Blog 176 – Tam O’Shanter

Nomadic_golfer : January 2022

Par 70, 5337m, slope 120, $15 green fee

6 par3s 136-153m, 8 par4s 283-372m, 4 par5s 460-467m

This low-lying 9 hole course is situated a few hundred metres from the shores of Tam O’Shanter Bay, near Lulworth on the North Coast of Tasmania. Volunteer run and founded in the 1990’s, it has benefited from the works of a number of volunteers, not the least that name which keeps on popping up time and again here in Tassie, Ewy’s mate Bill Husband.

On a sandy base, the course has a mixture of old (10 metre tall), mature trees through some of the middle holes, and some relatively new plantings, both sides of the 1st for example, and the 9th. The terrain is quite flat with just a few mild undulations, bunkers on a handful of holes, and wetlands areas that feature prominently in holes 3-6, which is where the gold is here.

The condition highlight is the teeing grounds, generally very flat, neat and tight from a number of grasses including kikuyu late in the round. Fairway grasses are a real mix, including some sawn-off parammatta grass through 8. Greens are a little patchy and slowish.

As far as the layout goes, there are stark differences between the “haves” (holes 3-6) and “have-not” holes here (1,2,8,9). Those middle holes are interesting, enclosed, attractive, penalise poor shots and are a little scary, those other 4 are very open and forgiving.

Those golden holes are: 3(460m par5, with wetlands and thick forage all the way down the left. It plays straight for the 1st 380, then narrows up and goes right to a bunker-protected green, with a ring of bracken-fern if you miss by >10m. Right is the bail out with less trees but no soda, with smaller trees and some fluffy stuff and the worst angle for approach); 4 (140m from elevated tee, over a gully and a stream which runs diagonally to the playing line, and a slightly elevated green with a large gum left); 5 (this is quality and tough, 370m sweeps left for it’s entirety with that wetlands left all the way & folds around behind the green, which has a copse of 4-5m high trees ~40m short of a green which slopes heavily to the front and drops off long and left toward the water); and 6 (140/ 150m, slightly uphill, across reed-heavy wetlands to a shallow green with a bunker at the back).

Overall, this appears a well-supported outlet for the tight-knit community here, who take great ownership of this course. It is a real mixture, starting off quite bland, and giving you some gold through the middle. The natural beauty of those wetlands holes is coupled with good design.. Condition is ok, but not the highlight here where you get value for $15