To be fair, given the quality of golf courses available at The National Golf Club on Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula, there was no such thing as a poor choice.
With four layouts that all reside within the top 60 golf courses in the country, ISPS Handa PGA Tour of Australasia officials were blessed with a bounty of beauties to choose from when an agreement was reached for The National to host its maiden professional tournament, The National PGA Classic.
A late addition to the 2021-2022 schedule after the cancellation of the New Zealand Open for the second year in succession, hosting a tournament at short notice was not the most compelling question.
The question on everyone’s lips? Which course should host it?
At The National’s primary site are the Moonah (Greg Norman/Bob Harrison), Old (Robert Trent Jones Jnr) and Gunnamatta (Tom Doak) courses while the Frankston course, Long Island (Gordon Oliver) delivers a typical Sandbelt parkland experience.
Doak’s redesign of the former Ocean course (Peter Thomson/Mike Wolveridge) has delivered a completely different golf course, albeit one that does utilise many of the existing playing corridors.
Opening for play in December 2019, it was designed not with professionals in mind but for the member who battles weekly with the various winds that whip across the course with little land between it and the wild expanse of Bass Strait.
Wide fairways and green sites that collect approach shots rather than repel them was all part of the design brief; all of which make it a fascinating choice for the inaugural playing of The National PGA Classic, which starts today.
“We probably felt the Moonah course is more our tournament course but when we got this opportunity we thought about how can we make it work well in the easiest way,” explains Leigh Yanner, The National Golf Club’s course manager who oversees the course maintenance practices across all four courses.
“I’ve been involved in tournaments at Metropolitan and then Moonah Links and it’s not necessarily about the golf course.
“The Gunnamatta is right near the clubhouse so we can offer hospitality and a two-tee start is available.
“And for people viewing there are about three areas on the golf course where they can see most of the golf course.
“It’s actually set up very well for viewing of a golf tournament.”
It’s also set up very well for the playing of a golf tournament.
The fairways are wide, the greens somewhat welcoming but with contours that challenge shot-making for those chasing birdies.
The forecast is for relatively calm conditions the first two rounds and Yanner is excited to see what some of Australia’s best players can deliver on a course considered among the the top 25 in the country.
“We’ve always known that Gunnamatta is a friendlier golf course by Cape Schanck standards so it will be interesting to see the scores that these elite players can produce,” adds Yanner, who was the course superintendent at Moonah Links when it hosted the 2003 and 2005 Australian Opens.
“There were a few people out practising last week and it was quite interesting to see where they were driving into a hole where I thought they might actually hit it closer.
“They’ll get the run on the fairway and it’ll just keep rolling – like you see on the links courses in the British Open – and provide some real excitement that way.
“If the weather is nice, which hopefully it is, then we should be shooting around 20-under for the four rounds, I would say.”
The green speeds on the Gunnamatta course generally sit between 10.5 and 11.5 on the Stimpmeter, progressively getting quicker as the day progresses and the ever-present winds dry the playing surfaces.
Decision-making and shot selection will be critical and there is one hole in particular that Yanner says shapes as a scorecard sleeper.
“I reckon 12’s a very interesting hole,” says Yanner, who compares it to the iconic short par-4 third at Royal Adelaide Golf Club.
“It’s only about 330 metres and there are mounds on the left of the green. The classic thing is that everyone can drive it down near the green, but if you are on the wrong side of the mounds, it makes it extremely difficult to make birdie.
“It won’t be a hole which will change the tournament, but it’ll be a hole where people walk away with a par from close to the green where a person who lays up to the right could easily walk away with birdie.
“It’s a joy to watch people try and work out how to play that shot.”
When travel to New Zealand again became impossible given COVID-19 restrictions, PGA Tour of Australasia officials set about looking for an additional playing opportunity to plug into the schedule.
That they were able to find a willing host in one of the premier golf facilities in the country only adds to the attraction for players and fans alike.
“The National is one of the most revered golf clubs in Australia with some of the most spectacular golf courses in the country,” says Nick Dastey, the PGA of Australia’s tournaments director, Australasia.
“I know the players are going to enjoy the Gunnamatta course immensely. The green complexes are fantastic and will enable for great variety in the daily set-up while and for spectators there are a host of areas where they can see large expanses of the golf course.
“We’re very grateful to The National for stepping in and agreeing to host a tour event for the first time; hopefully it will be the first of many.”
The National PGA Classic will be played from Tuesday, April 5 until Friday, April 8. Total prizemoney is $200,000 and earnings count towards the 2021-2022 PGA Tour of Australasia Order of Merit.
TOP/MAIN PHOTO: William Watt
