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.