Course 25 for 2022 – Poatina GC, Tas
The 5th green, with the magic view
Beautiful views from the foothills, and great value for your $10
Nomadic_golfer : March 2022
Par 73, 5965m, slope 118, $10 green fee
3 par3s 137-176m, 11 par4s 239-389m, 4 par5s 434-464m
Poatina GC boasts 9 holes at the ankle (just above the foot) of the Western Tiers mountain range, 60km south of Launceston. The town was built in the late 1950’s to house the workforce constructing the Great Lake Power Scheme & Poatina Power Station, while the course was developed by local volunteers, opened in 1970 and the club continues to be ‘supported’ by the Tasmanian Government.
The views across vast expanses of plains from vantage points behind the 3rd and 5th greens are worth the trip and $10 green fee alone. I’m sure you could see forever on a clear day. The views up into the mountains on the other side are pretty cool too.
Three par3’s and four par5’s give the course a total par of 73 and it’s almost 6000m, but it plays shorter. The first few holes represent scoring opportunities with 5 ‘almost drivable’ par4’s under 300m in the repeated play of the first 4 holes (1-4 and 10-13), as well as a 440m par5. Most fairways are framed by a row or 2 of trees (gums, pines, the odd blackwood and coniferous species) but its not very penal and there aren’t any real distinguishable features.
The last 4 holes are the strength from a character perspective, and in the 390m 6 (strongest hole, long and uphill sweeping left around the trouble with a positive camber, to a slightly raised green that merges with the right side and has drop offs long and left) and 360m 18th (a very tight, acute right to left par4 with a pond left and large trees lining both sides) also have the toughest golf tests. The 155m 7th, played uphill across a shallow gully with ground sloping heavily left and a bunker covering the front is a pretty hole and a very honest par3 too.
The fairways have just been over sowed with a combination of chewing and creeping red fescue and ryegrass, while the rough is mainly ryegrass and fescue. The smallish greens are a creeping bent grass, a nice surface but were quite soft on my visit after recent rain. Overall, it’s a pretty solid track for a $10 fee, the layout doesn’t leave you with a defining characteristic but the views are splendid and the condition pretty good for early March.
