Blog 92 – Federal

Nomadic_golfer : December 2020

Par 72, 6240m, slope 127, green fee $95

4 par 3s from 135-197m, 10 par 4s from 318-408m, 4 par 5s from 459-504m

The last of my 4 rounds on my 2 day trip to Canberra, hosted by Camp Remmers in Googong, was at Federal. This is the perfect foil for Royal Canberra and it was a treat to play them both in the one day. Designed by my great uncle Prosper, opened in 1933, it has a classic Aussie bush setting, and is a great contrast to the deep green shades and pines of Royal Canberra, with its well kept, but more naturally browning, overtones.

Fairways are santa -anna, quite green and not rock hard but they do bounce and run some. The edge of fairways and rough is brown to signify the Australian summer and they were hand watering the bent/ poa greens in the evening as they had rolled them for the club champs and they were browning off some too. Topping the Aussie feel off, is the presence of gums, the vast majority of the trees; they aren’t wall to wall though. Quite generous fairways between those gums and a really good mix of straight, right to lefts and left to right holes.

The long downhill par 3s are memorable in 3 (175m) and 12 (197m). The start of the back nine (10-14) is the highlight with 11 (a beautiful 331m, sharp right to left around large trees on the inside corner, up a steep hill to a green with a short right bunker and mound protection over the back) and 14 (375m right to left out of a chute of trees, to a narrowing fairway with a right bunker on the outside of the corner at about 245m, moving uphill and 45 degrees left for the 2nd to a green that flattens out with bunkers short and gives an ampitheatre feel) highlights for me. 15-17 all offer up a birdie before the testing finishing hole; 385m left to right up a very steep hill with an elevated green which might just kill you if you’ve played 36 holes this day!!

The greens are bent/ poa and were good without being great. Gold Creek and Yowanis greens were best of my trip but this layout is excellent, back nine especially, and it asks a lot of you. The Canberra trip was sensational; 4 fantastic courses in 2 days; I’d never thought of the capital as a golfing destination but it’s affordable and of excellent quality.

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