Peninsula Kingswood CGC (South)

The creek features on many holes around the South including here at the 1st . From the very back tee it becomes a strong par four of over 400m with the creek guarding the green for approach shots, whilst from the forward tee it plays as a short par four with the creek in play from the tee. Some widening of the fairway over the creek has also allowed for a little more forgiveness for what is typically the first shot of the day.

The 2nd has always been a curious hole, playing from a chute of trees and doglegging around a stand of old Manna Gums. Opening up the tee shot has improved it out of sight, as has some clearing along the right. Long hitters may choose to take the driver in an effort to get around the corner, but it brings bunkers into play and a potential bogey. Perhaps the better play is out to the right with a little less club. The green is another favourite with the large mound cut into the front occasionally forcing a decision between a running shot and taking the aerial route.

In modern-day golf it can be difficult to put long irons into the hands of the best players without stretching holes beyond the realms of virtually everyone else. This is where long par threes play an important role, and at a touch over 200m, the third can still be reachable for the average member but also ensures a hybrid or long iron for the better player. The approach here was designed with a running shot in mind and the contours help nudge a well-played low ball towards the middle of the green, especially one played with a slight right to left shape

A terrific par four and a half where bunkers extend forward from the left side of the fairway and then pop out into the line of play 50 or 60 metres short to influence many golfers’ second shots. The bump on the front right of the green is an ode to the 4th at St. Andrews adding some interest when the pin is in the front right corner.

“Gluth’s Creek” was nothing more than a drain in the early 2000’s but its evolution and effectiveness as a ground hazard became the inspiration for creeks in a number of parts of the golf course over the next two decades. Sitting on a nice diagonal from the tee and curving in towards play at driving distance, the creek is in play for most of the field. It works well on this short par five – those who take on the hazard and thread their drive into the narrow gap can easily reach the green in two. Lay back though, and it becomes a three-shot affair.

The tee shot on the 6th is fairly open and allows everyone to catch a breath and swing freely. The real interest lies in the green. The thumbprint which cuts across the putting surface from the right dictates how best to play the approach. A forward pin and something high and soft is the best play. Anything at the back and a running shot through the valley will serve you better. There is a pin right in the middle of the hollow, but it is only used sparingly due to its quirky nature.

Like the best short par fours around Melbourne, the 7th asks a lot of questions from the tee and they can vary week to week, even day to day. Different wind direction, how well you feel about your game and, of course, different pin position. Holes like this should tempt the best players to try and drive the green under certain conditions, but a bad swing or mental error can, and should, lead to disaster. For those not wanting to gamble, the best play is laying up somewhere near the corner of the dogleg. More often than not, the best line into the green is from the right from as close to the sprawling sandy waste as you can. On occasions though, when the pin is hanging up on the right, the strategy is reversed and best angle becomes the left side of the fairway from as far up the hole as you can muster

Easily the hardest fairway to hit on the South course, the slight hogsback tends to reject anything a little offline. Most will opt to lay up short of the rise and a little to the right into the widest and flattest part of the fairway. Two good shots should reach the bottom of the hogsback where it leaves a short uphill pitch to a heavily bunkered green

This hole clearly those who can hit their ball with a slight left to right shape. The higher the better. The green looks large from the tee, but almost half of it slopes severely away to the front and left, with the effective area making it perhaps the smallest on the course. Three is a great score here any day of the week.

The 10th plays longer than it measures, with the steep rises taking yards off the tee shot and adding an extra club to the approach. Bunkers line the right side of the hole both for aesthetics but also to defend the shortest line to the green. The subtle tilt of the green from front to left to back right sees many shots roll on further than you would think, so a high shot that lands softly is the best way to approach the green.

The first of consecutive short par fours, the 11th is by no means reachable but a solid hit over the bunker in the rise leaves little more than a short pitch to the green. The green rewards a drive played as close to the bunker as possible. Anything from the left leaves an awkward approach over the cavernous greenside bunker to a green sloping away.

The short 12th is perhaps the best and simplest illustration of strategy on the golf course. The green is shaped a little like a love heart, narrow at the front but expanding out towards the back, both to the left and the right with bunkers covering each side. If the pin is left, then the drive should be down the right to leave the easiest approach. When the pin is right, the strategy flips and the drive should hug or carry the left waste to get the best angle.

This sweeping left to right par four plays over some really nice ground. Testing your ability to shape the ball both ways, the tee shot rewards those who can move the ball left to right while the second shot does the reverse, with the green and contours favouring shots played right to left.

This dramatic par three plays across a deep valley to an elevated green, providing the canvas to build a series of bold bunkers into the slope. For most players, it’s little more than a mid to short iron but the green is severely contoured and can make for some tricky putting. The cunning golfer may choose to use the slopes to their advantage and play cautiously out to the right, knowing the ball will funnel in towards the middle of the green. For the most difficult pins on the far left side, it requires a touch of nerve and a well-flighted shot to carry the full expanse of sand and rough to stop the ball quickly.

The 15th is really a par four and a half. No longer the three-shot par five it seemed to be when I first joined the club, it would now likely play as a long par four under tournament conditions. With this in mind, the green and approach is eminently playable under either scenario. The bunker complex short and right of the green was modelled on the series of bunkers between the 14th and 15th holes at Kingston Heath. Those who have deliberately avoided the fairway bunkers and played out to the right will need to deal with these for their second.

It’s not that common to play consecutive par fives but importantly the two play quite differently. Not only do they run in different directions, but the 16th plays as a legitimate three shot hole with very few capable of reaching the green in two.

The little 17th is one of our favourites. Holes like this are so important in golf course design – short enough that the average golfer can make a birdie with a lucky swing, but enough trouble for the accomplished golfer to walk off with a bogey. It also comes at the perfect time in the round. In any sort of wind this can be an uncomfortable prospect, trying to hold onto a good score or salvage what’s left of a bad one.

The last is a strong hole played from the highest point on the South to a fairway some 30 feet below. A sprawling sand waste extends most of the way up the right side of the fairway and defends the best line into the green. Often played into a southerly breeze, the last is a nice contrast to the previous hole, testing your ability with the longer clubs in order to reach the green.