Wagga Wagga Country Club

Rated as the most demanding driving hole on the course, a dogleg to the left, Par 4 measuring 372 metres with a rating of 5 for men and 1 for women. A tee shot of 220 metres is ideal on the dogleg to leave you with a downhill second shot with a mid-iron. Club selection on the second shot is crucial as the green measures 40 metres in length with a severe drop sloping right to left.

Rated as the easiest hole on the course, don’t be fooled by the two huge bunkers which surround the slightly elevated green, with mounding at the back. The correct club selection is required, particularly if you are hitting into the wind. If the pin is at the front of the green, ensure you leave your tee shot under the hole or you are faced with a very challenging downhill putt on a slick green.

A reasonably short par 5 with out of bounds along the full length of the left side of fairway and a creek in front of the green. Birdies are available for those wishing to risk taking on the creek with a perfect second shot but double bogies are on the cards with poor strategy.

Generous driving area to this uphill par 4. Avoid the fairway bunker on the left and you are left with a short iron to a large green surrounded by bunkers.

At 400 metres this downhill dogleg left par 4 is rated the toughest hole on the course for the men. Requiring pinpoint accuracy from the tee with a hybrid or long iron, care should be taken to avoid the creek that cuts through the fairway at 230 metres. A long second shot through a narrow opening to a small green makes a par on this hole a bonus. A Par 5 from the Red markers makes this less demanding for the ladies.

A definite birdie chance on this par 5 provided you hit the fairway with your tee shot. A good, accurate second shot will get you home although care should be taken to avoid the creek that snakes around the right side of the fairway and green.

A solid Par 3 with danger spots short and to left of the green. The margin for error is very small as the hazard winds its way across the front of the green and along the left side. The green is also guarded by bunkers to the right. Club selection is vital especially when the pin is tucked to the left.

This is the most picturesque hole on the course. After hitting from the tee in Hetherington Grove the fairway takes on a gentle incline with a dogleg right. A tee shot to left of fairway allows for an approach shot without too many difficulties. The entrance to the gently sloping green has bunkers either side which justifies its rating of 4.

With the reconstruction of the 9th green and the addition of fairway bunkers, the formally relatively easy 9th hole (if there is ever an easy golf hole) has become a much stiffer Par 4. Driving onto the fairway and avoiding the fairway bunkers is a must. The longer hitters should be aiming to leave themselves a full pitch shot into the green (80 – 100 metres). For the shorter hitters and higher handicap players, just play the hole as a Par 5: a drive off the tee, a lay up second shot, chip on and 2 putts for a 2 pointer. Subtle slopes can make putting on this green tricky. Sounds simple!!

At 220 metres this is the longest Par 3 on the course and usually requires the longest club in your bag in winter. If you manage to avoid the bunker and mounds on the right and the grassy swale short to the left you still have a tricky putt to negotiate on a large green with subtle borrows.

Many regard this as the course's signature hole and it is a good reminder that a strong, challenging hole does not need to be overly long. To score well you must avoid the large gum tree on the left corner of this dog-leg hole. You are then faced with a shortish second shot, possibly over the willow on the left, to a sloping green protected by a large bunker in front of the green and one to the right. It is also difficult to get up and down if you go over the green and there can be some tricky pin positions.

The 12th is a 'sleeper' hole which has gradually got more and more difficult over the years. From its full length for the men a drive through a shute with fade is required to avoid the large gums on the right and going through the fairway on the left. A long hybrid second shot is needed to a landing area protected by trees on the right and left and a bunker short and left of the green. However this is a definite birdie hole for longer hitters who can reach the green. Many members believe this is the best green on the course with dips and contours leading to some tricky putts.

Players have a straight fairway ahead but with out of bounds to the left and trees to the right there is a degree of difficultly for a wayward drive. An easy second shot to an open green despite bunkers on either side gives an opportunity for a birdie.

From the back of the tee accuracy with club selection is crucial to scoring a par. A relatively narrow shoot, creek in front and left of green, out of bounds on left and bunker on right requires straight hitting and steady putting. A Par here keeps a golfer happy!

At an imposing 493 metres, this uphill dog left Par 5 is tough! With out of bounds along the entire left side of the fairway and fairway bunkers cutting a swathe across the fairway at normal driving distances from the tees, this difficult Par 5 requires some strategy. Rated the sixth (men) and second(women) most difficult hole on the course (some say it should be a Par 6), the tee shot is important in laying up short of the fairway bunkers. If successful, players have to contend with another fairway bunker on the left approximately 120 metres short of the green. A short shot for your third to a huge green surrounded by bunkers and two putts will get a well deserved par. The view from the green across the 17th green, 18th fairway and to the lake is one of the best on the course.

With the challenges of the 15th over, the 16th tee shot is uphill to a generous fairway. Long hitters can be home in two to a two tiered green. Players can get into difficulty in the grove of trees at the right of the green or by over clubbing and finding the creek behind the green.

This hole is now rated the hardest on the course for the men and with good reason. From the tee the drive must be straight with trees right and left of this narrow fairway. A good drive will still leave a blind mid to long iron shot to an elevated green with a bunker left and the course's deepest bunker lurking to the right. Beware you don't go over the green as you will be faced with a difficult high lob shot back to the putting surface.

The 18th is a scenic hole by the lake but a difficult long par 3 to complete your round. Often played into the wind a long and straight long iron or hybrid is required to avoid bunkers on the left and right and a steep drop towards the lake on the left. Once on the green you may be faced with a slick downhill putt and many a good golfer has putted off the green.