Course 12 for 2023 – Chinchilla GC, Qld
The short par4 3rd bending left around Rocky Creek – I loved it
Nomadic_golfer : April 2023
Par 70, 5495m slope 108 $20
9 hole course – 6 par3s 95-193m, 8 par4s 319-380m, 4 par5s 432-509m
Billed as the ‘best of the west’ (which is a little weird to a non-Queenslander as it is situated in the Eastern side of the state) this is a well publicised and patronised 9 hole course 3 hours west of Brisbane.
Set alongside Rocky Creek and next to an old (still in use) Railway Bridge, it is an interesting little track. Tree lined fairways (mostly gums), that do encroach on many of the holes, are the predominant defence of the course which has 328 Bermuda greens, and a mixture of naturally occurring grasses on the fairways (including molasses grass and bits of kikuyu and other broad leaf stuff).
The greens themselves are medium in size, with a couple of smaller ones, surfaces were fine/ firm and pace was decent. They are all raised about 1 metre and there are 2 bunkers on the course (4 and 9). The fairways were nice and firm and had decent cover (probably warrant preferred lies).
There are a couple of memorable holes for me: the 319/336m 3rd is the standout hole, with strategic strength and some natural beauty. It starts through a chute off the tee, sweeping left for its entirety around the substantial ‘Rocky Creek’. There are numerous options off the tee, from a straight 160m iron, to a hard hooking driver. The bail out right is penalised by gums and by not getting a look at the green which is beautifully positioned, tucked further left against the creek. It’s fair to say I fell in love – 10 photos here might give that away; and 9 is a strong 510m uphill par5 that turns gently left but has a tricky tee shot with OB right and trees encroaching left – a slicer’s nightmare.
From a difficulty viewpoint, I reckon the par3 14th is up there. At 193m, with trees protecting both sides, to a narrow green, this is one of the more testing par3 greens to hit.
Overall, this is well worth a hit as you head west out of SE Qld, condition is sound and firm, the bush aesthetic is near, and the layout is generally well designed. I’m not sure how much more grass I’m going to see after this track as I head further west.
And an interesting story relayed from a local to finish – they dug out some of Rocky Creek a few years back to make it deeper and they stopped counting the number of golf balls they found when they got to 3000…….
