Course 20 for 2022 – New Town Bay GC, Hobart, Tas
242m par4 8th green, from just past pin high on the right
A well patronised, fun & quirky little track near the city
Nomadic_golfer : February 2022
Par 64, 3903m, slope 99, $25 green fee
8 par3s 117-188m, 10 par4s 212-310m, 0 par5s
This short, testing track 10 minutes north of the Hobart CBD, overlooking New Town Bay, next door to a zinc smelter, is not as easy as it’s yardages may suggest.
The small to medium sized greens (bent/ poa) were pretty true, with lots of slope/ break and lots of mounds and different lies around the green. The lack of length and quirky doglegs, on rye fairways that were in decent summer nick, means a good short game here and you should score well. It is a 9-hole course, with a few different tees (and one green that has a 1st 9 pin and a 2nd 9 pin) where 18 consists of 8 par3s and 10 par4s. There are a lot of short holes: the longest hole is 310m, so hit your driver well and you have a lot of short pitches to those slopey, small targets.
The par3’s are the toughest test here – I obviously love the 154m first hole, where I knocked my 6-iron in the hole on the first shot played on the course that day – local member Andy Bryce and I in the first tee-slot at 6.55am, but the most memorable to me (and a very strong hole) is the 180m 9th/ 18th. From an elevated position overlooking the bay, it plays steeply downhill to the standard smallish green, covered by bunkers on each front side, with just a 1m wide gap at the front. Its a tough target from a line perspective, and even more from a length perspective, exposed and downhill. The 188m 6th is even tougher, uphill and blind to a narrow green with the front surrounds sloping away from you.
I’m not sure how to categorise this course, it has: lots of slopes; lots of quirks; lots of criss-crossing; lots of tricks; lots of local knowledge; not much penal rough; not many trees; good bay views; and not much length.
Overall, this is an unusual, short course that has to be placed in the ‘fun’ category. It is short and its defence is the sloping, small greens and surrounds. The club appears to have a healthy membership, and looks really well patronised with a very competitive vibe. The Wednesday I was there, was huge, course still full at 630pm and we hit off in the comp at 6.55am.
And a big shout-out to Andy, he was just as excited as me after the hole-in-one, then beat me off the stick despite me needing to give him about 7 shots!
