Blog 326 – Springsure

Nomadic_golfer : June 2026 – Springsure Country GC, Qld,review

Par 72 6018m Slope 107 $10

4 par3s 117-189m, 12 par4s 264-411m, 2 par5s 463-549m

This is an intriguing, 9-holer at the foot of Virgin Rock, Central Qld in gemstone country. There are a couple of dominating assets, with constant views of the rock and a train track (not operating) running through the middle of the course, very much part of the playing arena. A residual slope from the large rock continues across the course, with 8 of the 9 holes traversing that slope.

Couch greens, kikuyu surrounds, tees a mix of couch and kikuyu, fairways natural but straw brown on my visit. The mix of bone dry fairways, running hard and fast, to firm & fast greens surrounded by ‘sticky’ kikuyu’ is very interesting, and requires some ‘local knowledge & experience’ to negotiate. The constant fairway camber and the train line/ OB fences are used cleverly, while the lone bunker on the course is on the short par3 9th/ 18th.

The only rough to speak of is on the perimeter of the course, on 2 or 3 holes, as all ‘internal misses’ just get punished by tree interference. These trees; gums of multiple varieties, and other eucalypts, form the majority of the hazards, though they are sparsely distributed and the largest at say, 10m tall. Greens are all slightly elevated, generally small and most are upturned saucer types.

My favourites holes are: 2 (549/ 513m par 5 with camber sloping down to the left. Is quite open for the tee shot except for two very unusual, man-made landscaped areas which cover about 100m in length on the top-side. They are about 10m wide, bordered by large logs, grounded with mulch and house a number of eucalypts. The hole does play very slightly uphill to about the 150m mark where it turns downhill and is flanked by trees on both sides for the rest of it’s journey to a small green sitting 10-15m uphill of the train track); 4 (189/159m par 3, guarded for the entirety of the high, left side by the railway line. There is not much room on the high side to work anything running, with the camber, and get it on the small, elevated green. The 189m 4th plays parallel to the line and is definitely the tougher shot, while I favour the the shorter 13th, with the tee set 30-40m right, resulting in some space to work the camber between the railway line and the green); and 8 (264/ 323m par 4 – the only hole that doesn’t traverse the slope. I like the shorter 8th which plays straight up the hill, staring squarely at Virgin Rock. The view from the tee is deceiving, with the hole appearing wide and free from much trouble. Everything closes in (trees and rough from left, OB fence from left and back) as you approach the ellipse-shaped green that has a devilishly narrow back portion that sits only 4 or 5 metres from OB). Each of the other holes has merit also – this is an interesting and well designed layout.

Overall, this is a cool golfing experience. It is aesthetically pleasant with the constant view of Virgin Rock, strategically-based with the slope and railway line playing leading roles, and a challenging layout as length and the firm/ soft/ firm ground progression dictate.

With a campground within walking distance, I had the privilege of being able to take some shots that night and at first light the next day. It was absolutely beautiful out there.