Blog 7 – McCracken

Nomadic_golfer : January 2020

Par 72, 5841m, slope 136, $45 green fee

5 par 3s from 135 – 175m, 8 par 4s from 295 – 368m, 5 par 5s from 437 – 492m (white tee yardages)

This Tony Cashmore designed links-style layout was opened in the early 90’s and has a sizeable residential component that has grown considerably since my time in the area (left in 1993). The wintergreen couch fairways were ok, the large SR1020 bent greens undulating and had good cover but the bunkers were very coarse and need some work. There is lots of this sand (72 bunkers) and the course also has 14 water traps; avoiding these hazards is goal number 1 on the majority of holes as there aren’t many trees!! It is another of these 5 par 3s and 5 par 5 layouts and has multiple tee grounds that cater for everyone’s ability. From the whites, at 5841 it’s not long but the combination of steep uphill holes (par 4s in 9 and 14 are very tough climbs) and hazards surrounding the shorter holes, make it a difficult golf course, as evidenced by the slope of 136. The par 3’s are probably where the design is it’s strongest: 2 (175m across water, slightly uphill, to an undulating green flanked by 2 bunkers); 13 (163m across water which also guards the left side of the green, while the right side has a very deep bunker requiring a downhill bunker shot to the flag); and 17 (163m downhill to a very narrow green). The par 5’s all give you a chance, 1 and 10 being good examples and similar holes running parallel to each other. They both playing significantly downhill, making them reachable in two but have water to catch the over-ambitious 2nd shot. Overall, it’s a good test of golf, a tough walk, condition is a constant challenge and the aesthetic is hampered a little by the number of houses in view.