Barnbougle Lost Farm

The Lost Farm is the second course created on the Barnbougle estate. Created by Coore/Crenshaw of Sand Hills lore it sits partly amongst some towering dunes but also spreads onto less undulating land away from the sea. Only a few minutes drive from it's older brother, Its entered at 85 in the world and may well be on the rise.

The drive up seems to take forever, through a dusty road that ends at a facility that is immediately a lot more tourist or visitor orientated than the 'simply golf' approach at Barnbougle. Anyway, don't like to dwell on those things so on to the course...

The first gives an idea of whats to come with a generous fairway dotted with huge waste bunkers leading to a small green ( that In my opinion could have done with a bit more design), though still a strong par 5. The next is a short par 4 with a fairway thats impossible to miss but with two large strategic bunkers to capture some poor strikes. Note this is a bit similar to Barnbougle that starts with a fairly gentle opening before springing to life.

As such, the 3rd is a fantastic short risk/reward hole that is easily drivable but onto a very narrow green full of undulations...a great hole that is followed by one of the signature holes of the course. The 4th is 140 yards with gorgeous views off the headland and looking back over at Barnbougle ( below)
















The 5th continues what is in my opinion the best stretch on the course. A Unique left to right dog leg around a huge dune still leaves a long approach to a St.Andrews size green. Without prior knowledge of where to go or a strokesaver, the line off the tee is a total mystery!

The 6th is a nice par 3 with another undulating green that can leave a few interesting putts but its the 7th that gets the interest up again. A testing par 4 with a fairway literally 100 yards wide, it could almost be the first at the old course were it not for a huge hill of rough at driving length. Left of it is narrower but offers a superior line to the pin. Right is safe but leads to a more difficult approach over a greenside bunker.

The 8th ( left)  is a massive par 5 that for me anway would be impossible to get anywhere near in two whilst the 9th is a decent par 4 that takes us back towards the clubhouse.

I've often thought that if I had to create a composite course what holes would I have. For me, 3-5 would definitely get in though Barnbougle is so strong throughout that I don't think the rest would. Not saying that any of the holes are poor but they are just up against world class opposition.

From here the course heads out onto the 'lost farm' away from the dunescape. the 10th is another long par 5 that starts off well but I just feel the uninspiring approach could do with a few more bunkers or undulations. The 11-12 are decent holes but don't really get the pulse racing.

13 is an interesting one that is played in a gully between two rows of dunes though I was again left with the feeling that a bit more bunkering on the right could improve it. Next is one of the extra holes ( for there are 20 here) and its a lovely little par 3 at the top of the dunes that would grace many a course.

The 14th raises the bar a few notches and is again a hole that would make my composite course. From high up you have a stunning view of the coast and down to the green is only 300 yards or so but the approach is guarded by bushes and sand making the driver sheer folly. The 15th pictured above looks up to the spa with some great ocean views.

A flat but strong par 4 16th is followed by a great uphill par 3 but the finishing hole (above) is a real masterpiece and one of my favourite holes on the course. teeing up high on the dunes we hit down to the fairway and to a relatively narrow and softly undulating green.

The course finishes with the second 'betting' hole which is a nice little par 3 under the clubhouse. Overall I would say it is a very good course with some world class holes. It's problem for my is that it will always be compared to it's neighbour and in my opinion it has a few holes that are not quite in the same league. It does however help make this small region of Tasmania a little piece of golfing heaven.

New South Wales Golf Club

New South Wales is without doubt one of the best courses in Australia and currently sits at 33 in the world. It's one of Dr Alistair Mackenzie's great works and he was quoted to say the land on which it stands is about a stunning as what he saw with Cypress Point on the monterey peninsula.. High praise indeed. In my opinion it's about as close to links golf as mainland Australia can give you. It has the look of an Open Championship venue with some great undulations and cavernous pot bunkers. It also has the constant wind that is so associated with the great links of the UK. It has a very different feel to its neighbour, St Michaels golf club that is much more tree lined and a lot less 'links-like' in character.

Some describe it as a clifftop course akin to those on the monterey peninsula. I have not had the pleasure of getting there yet but to my eyes this course resembles the likes of  Dornoch a great deal more than Pebble beach. Regardless of how you would describe the nature of the place however, its just a great course.


Below - the 7th fairway and Botany bay that acts as  a passageway for huge ships docking in Sydney.

 

Above,  The 13th proves that Mackenzie was even a fan of the infinity green.

The first is, probably one of my favourite opening holes of any course that I've played so far. It's a short par 4 around 300 yards but pull out the driver at your peril with bushes left and 3 or 4 huge bunkers to the right. The conservative play just requires a mid iron and a wedge to an elevated green that is easier said than done. After that it's a tough par 3 that is certainly a bit reminiscent of Dornoch with anything right or long ending up a long way down a hill.

After this it is the unique 3rd that is the most blind of blind tee shots that you will ever come across. Some people probably love this hole but for me this downhill blind dogleg asks a bit too much.. Or maybe thats because I've probably never done better than a double at it.

Looking up to the 3rd green from the fairway bunker.

The 4th is certainly less memorable but has been improved by some recent waste bunkering and green remodelling. Next however come the 5th and 6th, without doubt the highlights of the course. The par 5 offers a great driving opportunity with those finding the middle, and the distance to clear the crest of a hill being rewarded by another hundred yards of so downhill and a short iron to a green that hovers on the edge of the bay.

The Signature 6th is around 190 yards from its back island tee that requires a carry over the ocean to a green protected by two bunkers. I'm sure the good doc had Cypress point on his mind when trying to come up with this one.

Below, the view from the 6th tee on a glorious day.

I have to say that absolutely none of these holes could ever be described as easy and with what seems like a standard two club wind here, the course is a brute.

The 7th is a nice par 4 up the hill to an undulating green and the 8th is a par 5 that features a blind second shot over the crest of a hill to a green that I imagine would hardly ever be hit in two. The 9th again has a mixture of waste and pot bunkering and finishes below the clubhouse.

The back 9 is equally strong though it starts with a degree of light relief in the form of a short par 4 and lovely par 3 downhill . The par 5 12th may also be a birdie chance depending on the wind but from then on the course starts to show its teeth again.

The finishing stretch from 13 is very strong. The 14th is a great short par 4 to an elevated green with its rollercoaster fairway the highlight. This is followed by one of the toughest holes in the land, a dogleg right that can't be made if into any sort of wind and flanked by deep bushes either side. 16 sweeps around in the opposite direction and is again characterised by great sloping mounds of scrub that lead to an intimidating approach, often of around 200 yards.

The penultimate hole is ( hopefully) only a short iron but the 18th is a monster of a par 5 that reminded me a lot of Muirfield with some expertly positioned pot bunkers off the tee. In the few times I have played here I have been absolutely nowhere near that green in two. It's a great closing hole that would grace any course, check it out below.

In terms of the aussie tracks played so far, I would place NSW only below Barnbougle. Cant say whether I prefer it to the Lost Farm as they are very different seaside courses.  I certainly found it more enjoyable than Royal Melbourne (poor conditioning) and Kingston Heath that seem to always come out at the top of the rankings.