Course 35 for 2023 – Long Island Course, The National GC, Vic
Approach to the tricky, right to left, 340m 10th
Classic old sandbelt quality from Oliver and Morcom, enjoying a facelift
Nomadic_golfer : November 2023 – The National Golf Club, Long Island course Vic – update
Par 72, 6189m, slope 132
3 par3s 130-170m, 12 par4s 320-404m, 3 par5s 460-505m
I have been a member here for over 20 years and love the challenge that the course represents. As one of 4 courses available to members of The National Golf Club, this classic old sandbelt course has seen plenty of action in recent years. Set on rolling dune-lands north of Frankston, opened in 1938 after design work by Gordon Oliver, with some added Vern Morcom touches, the course is about to undergo an enhancement program under the auspices of OCM. Works commenced in September 2023 and the course will be scaled back to 9 interchanging playable holes, until expected completion in 2025.
The Long Island course commands more annual rounds than any of the other National GC courses, justifying the strategic intent behind the merger of 2014; to present members with a quality course within an easy drive for suburban Melbournians. It is now about to see some significant changes. The OCM plans, which have been shared with members, involve retaining the original characteristics of the greens and basic routing, whilst improving playing surfaces, regenerating indigenous heathland and introducing an exciting ‘course within a course’ concept.
The ti-tree lined fairways, mixed with big old gums and plenty of spectacular bunkering, combine to produce what many coin a ‘golfer’s course’. The various publications have had it back in the top 50 courses in Australia in the last few years and I am very excited about what lies ahead. The property also shares a boundary with the most celebrated OCM remake in Australian golf, in Peninsula Kingswood. Keep a watch out here over the next couple of years; I am sure the finished product will be well worth the wait.
For more photos of the course, pre the OCM works, check out my earlier blogs: numbers 17, 115 and 202. Photos below show some typical Long Island scenes from my November round
