Churchill Park Golf Club

A benign opening hole. Downhill slight dogleg right. A well struck drive to the left hand side of the fairway will leave a straightforward shot into a slightly raised green. The green is receptive to a low running shot if required. A miss short or right is preferred as bunkers left and to the rear will catch any errant shots. Better players will be looking for birdie here.

An uphill dogleg left. A dam and dense foliage to the left ask the golfer a question from the tee, will they carry the corner or play straight up the middle? From the centre of the sloping fairway, a mid to short iron approach to a sloping green which runs from right to left, must be sure not to miss long or left as a difficult pitch or bunker shot awaits.

The beginning of Churchills' own 'Amen Corner'. A long, uphill par 3 where par is an achievement. A fade is preferred into a severely uphill sloping green. Be sure to take enough club, sometimes two extra clubs are needed. Anything long or right is in definite double bogey territory as the green is lightning fast downhill. A miss short or left of the green and a good chip will leave a chance at par, but be sure to leave your putt below the hole

Without doubt, one of the hardest par 4's in Melbourne. An uphill dogleg left, with tall trees at the inside of the dogleg and a severely sloping fairway that falls downhill and away from the green. From the tee the golfer must decide what club they believe can hold the sloping fairway, with any shot struck left to right finding the rough. Most golfers will find themselves with a 180 metre plus uphill second shot, and if they choose to lay up, the fairway narrows as you approach the green. A large bunker guards the front right of the sloping green which runs downhill from back to front and left to right. Most shots played to the uphill slope, left of the green will hang up in the rough, leaving a diabolical chip as the green is hard and fast. Par here is excellent. Bogey is nothing to be ashamed of.

The third leg of Churchills' 'Amen Corner'. Think carefully when choosing driver off the tee, as the fairway slopes downhill, right to left, and will funnel most drives into the rough or trees (or the 4th fairway!!). A long iron or fairway wood played with fade to the left or centre of the fairway will leave a mid iron approach. The hole doesn't play to its length as the fairway slopes downhill to the green from the dogleg. Errant drives to the left or right will be severely penalized by the tree lined fairway. The raised green is guarded by two bunkers on the left and sits slightly across the fairway. A miss short and right with a straight pitch up the green is a great escape and generally the best play if your drive missed the fairway left. If you played this 'Amen Corner' to your handicap, be very satisfied.

A straight downhill par 3, where wind conditions and tee position will decide your club selection. With bunkers left and right and the green sitting well below the tee, a low running shot can find the putting surface and missing this green short isn't such bad news. The green is very quick and slopes down from the bunker on the right side, leaving some very quick putts from back to front and across the green. Do not miss the green long or left as you will find yourself with a very difficult uphill chip.

A downhill dogleg-right par four. The play with a fairway wood or hybrid is straight down the middle, as the water surrounding the 8th tee will catch any ball struck through the corner. If the golfer decides to take on the dogleg, a well struck drive can carry the corner, leaving a short pitch into a considerably raised green. Bunkers left and right are well placed to catch any stray shots and due to the raised green, any shot over the back is left with a very difficult downhill pitch into the raised upslope of the green complex. This green is very quick from back to front and in order to score well putts should be left under the hole, with missed downhill 2 footers turning into uphill 6 footers coming back on regular occasions

Once again, the par 5's at Churchill are the place to attack and make a good score. From the back tee, over the water, this is a genuine 3 shotter, but from the front tees, a well struck drive can leave the green reachable in two for longer hitters. The fairway turns slighty right from the tee until the 150 metre markers where it straightens and heads considerably uphill to a large two tiered green. Be sure not to overclub if the flag is on the bottom tier, because nothing other than a miracle will stop any putt from rolling metres off the front of the green, if played from the top tier to the bottom. If playing a third to the bottom tier, the golfer can decide to aim directly for the flag, or play to the severe upslope in the green and watch their ball feed back down to the flag. Birdies are numerous, but par is a good score.

This uphill par 4 across the crest of the ridge looks harder than it is. A shot played over the large hump to the left of the severely sloping fairway doesn't need to be overly long to leave a mid iron approach in. The left rough is sometimes preferable, as it leaves the only lie on the hole where the ball isn't below your feet, but watch the tight out of bounds and hazard line on the left. Any drive struck to the centre of the fairway, especially in summer, will feed down to the right, with the right hand trees being especially penal. The second is played to a raised green, with a large, deep bunker on the right. Do not miss this green right or long as the pitch is extremely difficult to a green which slopes from back left to front right.

Another scoring opportunity for those who can hit a long fade. The downhill par 5 turns gently to the right. The first half of the fairway will funnel drives into the left trees. When it turns downhill to the approach to the green, shots tend to bounce right. The approach is played to a raised green which sits diagonally across the golfer from left to right, with bunkers long, left and short right. The bunker short and right of the green is to be avoided at all costs, leaving a very difficult up and down.

Churchills' answer to the Redan. Uphill, to a severely raised green with bunkers short right, left and right. The play here is to find the front of the green by any means possible, leave your second putt directly below the hole and sink a satisfying par putt. Missing this green, long, left or right can lead to heartbreak and big numbers, as this is the quickest green on the course. Chips from behind the green regularly result in 25 footers coming back. One of the hardest par 3's in Melbourne, and well worth the price of admission.

A chance for some revenge if the 11th has taken a bite out of your round. If the wind is right, longer hitters can take a line over the groundskeepers facility (a draw starting at the pine in the distance is perfect) leaving them with a long or mid iron into the green. Mere mortals however must play to the corner of the dogleg left. Any shot struck to the right of the fairway will leave a second of over 250 metres. The lay up area is very tight and the fairway falls sharply to the left, so a tee shot to the left of the fairway is preferable. The green is guarded by bumps and hollows above and a huge bunker short and left. The green is receptive to high shots in, low running shots will generally find the bunker or will finish to the back left of the green which is to be avoided, as the green falls away severely to the 13th tee. The green is fast and slopes from front right to back left. A good drive over the corner and a well struck second can lead to birdie or better.

A slightly uphill dogleg right. A faded drive aimed left towards the blue 150 metre marker, will generally feed to the middle of the fairway, but any shot struck to the right rough will find thick trees and no chance of finding the green in two. The second shot is through a chute of trees, over a bunker that is short and left and uphill from the putting surface to an L shaped green which curves its way around the front right bunker. Do not miss the green long and right as a difficult pitch will ensue.

A dogleg right which plays a lot longer than its yardage would suggest. The drive must be long and preferably up the right side, as this fairway will catch any ball heading left and feed it into the trees. The green sits atop a hillside mound with deep bunkers left and right. The green itself is nightmareishly quick, second only to number 11 in speed. Any shot not struck perfectly will either run back off the front, or to the back and left. Play a little extra club to get the ball right up to the pin. Play more break on your putts than you'd expect and keep them below the hole for the chance of a good score.

Unless trying to go over the top to reach the green in one from the highly elevate tee position, the best play is down the left side of the fairway around 170-200 metres. The second is played over a bunker short and left, to an uphill green, slightly across the golfer from left to right, guarded by left and right bunkers. Don't be afraid to take an extra club, to reach rear pin positions. However, don't miss the green to the left or long as a very difficult bunker shot or pitch will ensue. The green slopes severely from left to right at the rear.

A difficult par 4 than can be made hellish with a bad tee shot. A wide expanse of fairway beckons the drive to the right, but the eye looks at the corner of the uphill dogleg left. Longer hitters can try and take on the corner, but be warned, it needs a long carry and a soft landing or the ball will run through the other side of the quick fairway and into the trees, or worse, end up stone dead in the thick trees on the left. Most players should aim up the left side to receive a generous kick towards the centre of the sloping fairway. The approach is played uphill to a raised green with two tiers. A bunker guards left and a large mound guards the right. Make sure you play to the correct tier, or a difficult two putt will follow.

The easiest one shotter on the course. Uphill, but straight. Bunkers left and right, with right being the deeper bunker but preferably ot many as it leaves an uphill bunker shot. Back pin locations need an extra club or two as the green slopes markedly. Uphill putts are preferred. The green slopes downhill from back to front, with a hint of right to left in most uphill putts.

A good finishing hole which plays longer than it suggests, especially in the wind. Uphill, across the crest of a ridge, the fairway opens out to the right as it winds slightly left up the hill. A shot to the left centre of the fairway should leave a simple approach straight up the green, taking the two green side bunkers out of play. The raised front will funnel any ball within 3 metres of the front, back off the front of the green, so an extra club is advised, two if the pin is in the back left position. This green is quick with subtle breaks coming off the shoulders of both bunkers. Churchill rewards those who find the fairway(or take their medicine if they don't) and keep their approaches below the hole, Happy golfing!!!