Course 24 for 2024 & still 391 all-up: The Old Course at The National, Vic
Great view from the green of the very difficult uphill 390m 3rd
Nomadic_golfer : May 2024 – The Old Course at The National GC, Cape Schank, Vic review
Par72, 6313m, Slope 149
4 par3s 139-198m, 10 par4s 308-420m, 4 par5s 473-521m
This was only my second hit on The Old since the start of our travels in 2020. My initial review can be found in blog 18 from 2020, but in this particular round, I played and viewed it from the Black markers. The Slope from back there is 149, but oddly, albeit on quite a calm day, it didn’t play that much different to playing from the middle pegs. The par3s are obviously an extra club but at my length (probably around the male average) the ‘catchment areas’ on a number of the par 4s (eg. the 420m 2nd) were still reachable and it took the need to make club decisions on 8, 10, 15 & 17 away from me. In a nutshell, it was just as much fun as the standard comp tees.
Thanks to Messrs Nicholas Currie & Cary McFaul for pushing us back to the blacks!
This early morning visit yielded these new pics and reminded me of the unique place that this larger than life, 1988 Robert Trent Jones Jnr track holds in Aussie golf. The Old is a classic example of what architecture of the 80s/90s represented and the canvas presented to RTJ here lent itself perfectly to that pursuit. ‘Off the charts’ scale, big & bold design and attributes that test the boundaries in quite a few places. There are even a couple of holes that have pundits questioning whether they comply with the most notable of oxymorons ‘fair golf hole’. But it all adds to the legend that is The Old. RTJ obviously wasn’t worried about erring too much on the ‘shock & awe’ end of the scale
Of all the courses I’ve played, it still represents the greatest difference between your score on a good day (form, weather, easier course setup) versus a bad day. Case in point, my scores on my first 2 rounds here were 21 strokes apart 😁
The dimensions are huge, but missing the generous targets results in penal outcomes, the rollicking fairways typically flanked both sides by thick ti-tree that is capable of concealing large tribes of people, let alone a small white ball. Similarly, a high number of GIRs does not necessarily equal a good score – the large greens have lots of different shelves and tiers, some subtle, some not so. Get in the wrong spot/ wrong side of a green and you sometimes feel 2 putts is impossible
In terms of favourite holes, I love the mid-length par4 15th which involves a lot of options off the tee, and can cater for a number of different approaches, and the short uphill 4 12th. And you can’t talk The Old, without reference to the spectacular par3 7th, one of the most photographed holes in Aussie golf
Despite it being ranked outside Gunnamatta & Moonah, The Old is still where I take 1st time visitors. It’s unique blend of scale, breathtaking views and ‘scare the golfing hell out of you’ moments make it a one of a kind in Australian golf.
Everyone who has played The Old has a story to tell, there are iconic holes, legendary conditions and many places you find yourself in, that have you shaking in your boots. My favourite story is from the early 1990’s where a group of 8 well-travelled single-figure handicappers from my home club at the time (Victor Harbor SA), presented at the pro-shop early one morning, accompanied by winds in excess of 40km per hr. They declared a wish for playing a stroke round off the back-markers, a request to which the pro agreed. After asking of their handicaps (ranging from 5 to 9), he promptly declared ‘none of you will break 100 out there today’. Alas, he was wrong, with 1 player doing so. The appendix to this story, is that another well-heeled fellow started his round par, bogey and wondered what all the fuss was about. He promptly made 14 on the 3rd. Ouch
