Course no.1 for 2025 & 400 all-up: Bingara, NSW
The cool green setting on the 393m par4 5th
Nomadic_golfer : January 2025 – Bingara NSW, review
9-hole course Par 66 5100m Slope 100 $20
4 par3s 130-148m, 4 par4s 320 – 418m, 1 par5 440m
Mid-morning on New Year’s day I wandered out to this watered 9 hole golf course on the outskirts of the charming rural Central Northern NSW town of Bingara, home to around two thousand people.
Some mild undulations have been incorporated well into the design of a number of holes, creating some interest and some attractive aesthetics from a pretty bland piece of land. The Gwydir River sits adjacent to the property but does not feature in any of the golf.
Kikuyu fairways were very playable, with a seasonal shade of brown running through them (and in the rough) which looked very ‘Australian Summer’ and was pleasing. The couch greens naturally played a little ‘prickly’, but were fine to putt on, running quite true.
Routing is almost a clockwise loop and incorporates some challenging par4s with 3 of the 4 on the front 9 configuration being 380m or more (the 8th is 418m). Fairways were firm and running, tree-lined but not too thick, with OBs, mounds and run-offs providing the hazards on the ground.
The 2 standout holes for me were: 4 (150m par3 from a slightly elevated tee over a gully which runs diagonally across the middle of the hole, take care you go for the right green here, to a wide & shallow green), and 5 (393m par4, with a generous fairway flanked by OB right and a line of medium-sized eucalypts down the left. There is one large tree about 120m out on the left side to hurt the bail-out, before the hole narrows markedly to a green squeezed between the OB fence right & long, with the left guarded by trees & structures around the 6th tee. Emphasis is on hitting the fairway to ensure you have a clear shot for this tricky approach. Is probably the prettiest hole on the course too, with the Gwydir running down the right, and the appearance of an elevated green complex over a dry swail).
Overall, there are enough little quirks and features to grab your attention, without this being high class. It is worth a trundle if you are in the area. .
