Anglesea Golf Club

The 1st hole is 434m in length and has a slightly uphill gentle dogleg left. The longer hitter can reach this hole, but care needs to be taken on the semi-blind 2nd shot to avoid the 3 greenside bunkers. A green that slopes gently from back to front awaits your opening putt.

The 2nd is a 528m par 5 that plays from an elevated tee down into a gully and back up to an elevated sloping green. Only the longest hitters can reach this green with 2 very well struck shots. The tee shot ideally should be hit down the right hand side of the fairway with a slight draw to gain maximum distance using the slope of the hole. The deep bunker on the right hand side of the green is to be avoided.

After a short steep walk, the 3rd is a wonderful par 3 of 159m from the elevated championship tee. A well-struck shot is required to safely reach the smallest green on the course which is well bunkered. Once on the green, putting is relatively easy on a flat surface.

An elevated tee shot awaits on the 4th hole, a dogleg left of 372m. A drive pulled to the left is better than a sliced drive as balls feed back to the fairway from the left. A short iron is all that is required for the 2nd shot to a green well guarded by 4 bunkers. Par is a good score if you find any of the bunkers, and beware of going through the green as there are rarely 4s made from there.

Two well-struck shots are needed to reach the small green of the 340m par 4 dogleg right 5th hole. A drive into a narrow landing area protected by a right hand side fairway bunker at 220m from the tee is needed. A 3 wood or long iron tee shot can be used to lay up into the widest part of the fairway. From here a mid to short iron to an elevated green will be needed. If in doubt take the longer club as anything short will head back down the fairway and balls will feed back down to the centre of the green from the right if they have been hit the correct distance. Upon reaching the green beware if you have any sort of downhill putt, as they are much faster than what you may think. Take par here and go happily to the 6th.

The 2nd of the par 3s, the 6th hole is slightly uphill, 176m in length. A narrow opening between the front bunkers allows you to run the ball on to the green if you are good enough. A large sloping green makes putting a difficult task. Many scorecards have been ruined at the sixth hole.

The 7th hole is a bit of a sleeper and as many bogies as birdies are made here. As you stand on the tee you face what appears to be a wide driving area. At 302m it is a short dogleg right par 4, but it does require an accurate tee shot. The drive needs to be placed in the left half of the fairway to get the best line for the 2nd shot. The longer hitters can reach the fairway bunker on the right side, so a 3 wood or long iron may be a wise choice from the tee. A short iron is all that is needed for the 2nd shot which is uphill to the well-bunkered green. Best to be short of the pin here as putting downhill will cause problems.

A definite birdie hole is the 8th. A short par 5 of 451m which doglegs left at around the 200m mark, you are faced with the choice of driving straight down the fairway, or if you are a longer hitter, driving over as much of the treeline as you think you can. There is a sandy wasteland guarding the right hand side of the hole and a fairway bunker 220m from the tee also on the right side, both of which are visible from the tee. As you turn the corner at the dogleg you are greeted by a wonderful view of the shot to the green. Played through the gully the green sits atop of the rise and is guarded by 4 menacing bunkers. The green can be easily reached by a lot of players with their 2nd shots, but beware as only a well hit shot with some spin on it will hold the green.

Another dogleg left waits as you complete the front nine. The 9th is a 335m par 4 with a tee shot somewhat similar to the 8th in as much as you can cut the corner over the trees by as much as you like. A drawing drive is an advantage. If you have hit your tee shot far enough you will be able to see the base of the green which makes distance judgment much easier. If not you will still be able to see the pin. A mid to short iron will be needed to reach the green which is guarded by 3 bunkers, which depending on pin positions can make par difficult to obtain. Once again a deceptively sloping green puts a premium on your putting stroke. If you are near your handicap after the front nine you have usually set yourself for a good score as the 2nd nine produces some good scoring opportunities. After completing the front nine stop in at the spike bar or pro-shop for some sustenance for the more open 2nd nine. You will need it as you go from the lowest spot on the course to the highest in just two holes.

The 10th is a short par 4 slightly doglegging left hole of 292m. Played from a well-elevated tee, the green can be reached with the tee shot if the correct line is chosen. If not the gums along the left hand side will be the result if the drive is not long enough. The safer shot is to lay up with a 3 wood or long iron some 50m short of the green. From here it is a straightforward pitch to a flat green. A definite birdie hole!

From the lowest point on the course the tee shot on the 11th is one of the easiest on the course. The hole is a straight uphill 334m par 4 that plays longer than its distance. You can really let rip with the tee shot to a wide-open fairway. From here a mid to short iron will be needed to reach the green. Make sure you have enough club, as anything short will come back down the hill at the front of the elevated green. The bunker at the front left of the green also needs to be avoided. Putting from past the pin is a good test of your stroke.

The 12th is a long uphill dogleg left par 5 of 475m. The fairway slopes from left to right so keeping to the left side is an advantage. Beware of going too far left, as there is out-of-bounds the length of the hole on this side. Once again only the longest hitters can reach the green in two. Usually the third shot is played across or from within the valley 100m short of the green. Some precision is required as the shot is played to an elevated green that is only some 15m deep, slopes from back to front, and is guarded by a deep bunker at the front. Putting is also a test on this green. There are not too many birdies on this hole so par here is a good score.

After reaching the highest point on the course, take a few deep breaths before playing the easiest hole on the course. The 13th is a 128m downhill par 3 to a smallish green that is bunkered on both sides. Only a high well-struck tee shot will hold one of the firmest greens on the course that also slopes away from you. Anything over the green usually makes par difficult.

The 14th is a slightly downhill par 4 of 408m. This hole bends gently from left to right and has a fairway that slopes from right to left. Another wide-open fairway waits, and a good line off the tee is the chimneystack of the nearby power station with a slight draw to gain maximum length. A premium is put on the second shot here to a two-tiered green that when the pin is on the upper level is difficult to get close to. The green has a deep bunker on the left hand side and some mounds and swales on the right. Any shot missing this green and you are faced with a difficult task to make your par.

A nice short downhill dogleg left par 4 of 348m, the 15th yields plenty of birdies. There are no bunkers on this hole to worry about. The tee shot is played over a small wetland 50m from the tees that surprisingly collect plenty of balls. The longer hitters can take on as much of the dogleg as they can to considerably shorten the hole, over the pine tree is the line. The hole doglegs at around the 200m mark from the tee and most players can reach the corner. From here it is a short iron that can be run on to a flat green. Try to avoid missing the green long or right, as chipping is quite difficult from these areas.

The final par 3, the 16th is a picturesque hole of 125m that is best played from the upper left tee to fully appreciate the hole. Played across a valley to an elevated and very small green a well judged shot is required. Anything landing on the front of, or short of the green will roll well back down the hill. There is a very deep bunker on the left of the green from where 3 is very rarely made. The bunker on the right is not much better and avoid being long at all costs. Once on the green, putting is not difficult, but beware of the speed putting from the back of the green.

Rated the hardest hole on the course the 17th is an uphill par 4 of 366m, with the second shot being played once again to an elevated green. A well-stuck drive can usually leave a long to mid iron second shot. There is a large bunker short left guarding the green, that can be avoided by playing out to the right as the ball will feed towards the green from this side. Once on the green you can be faced with some severely sloping putts especially in the back half.

Standing on the 18th tee you are looking at one of the most aesthetic finishing holes in the district. With the clubhouse forming a background you can finish your round in glory with a birdie or even possibly an eagle. The hole is 455m in length and can be reached by many players in two shots. From an elevated tee the drive is played to a wide fairway. Depending on conditions a mid iron can be used to reach the green by the longer hitters, otherwise a 3 wood or long iron will be required. The green is elevated, and guarded by a deep bunker at the front left. There is also a bunker 50m short on the right hand side. The green has four levels that make for some interesting putting. So there you have it. After sinking your birdie putt on the 18th you can head for the comforts of the clubhouse and reminisce about your round whilst having a quiet drink overlooking the 18th green. Have a bite to eat from the bistro and dont forget to watch out for the roos grazing outside the clubhouse.