Blog 42 – Kooindah Waters

Nomadic_golfer : June 2020

Par 72, 5720, slope 139, green fee $59 (black is 6083m)

5 par 3s from 116 – 147m, 8 par 4s from 285 – 382m, 5 par 5s from 422 – 561m

Course no. 2 on the NSW Central Coast in June, and I venture to Wyong for a round at this 14-year old course designed by Ross Watson and Craig Parry. The course was built on natural wetlands, in a bushland setting and is said to contain hundreds of species of birds. What they built is pretty good; top 30 in NSW and a regular fixture in the country’s top 100.

The layout is excellent, very testing with lots of water (I was going to say most holes, but they claim there is water on every hole) including plenty of water carries and water right up to the green. Add 80-odd bunkers to this, and there is plenty of trouble lurking on every hole. Because of its base, the course struggles in the winter; very boggy, muddy in numerous spots and requires preferred lies. I have heard that for 9 months of the year the condition is excellent. They run couch fairways and bent greens. Greens look pretty good but had just been cored so difficult to assess.

There is lots of trouble off the tees with fairway bunkers and water (oh, and don’t forget the trees and scrub!) and a good variety of hole shape. It’s not that long off the whites with only 1 par 4 over 380 m; the 18th at 382m (397 off the blacks) which is a beast of a hole with water all the way down the left and cutting in front of the green. The course has 5 par 3’s and 5 par 5’s which I like. Off the whites, the 3s are quite short but the par 5’s are its strength. Four of them give you a real chance of hitting the green in 2 (422 to 461m) but have a heavy risk/ reward component with trees and water catching anything astray. My favourite of these is the 15th with the drive between 2 fairway bunkers, then water all the way down the left, cutting in front of green also. Would need to be very brave to have a crack at the green with your 2nd. I’d play here again, but not in winter.