Blog 220 – Charters Towers

Nomadic_golfer : October 2022

Par 72, 6240m, slope 115 $20

4 par3s 123-185m, 10 par4s 327-427m, 4 par5s 469-528m

This is an unusual 9-hole layout on a hard and fast base, 90 minutes inland from Townsville in this famous old gold town. It is characterised by trees on unorthodox lines; small, elevated & broad-leafed greens: and tee shots bounding long distances in whichever direction you hit it. There is plenty of length, at over 6200m but slight altitude and that firmness has it playing much shorter.

There aren’t heaps of trees and missed fairways don’t hurt you too much, you normally pick up an extra 20 yards! The red sand makes grass growing difficult but there was a decent thatch on both fairways and greens at the end of the dry season. A large lake sits smack in the middle of the course and attracts heaps of bird life, but doesn’t really come into play on the main course. There is a separate layout “The Lake Course” which is like a local secret, with a couple of tees hidden away in this little wetland, that still utilises the same 9 greens.

The 2 par 3’s were my favourite holes; the 150m 3rd to a small elevated green with front bunkers right and left; and the 185m 6th with trees hugging right, a bunker short left of an elevated green with any well-struck misses likely to run long, leaving a tricky up and down.

This is a very well-patronised club with people around at all hours. It is quirky and different, begs you to ‘give it a rip’, with the small greens and ample bunkering being its main defences.