Course no. 48, Kempsey, NSW
Pleasant golf experience and there’s no truth in the rumour that the ‘club’s got no beer’
Nomadic_golfer : July 2020
Par 72, 5874m, slope 126, green fee $17 (with comp fee)
4 par 3s from 130 – 200m, 10 par 4s from 292 – 405, 4 par 5s from 454 – 484m
Next round from our Eungai Creek base in July, was at Kempsey, first group off in the Thursday comp. My chances in the comp as a visitor were slim, and not just because I pulled up a bit dusty from a couple too many Tooheys. I was here at the birthplace of the king of Aussie country music and despite my best competition round of the tour so far (39 points), my playing partner Brodie Clark shot 71 off his 3 handicap to pip me by a point.
This is a solid country course with a great club atmosphere. They have the 328 Bermuda greens which were dormant in winter and looked like straw but rolled smoothly, albeit quite slow and receptive. The fairways were fine, a little thin with preferred lies. Apart from a couple of OB fences and water hazards, there is a general lack of punishment for errant tee shots. Despite the ever-present medium to large gums an a few pines, there’s not much thick stuff at ground level, so there is plenty of opportunity to recover from missed fairways. There aren’t a great number of bunkers either, but a lot of raised greens leave tricky chips if you miss the green hole high or beyond.
The course has a bit of character, a good mix of short and long, left to right & right to left hole. As per SW Rocks, it was another fun golf course to play without being too challenging. Favourite holes of mine were: 2 (330m par 4 with right to left swing off the tee, then back left to right for the approach); 7 (340m downhill with water crossing the fairway at about 220m, then turns left to a steeply raised, narrow green); 11 (142m with large trees down the left requiring you to hold one up, move it from right to left); and 14 (shortish par 5 at 454 again right to left off tee, then straightening with a pond on the left if you go for the green in 2, with a steep incline to a shallow green). One of the most welcoming clubs I have played at, $17 as a visitor to play in their comp is very accommodating, and there was plenty of banter. Thanks to Brodie, Dane and Paul for their company.
