I have always compared golf courses to paintings.

Some you like some you don’t.

A couse architect has the ground he is given as his canvas.

His vision turns ground into a piece of art we all love to play on.

Some get better a better canvas than others. Some use bulldozers and machinery to improve their canvas.

Some get given a brilliant canvas. eg a blind man could have turned the canvas that became Barnbougle Dunes into a fantastic course

It seems to me in the ratings that new is better to a large degree. ie you would expect them to be better conditioned but most of them have a sameness about them and therefore lack memorability and character. A good example is Pacific Harbour. Nice course I have played 3 times on holidays. (has improved each time) Water, big slopy greens and room for lots of houses. Is it a golf course or a housing development with a course in it. Thats what makes Barnbougle pure – no housing development there.

New = way overated resort, pay for play and housing development courses in order of rating I have played are -

Moonah Links (open course) – Thompson can talk it up all he likes but it is till just a boring slog

Hope Island – as per above re Thomo (note it is going backwards in the ratings continually)

Sanctuary Cove (Pines) – Arnies influence was to build a long course with the highest ACR in Australia – that was all he achieved aside from making an impossibly hard course for rich fat incompetent resort guests

Coolum – only where it is because it hosts the PGA – boring layout that can only get worse when all the new condos are built

The Vines – ditto Coolum for hosting major tournaments – facilities also a bit run down

Club Pelican – another Pacific Harbour with the Shark influence

Links Lady Bay – Jack Newton uses a bulldozer to create a links – you are joking

Pacific Dunes – refer to Club Pelican

Pacific Harbour – see previous comments

Twin Waters – older version of Pacific Harbour – going backwards now Jack doesn’t hold his end of season hit and giggle there

Horizons – as per Twin Waters

Noosa Springs – best thing about that track are the mansions in it – more marble than the Taj Mahal

Murray Downs – rated 89 but at least as good as all of the above

My thoughts, hope this gets some lively conversation going.

Your thoughts?

I prefer to play members tracks over the resorts, hugely wide fairways and even bigger greens… They are not a ball striking contest as you can hit it anywhere and have a shot at a flag, even if it is cut tight behing a trap.. A decent members track will always test the better players more.. And they can’t be tricked up like the resorts either, that is a pet hate of mine..

Completely agree Brendan, Bribie Isalnd is a better track than Pacific Harbour.

It used to host PGA Q school so somebody thought it was ok.