Blog 225 – Casino

Nomadic_golfer : November 2022

Par 70, 5648m, slope 126 $35

5 par3s 118-195m, 10 par4s 256-409m, 3 par5s 449-500m

This is a lovely country track with loads of character. Not long, but well treed without being overbearing and boasts 5 par 3s and 3 x 5s in its par of 70. Fairways are generally on the narrow side; flanked by mostly medium sized pines and gums, with some large strategic gums. The layout is quite strategic with a preferred side of the fairway in most instances.

Greens are generally medium sized and the surfaces are TifDwarf, which were in good nick, firm and true. There is lots of variety in the make-up of the green complexes (size, shape, mounds, contours, bunkers, and the odd bit of H2O). The fairways are primarily kikuyu and natural buffalo.

There is lots of variety in the layout here; 3 very testing, long par 3’s on the front nine, 2 very short par 3’s on the back. Some excellent short par 4s (1 – 289m, 4 -338m, 11 – 256m, 16 – 319m) which, together with the 449m par 5 6th hole give real risk v reward decisions. Throw in 3 tough, longer par4s (2-380m, 10-409m, 13-384m) and you have a well balanced layout.

Memorable holes for me this time around (I did play here in 2020) were; 3 (195m slightly uphill par3, to a super, 2-tiered green sitting diagonally from front right to back left, with large bunker and trees left. A tough hole – do not miss left!; 11 (Super, short 256m par 4 with tall trees down both sides of a fairway that slopes and bends slightly down to the right, and possesses a narrow green guarded by bunkers either side at the front with a very narrow opening. Miss the fairway and its near impossible to find this tricky green. Lots of easy 3s and scrambling 5s made here – what a good short 4 should be!); and 12 (Picturesque short downhill par3 at 133m, through a chute to a severely sloping green (right to left), guarded by 2 yawning bunkers right, and steep drop-offs left – precision required here).

This is a shot-maker’s golf course, and the layout impresses me. Basic things are done well with variety of hole shapes, lengths and green complexes, with those shorter holes having the smaller, severely sloping greens, demanding more precision and penalising you more for your misses. Overall, I find Casino GC a really enjoyable place to play golf.