Blog 302 – The Glades

Nomadic_golfer : September 2024 – The Glades, Gold Coast Qld, review

Par 72 5876m Slope 125 $96 (Blacks 6431 Slope 136)

4 par3s 133 – 206m, 10 par4s 292 – 428m, 4 par5s 440 – 527m

I was intrigued to sample the oft-discussed Norman/ Harrison designed resort course on the Gold Coast that opened as the Y2K bug fizzled out. The vibe to start, with that very ‘enclosed’ resort feel you get around the clubhouse precinct, apartments dominating the landscape, is not my favourite environment for a round of golf. BUT this is a quality golf course and with as big a gap as I’ve seen between the black markers and the normal ‘white tees’, this is a serious test off the back at around 6500m.

Bunkers are prominent and appropriate on the fairways as well as greenside (the club states there are 94 in total), with that appropriateness on the fairway being a real challenge with such a difference in tee block options, but they seem to have pulled that off. Water is also very prominent with 20 acres of wetland area utilised and now gobbling golf balls at a rapid rate, as well as providing homes for many species of birdlife.

They apparently had to move a great deal of earth to raise and mould this layout from floodplain after starting with the veritable ‘blank canvas’. The layout starts solidly but with not as much ‘attention-grabbing’ as you would expect from the billing and the amount of water around the place. Having said that, the front 9 is still a very good test of golf with quality golf holes. Favourites of mine were: the short par4 4th (with simple but effective design of a narrow green, supported by water bordering the right side of the entire hole, bail-outs left up to about 50-60m out where clusters of bunkers begin); and the 390m 9th which bends gently right to left through a U-shaped fairway in a slight gully before moving back up to a green set half-way up a rise with some beautiful bunkering angled at you to appear even more prominent from it’s perched position, before the back 9 brings ‘that’s what I’m talking aboooouuut’ to the fore.

The back side contains those attention-grabbing, and a number of water-hugging, holes. It also brings elements of: penal (140m 17th the most extreme example here); heroic (short4 16th); and strategic design (multiple tee shots with water down one side that reward those that don’t chicken-out and bail away from it – 10, 11 and 18 are excellent holes and great examples of this) to the layout.

While the architects did build the base up a great deal, most of the course bobs up and down gently, with mild undulation, except for the more pronounced ‘hill’ which houses 13 and 14, 2 of my favourite holes that ironically don’t involve ‘prominent’ water. The long par3 13th (206 or 170m) plays slightly uphill with everything sloping severly down to the right, sand protecting the right side and a ridge running through the green. That sand might be the best miss when green speeds are up. 14 is a 400m par 4 from an elevated tee that plays downhill for it’s length and showcases the Gold Coast hinterland as its magnificent backdrop. The fairway has some subtle slopes and the elevated start also gives great views of the hole’s bunkering but the biggest hazard to be avoided with the likely long approach from a downhill lie, is the water over the back (and it is not very far over!). The green is a ripper too, long and narrow, with some roller-coaster effects.

While that whole back 9 is super, the quality continues to build and the last 3 are the most exhilarating – what a finish! 16 is a short 4 with a water carry around the 200-230 mark depending on tees, that would often be drivable by many and would tempt even many more with the water carry, just to get it up close and in front of the green. That water would also catch many a nervously pulled/ hooked steer, intended for the strip of fairway to the right. 17 is the show-off, the blond-haired loud mouth of the group – a 140m par3 with water surrounding about 180 degrees of the green, and is full water-carry from the left-positioned back marker. And the finishing hole is a ripper, a 400m par4 moving right to left while hugging water for its entire length, finishing with one of the more severe greens on the course, heavily protected by sand.

The large, well varied and undulating greens have been well-publicised as being of ‘creeping bent grass’ which appears to be a pretty good surface and were in good condition apart from a few ‘scalped patches’ in multiple greens on my visit, which is likely just some remedial work. They played firm, were of nice pace for a Monday morning and at normal speeds are not that severe.

This track that debuted at no. 17 in AGD’s top 100 of 2002 has settled in the 60’s in recent years, provides very good golf. It is sure to raise the heart-rate on numerous occasions, particularly on the back 9 and while there are numerous watery graves easily avoided by not playing outside of your limitations, there are also a few where the sole sin of poor execution will see you drowning one.