk pines throughout.  The greens are slow and attempting a running shot inevitably leaves the ball short.  The bunkers are shallow and not as challenging as the revetted bunkers of a true links course.  There are no truly memorable holes - most are fairly short and there are no doglegs.

The par 3 8th

Worth playing?  A fun holiday course if you are in the area but don't go out of your way - it is not a true links.