Blog 264 – Gosford

Nomadic_golfer : October 2023 – Gosford Golf Club, NSW, review

Par 71, 5617m slope 119 $38

4 par3s 135-166m, 11 par4s 279-379m, 3 par5s 414-437m

Gosford is a very interesting, tree-lined, shortish course in the heart of NSW’s Central Coast which starts off a little bland, alongside the hospital and a busy road and winds its way back into some beautiful, semi-tropical settings that characterise the last few holes.

With no par 4 beyond 379m and the 3 par5s all under 440m, this isn’t a long track but it tests accuracy and thinking off the tee. Fairways are generally on the tight side but in most cases not overly penal, with a few exceptions.

There are some clever design elements, with the 377m 6th a great example as the tee shot must find a table-top fairway that drops down to a hazard on the left, and large trees right which really penalise any bail-out, and reward the bold centre-left tee shot.

Lasting memories for me are the quality and variety of the par 3s (166m 5th to a thin bottle-shaped green with bunker right was my favourite), and the finishing stretch, particularly the 3 par 4s in 15 to 17. This stretch of short par4s (295, 297, 336m) starts with an exhilarating, risk and reward par4 defined by water all the way down the right and high-ground left, follows up with an innocent looking but tight, tree-lined, short par4 that you must have a plan on, and finishes with an unusual design on 17, in a near jungle setting where anything more than 180m off the tee must shape left to right and navigate an ever-tightening fairway amongst sand and trees.

Fairways and tees are kikuyu, while the greens are bent/ poa and condition was a little scratchy on my mid-Spring visit.

Overall, this is a fun layout that has you thinking off the tee, but won’t necessarily test your length. It does leave you with a warm fuzzy feeling as quality picks up after a slow start.

Photos from a darkish, rainy, October day