Course 6 for 2023 – Coolangatta-Tweed GC (River), NSW
Coming up the par5 last, iconic clubhouse in the background
Nomadic_golfer : February 2023
Par 72, 5946m slope 119 $55
4 par3s 128-179m, 10 par4s 293-402m, 4 par5s 441-495m
This pretty tree-lined course on flat ground aside the Tweed River is the more talked-about of the twin courses on this 36-hole complex in the twin-towns. Characterised by narrow, tree-lined fairways, with little scope for a green-finding escape, there aren’t many opportunities to let it rip with the driver. There are 5 short par 4’s here under 320m which I don’t mind, and all have a bit going for them, but there is a bit of similarity with 3 of the 5 all the one shape (right to left) and 3 of them in succession (11 to 13).
My favourite of the short 4s is 13, a straight 314m with a lone pine behind the green as a line. The fairway is very narrow and dome shaped with trouble on both sides (water left). There is a real temptation to hit driver and get close but there is real risk v reward here, enhanced by a narrow green with very steep drop-offs on 270 degrees.
Other highlights are: 7 (strong 179m par 3 flanked by water on both sides that doesn’t really come into play, but front bunkers on either side and pin placement determine the required shot-shape); 8 (my favourite hole on the course – a 375m dogleg right, over trees and a corner bunker with mounds and the river if you stray left, to a narrow green, bunker right); and 17 (171m par 3 with a large, tiered green that looks at you diagonally from short right to long left, bunkers short and long).
Condition was pretty good in mid February, with the greens the highlight. The TifEagle greens are large, and were firm, very true and of nice pace. The green complexes are the strong point here, undulating, with many pin position options. The slopes aren’t as severe as they appear to the naked eye though.
Overall, this is a pretty course in a nice setting. Condition and the green complexes are the strong suits, while the layout suits the plotter, it’s definitely not a ‘bomb and chase’ track. For the record, I am a bigger fan of The West Course than The River
