Camden Lakeside Golf and Country Club

The opening hole of Camden Lakeside fits neatly into the philosophy of the designers: that true championship courses reward the strategic player over the long hitter. This par 4 requires a careful tee shot down a gentle slope, which may be better accomplished with a 2 or 3 iron. The green lies over a deep creek and between two pot bunkers.

This hole climbs over a hill and calls for a second shot to a narrow neck of the fairway. The green is built in an elliptical shape across a shallow swale and faces the golfer at an oblique angle, requiring a high approach shot.

The golfer will find this a delightful view from the tee. A small pond lies to the left and a larger one well to the right. The green is set among tussocked mounds and is not bunkered, though a decent slice will find a watery grave.

This is the first of the course's distinctly links like holes. It passes to the left of an elongated lake and proceeds to the small green tucked neatly into the side of a hill and protected by a creek and two pot bunkers, much more like the first green.

From the highest point on the course the golfer tees off to a wide fairway in view of the historic Gledswood Homestead. This par 5 boasts three fairway bunkers and a slightly elevated green surrounded by more tussocked mounds.

A par 4 that evokes memories of the famous La Hynch course in Ireland. One third of the way down the fairway lies a large mound which obscures any view of the green. This "buried elephant" can be avoided by aiming left or - with a north wind - can be overcome with a hefty tee shot. After dealing with this obstacle the golfer is rewarded with a welcoming green.

This quintessential links hole runs parallel to the sixth but back towards the clubhouse. The golfer must avoid three pot bunkers on the left and one on the right with the tee shot. Thereafter the fairway bends gently to the left, crosses a shallow swale, and calls for an approach shot to a green that rises ever so gradually from the rising slope. Beware of the deep pot bunker to the right of the green.

A par 4 that follows a slight downslope, a lake on the right, to a suddenly elevated green surrounded by deep grassy hollows. The view of the clubhouse and eighteenth across the lake is possibly the best on the course late in the afternoon.

Wth the clubhouse in the background, the golfer aims to a green set amid tall cumberland eucalypts. This is perhaps the most welcoming of Camden Lakesides four par 3 holes, though at 198m it is a challenge in a north wind.

This par 4 is an easy way to begin the second nine, offering a wide fairway and a gentle green, framed between two tall trees and set among some shallow hollows.

Heading away from the forested portion of the course the golfer once again finds the links landscape to deal with. This par 5 requires the strategic thinking rather than the brute force and should reward those who resist the temptation to hit their ball with all their might.

Taking care not to slice into the lake on the right, the golfer will enjoy the undulating nature of the fairway on this inviting par 4. On approaching the green, however, care must be taken to avoid the stream that runs across in front.

A par 5 running almost the length of the far boundary of the course. On both sides of the fairway great mounds offer some danger for the wayward tee shot. The raised green lies across another of Camden Lakesides characteristic swales.

Second-last of the par 3 holes, this offers a delightful vista from the tees across a tiny pond to a well bunkered green built into a group of mounds. Being on top of a knoll this is vulnerable to strong winds and requires a steady nerve from the tee.

For the well travelled golfer this par 4 will appear immediatley as a masterful act of design. With its fairway bunkers built into the whiskered mounds and its greens lying back behind another wicked pot bunker, a par score on this hole will bring the golfer special pleasure. It may well become Camden Lakesides signature hole.

The last of the par 3 holes, this one may intimidate some with the lake and wetlands to the right and its deep bunkers to the left. But a well struck mid-iron will find its own reward, and putting should be generally straightforward.

This is the most testing hole in terms of length, and is plainly difficult to make par. But it does not therefore reward the long hitters among us in that it calls for extreme precision of aim. After avoiding the pot bunkers set either side of the fairway, the golfer must hit dead straight to a generous green set in a copse of banksia trees.

Described as a "Glory or Death" hole, the par 4 eighteenth offers a rare opportunity to fire over one corner of the course's central lake in order to finish in front of the greenland thus gain a large advantage. The more conservative golfer will aim for the fairway and look to a seven iron to get to the green.