Blog 165 – New Norfolk

Nomadic_golfer : December 2021

Par 69, 5205m, slope 108, $20 green fee (9 hole course)

6 par3s 115-177m, 9 par4s 260-415m, 3 par5s 434-457m

This is a well looked after 9-hole course set on a hill just out of New Norfolk, giving great views over the town of 5.5k people, 1/2 hour NW of Hobart. The course boasts tree-lined fairways of blackwoods, gums and pines, with a sports ground mixture of grasses on the fairways and very smooth, almost flawless ‘Brown Bentgrass’ greens that had just softened after a recent deluge and lacked their normal pace when I played.

The layout utilises different sets of tees per 9, the fairways are of standard width, probably play a little narrower due to the slope but in most cases missing isn’t overly penal. The course is not long, and it’s defences are the slopes, a couple of tricky blind tee-shots, a couple of holes with water hazards, and bunkers on 8 of the 9 holes.

It is a good walk with some considerable elevation changes, which they’ve used well to provide the golfing highlights, which include:

• a number of heart-pumping tee shots from elevated tees on 1, 5 (which has great views across the valley and New Norfolk township) and 7 (415m par4) / 16th (434m par 5) requiring a blind tee shot over the crest of a hill with a row of pines right and chunky rough both sides. If you can make it to the crest, you can get up to 100m bonus as it turns steeply downhill. A wedge 2nd into the par5 is not out of the question in the right conditions, but it is a scary tee-shot;
• the short 115m 6th, on the side of a hill, surrounded by bunkers and mounds with tall gums right, demanding a straight or left to right pitch to a long, narrow green with a steep drop-off left; and
• the 380m 18th, flat tee shot to a fairway sloping to the right which turns 90 degrees right and moves downhill to a shallow green set in a small gully

My favourite hole is 3, a tough 177m par 3, slightly uphill, with pines left and a long hourglass shaped green with bunkers and mounds protecting both sides of the front.

Overall, this is an enjoyable course, the layout is interesting and varied, without being too tough and condition was very good on my visit. And a big thank you to the guys in the Wednesday Comp; Tony Hardwick (40 off the stick on the front 9, pretty good for an Octogenarian) and Robin Hoare for showing me around, and Leigh Post for answering all my pesky questions