Blog 14 – Riverside

Nomadic_golfer : February 2020

Par 72, 5831m, slope 122, green fee $25

4 par 3s from 137 – 179m, 10 par 4s from 272 – 390m, 4 par 5s from 439 – 488m

The setting of this course is magic; on the banks of the Murray, every hole framed by massive River Red Gums, the course teaming with roos and kookaburras. It’s a 5 minute drive from the centre of Mildura and in the middle of February, the course was in good condition, the greens a little soft and not too quick.

The layout is intriguing. The start doesn’t do the rest of the course justice; 1 is a 345m par 4 where you need to hit the far right of the fairway (say the far 20%) to get a shot between/ around trees to the green and this is not apparent from the tee. 3 is a long par 4, dogleg right which I still haven’t worked out; looks like you have to play ~180m tee shot then >200m second. After that confusing start, there are some fantastic holes and plenty of fantastic bush settings. The 8th is a ripper; 354m double turning 4 (right to left off the tee, then l to r to a new green). The finish is this course’s strength though; holes 14-16 are excellent (14 is a double turning, short par 5 of 437m to an elevated, tiered green; 15 double turning (opposite turns to 14) short par 4 (324m) with a levy bank down the right; 16 is a beautiful long (390m) left to right sweeping par 4. 18 then tops it off; 150m from an elevated tee, between 2 massive River Reds to an elevated green in front of the clubhouse.

Even if your golf is poor, this is a good walk amongst some of the Murray’s finest natural attractions. As for the course, the start lulls you into thoughts of mediocrity, then gives you plenty of pleasant surprises as you find your way back to the clubhouse and that stadium finish.