Four of Australia’s course architects rank the best sets of greens in the country.
Mike Clayton
1. Royal Melbourne (West)
2. Royal Melbourne (East)
3. Barnbougle Dunes
4. Barnbougle Lost Farm
5. Kingston Heath
6. Victoria
7. St Andrews Beach
8. The National (Gunnamatta)
9. Woodlands
10. Seven Mile Beach – “Because they are going to be [great]!”
Mike Cocking & Ashley Mead (OCM)*:
1. Royal Melbourne (West)
2. Barnbougle Dunes
3. Kingston Heath
4. Royal Melbourne (East)
5. Barnbougle Lost Farm
6. Woodlands
7. St Andrews Beach
8. The National (Long Island)
9. Frankston (a.k.a. The Millionaires Club)
10. The National (Old)
*The pair opted to omit any courses where they’d had input as a firm
Ben Davey
1. Royal Melbourne (West): With a course that has greens as good as the second, third, fifth, sixth, seventh, ninth, 10th, 11th, 14th, 15th and 17th, it is hard for it not to be No.1.
2. Kingston Heath: It’s hard to think about Kingston Heath’s greens without thinking about what’s going on around them, as the bunkering is so integral to their design. Standouts are the third, 15th and even the blind, bunkerless 17th.
3. Royal Melbourne (East): While not as consistently good as the West, the first, second, third, fourth, ninth, 10th and 18th are all excellent, but the third, 11th and 16th are my favourites.
4. Commonwealth: A great set of greens with the exception of a couple that were altered in the 1990s. Simple tilts reward the golfer who approaches from the best angle. The fourth and fifth are good examples, but the highlights are the ninth, 11th, 16th and 17th.
5. Barnbougle Lost Farm: A brilliant set of greens set up perfectly the golfer who plays to position on what are enormously wide fairways.
6. The National (Old): There’s a lot of wild (and great) greens on the Old – unlike anything we had seen back in 1988 when it was built. They kind of reflect the wild nature of the terrain the course was built on.
7. Peninsula Kingswood (North): These Pure Distinction greens have perhaps the best looking surfaces I’ve seen, and they play beautifully as well.
8. Rottnest Island: At the risk of blowing my own trumpet because I designed them, I’m very proud of the nine bunkerless greens we did on “Rotto” in 2012. My favourites are the third, fifth, seventh and eighth.
9. Tasmania: Bob Green’s 1971 original greens are all intact bar one – the downhill par-3 11th. A great set of greens with a consistent style that have stood the test of time.
10. Flinders: The original push-up greens are simple, most just tilting back towards the direction of play, many having steepish slopes at the rear – the fourth a good example. With the wind that blows there and the views, that is all that was needed. It’s sad that the original sixth, 11th and 15th are no longer.
Phil Ryan
1. Royal Melbourne (West): A great combination of subtle and bold movement creating the potential for a wide range of pin placements and putting experiences. Bucket-list stuff.
2. New South Wales: I have played the golf course six times and I always come away feeling that I have had a fun time putting on the greens.
3. Ocean Dunes: Challenging but fair greens, which do change if the weather is nasty.
4. Royal Adelaide: Good movement and fair to play.
5. Joondalup (Quarry): I had two of my most memorable rounds of golf here. The greens are great fun.
6. Woodlands: A good variation of greens that are always a delight to play.
7. The National (Old): Robert Trent Jones Jnr brought a new and different style of greens to Australia with this course, setting a trend and creating something special for its time.
8. Sanctuary Cove (Pines): A more northern, warm-climate course with interesting greens.
9. Newcastle: Reminded me a lot of the Royal Melbourne greens experience. Great fun.
10. Kingston Heath: I always like to return to Kingston Heath, as I feel each time I learn a little more about how to tackle the greens.
