 
|
Course Review
01 Oct 2007
Golf Australia
Time and Tide wait for no course, but this layout, on the NSW mid-north coast, has continued to grow into the precise test of golf it was always intended to be.
Words: Jeff Centenera Photography: Brendan James
The term ‘water hazard’ was redefined at Pacific Dunes when June floods hit the Hunter Valley region. The ponds that neatly frame so many of the holes overflowed, turning the course into something of a lake.
It’s testament to the club’s operation that the course was playable again only three days after golfers would have had to wade through it. But considering how unkind Mother Nature had been during the winter months, the playing surfaces at Pacific Dunes were in exceptional shape. Heavy lies in the Santa Ana fairways are rare, while the bent greens rolled particularly true even after hosting an event for 200 golfers a day before the writers visit.
The course designed by James Wilcher on sandy dunes at Medowie near Port Stephens, is part of a residential development widely known for it’s public face, tennis great Pat Rafter. In the near two and a half years since it’s opening, though, the layouts distinct character has begun to forge its own reputation. Unlike many modern courses that pile on the length to satisfy elite tournament status or commercial demands, Pacific Dunes is made to measure for thoughtful golf. At 6,411 metres from the tips, it can be a substantial enough test, but it’s the way the yardage is used that makes it so interesting. The best feature of the course is its small par-4s which typify the kind of shot.
[ Back ]
|
