).
) and had
to call it a day after the 12th. There was no way I was leaving
before seeing that hole after looking at the pictures above.
Didn't play very well as I was unable to swing freely, I did
chip & putt ok though. 
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Port Fairy
Forums → Your Favourite Golf Courses | 54 posts
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Port Fairy gets mentioned a lot on here by a few of us, but hasn't had much in the way of many dedicated threads. Quite rightfully, MattyM and I sung its praises in the underrated thread. For $28, this is the economy class Barnbougle for those who can't afford/justify a $500 weekend in Tasmania. Having said that, it is not just some average track that just happens to be right on the beach. It is wonderful, and a lesson to all those seaside courses that it is good design and a thoroughly enjoyable course that makes a good seaside course, not merely great scenery falsely pumping up the look of what is not already something particularly great. It is testament to the club's efforts over the past few decades in relocating from Southcombe Park to the magnificent wild dunescape past East Beach wedged between the bay and Belfast Common. Though this was all on the move throughout the mid to late 50s, it is now only twenty years since 1986 when the entire 18 holes were finished and the current routing was in play. Take special note of the fact that all this hard work and achievement has taken place LONG before Port fairy became the fashionable destination it is today. One would expect a town to have money when there are about 470 East & South Beach houses valued at or over $800,000 a piece. But only fifteen years ago, about $250,000 would have bought you one of the thirty most prestigious houses in the area.
The Moyne River that splits the central area of town and its
gorgeous hiding holes and B&Bs from the East Beach side from
where this pic is taken
I post these pictorials for fun and to show those who have heard so much of it but seen very little, and do so bit by bit as there is a limit to the number of photos per post.
From behind the par 5 first green
The third tee, which plays more straight than a dogleg hole
excepting the dune in front of the tee. A gorgeous short par 4
with wildly wrinkled fairway natural contours
From the fairway, looking ahead to where second shots will be
played from
Behind the green, looking back down the slope
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The par 3 fourth hole.
#5 from behind the tee looking gradually up the gentle climb.
From the landing zone, the second shot goes up and to the
right
Zoomed in from the fairway, the false front leading to the
middle of the green can be seen, still contoured subtly
throughout to prevent any relaxing once on the dance
floor
From over the back.
The diabolical sixth. Miss left, dead in the long grass. Miss
right, dead in the long grass.
From behind the green looking back along the narrow corridor
to the tee
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Tithers, Thanks for the pictures. I too am a big fan of Port Fairy. There's a simple test I use to decide whether I like a course. I ask myself, "Would I be happy to drive 2 hours on a regular basis to play this course." Port Fairy passes that test easily.
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The wide fairway on #7. Those tempting to avoid being right
half of the fairway and having a longer shot in must challenge
the fairway bunker, from which few can get on in two and can
often be forced to pitch out
From behind the seventh green. The flattish area where second
shots are played from lowers gradually down to the green front
where it rises abruptly to a plateau shelf of putting surface
which is very slick and sloped to the front
The often maligned, sometimes liked, sometimes disliked par
three #8. I’ve always loved this hole since the new green
was completed. One can argue it is out of place with some of the
oldest and simplest greens on the course, but that is gradually
changing over time, and as they are “modernised”, the
newer green complexes fit well on the course and among the
surroundings
#9 from behind. The new green is a lot more complicated than
its overly simple and uninteresting forerunner. Tricky minor
ridges running through it, front traps narrowing the entrance via
a false front and also the moulding of the green surrounds to
make recovery from pin high or over the back much more difficult
have added gnarly teeth to what should be and now is a testing
par four to close the nine
The tenth. Uncomplicated if from the fairway. Need to be on
the correct portion of the green to make a 3 or 4, but the green
is large enough to accommodate its portions unless you are
playing from trouble or with lack of visibility
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#11, the first hole along the top ledge of the dunes and
beside the sea (not counting the third tee), and an intro to the
landforms and exhilaration of what is to come over these next six
holes
From behind and right, one can see that the green which looks
benign and like a flat saucer mown in the ground from the tee is
anything but. A slick putting arena in the wind with drop offs in
most directions
#12, taken from the right edge short of the drive landing
zone
#12 green
The short par four #13. Fairly uncomplicated if you can get
your head around the fact that it is narrow and the wind is
usually swirling. An uncomplicated second shot from the fairway,
so going at the green off the tee provides little advantage and
yet greatest danger for a miss
Fairway bunker short and right of the green
From over the back
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I conur with that statement Andrew - how long does it take to get to Port Fairy from Melb. city ? is it only 2 hours ?
It is certainly on my "must play" list...next time I am
down in the region.
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Tithers - Any pink hat photos from down at Port Fairy?
Beware of cheap imitations - Especially from the US |
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If you start in Melbourne from the West Gate, it will take approx 3 hours. It is around 290 klms. Getting through Geelong could be a 20 minute or 45 minute experience, depending on the traffic.
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Thanks BB
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Tithers, Get to the 13th. Mick
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Look above vman. Done already. Here's #14-15.
#14. An awesome plot of dirt on which to craft an excellent
and challenging par four. Ok, now here’s a weird one for
you. 5-6 years ago, you couldn’t see the ocean to the
right!!!! Because the club had planted a wind break which grew to
be enormous trees lining the right half of the fairway all the
way from the crest of the hill down to the green. A classic
example of why Clayton is a tree removalist when it is needed,
not just some aimless tree Nazi. Kind of like what Ross Watson
did at #4 at Sale.
From the crest around the tee shot landing zone, looking down
to the green. It is actually a more dramatic fall in height over
the hill than it appears here
From behind the fall in the second shot can be seen. Blind for
those who hit it under 240m, a fair whack into the usual howler
blowing off Bass Strait
The signature hole on all the postcards and the like, the par
three #15. A humble hole in many ways, and despite the
surrounding topography, an uncomplicated one if the intimidation
of the surroundings can be blacked out. Except that is, for the
superb influence the left bunker has. Protects the left half of
the green, and narrows the entrance to the right half
From behind and left of the green up on the back tee on
#16
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The 16th hole is the last of the seaside holes, and a gorgeous finish to this incredible stretch of golfing land before turning around and heading home along Belfast Common on #17-18.
The stunning par four #16, winding left around the fairway
bunkering and along the eastern border of the property. Like with
#14, it was only a handful of years ago you couldn’t see
the ocean once you’d walked 150 yards off the tee, since
they had mature pines densely lining the hole
From just short of the landing zone near the left trap. A
great angle in and a short cut if you go over
successfully
From the centre right of the fairway, having taken on no
bunker challenge but heading closer to the looming boundary
fence
The largest greenside bunker on the course, gouged out of the
right edge of #16
From behind the green. Like #7, raised well above its approach
area and a slick tabletop once you are on it
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Sorry, I meant the 14th. What a fantastic hole. Best on the course IMO. Mick
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Final instalment.
Along Belfast Common, #17 & #18 head back to the clubhouse
along the boundary. The tee shot here at #17 from the tips is
actually less daunting, as it is from the forward tee that OOB is
closer to the line of play. Many a ball gets hit across the
gravel road to purgatory. A tee shot to the crest of the hill or
just over it sets up the second shot to a generously wide and
deep green
Behind the green looking back, the flat approach area comes
after the undulations for the first part of the hole, and once
the hill is walked, there is no more raised topography to deal
with until the steps on the new decking to the clubhouse. The
green is just vaguely ruffled in contouring enough to demand
respect from the player who didn’t get within a safe
distance
The tee on #18. A large left side bunker complex and thick
shrubbery remind that the very wide fairway is not without its
dangers for those who are carefree. The practice fairway right is
a soft option (not OOB), but makes for a tough three shot hole
once the right side trees are breached.
From around the tee shot landing zone, the green at the
fairway’s end invites, and the amphitheatre for all the
action is very wide. #17-18 cop some flak for being down on the
flat, but they are aristocratic holes that would be welcomed on
any fairly flat or inland course in regional Australia, so hardly
can be criticised for how they end the Port Fairy
experience
Looking back after playing one of the most wonderful
experiences in Australian seaside golf
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Tithers - a terrific photo essay. Some beautiful shots in there. Keen students should note the dramatic ridgey dunes right hand side of the fairway on 12. I'm guessing they are Ballybunion like in style. The sad thing is that the 12th fairway is a great example of construction malpractice. It used to be quite dramatic from what I understand but on construction day the bulldozer guy got his wires crossed and flattened the whole thing. Very sad. I can only dream of being down there now knocking back a bottle of Glaetzer after a day on the links. The poor man's Barnbugle is a fitting compliment without being derogatory. Super track. Can't wait for the Warnambool races to get back down there.
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sweet shots. i'm going to make the trip. might take the lady, buy her some duracels for the vibrator and i'll play a couple of rounds.
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Made the trip down to Port Fairy for a weekend away in a romantic
B&B for the missus' birthday present. Picnic lunch on Sat
at Tower hill (old volcano) dinner at Portofino on bank (1 hat in
the good food guide) late checkout and a round at Vics best
country course (or so I've been told
Found it a very enjoyable experience and it was great to come
fore warned with this review. On the down side I strained a
muscle in my chest during warm up (the missus claims it's
from carting around a set of man titties The new greens (as described in the review) do stand out and currently seem a little out of place, but as the work continues they will add even more interest to what is already a great track.
Well I should have gone to BBD. $500 for the B&B (2 nights, 1
lunch, 1 dinner, 2 brekkies) $155 for dinner at portofino &
$90 for golf & cart and another $80 or so on juice plus
another $50 for incidentals makes a trip to Tassie look pretty
reasonable in comparison.
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Barnbougle would have cost you $1,000, because your $500 in Port Fairy covered a lot for both of you. Not much you can do at Barny for $250 per head. Did you walk/cart the other holes? If not, you've missed the most spectacular looking stretch on the course (#12-16). Next time you head there, speak to me first re: accommodation, breakfast (Rebecca's is the ONLY breakfast to consider in Port Fairy, it is that good), and especially dinner.
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Yeah, we took tee to green all the way home on the cart. Thanks to your review I knew it was a not to be missed stretch. Will check for local info next time, we did have a great weekend just a pity I couldn't see out the round.
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Just got home from a trip to Port Fairy and managed to get an early morning game in yesterday. Favourite holes were 14 and 16. The stretch of 12-16 being every bit as exciting as Tithers makes it out to be. 14 was a beast on Monday. It played from just in front of the tips, from where it measures 408m, I hit driver and 3 iron (flushed both) and was still 30m short of the green, thus was the power of the wind for the day. Long rough is nasty (lucky I hit well wide of it all day). Greens in perfect condition (half were played un-mowed due to me being out before the ground staff). Condition of fairways wasn't noticed, I didn't expect pristine surfaces and I don't remember anything being patchy so all must have been well. I'd love to play it on a calm(er) day, as my strategy wasn't dictated by the course in front of me as much as it was dictated by the wind blowing in from Antarctica. In my opinion the $28 green fee (or the $24 Monday rate that I got), is an absolute bargain. And until I get a chance to play the other top Australian courses (see RM, KH etc) this will be firmly entrenched in my top 5.
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The following rant is due to the number of people in the course ratings thread who are openly and insanely admitting they haven't played Port Fairy before. I owe everyone on here an apology. My photo tour of this course on page 1 of this thread must be poorly done. If it is even remotely acceptable as a course photo tour, half you people from Victoria who haven't been here yet would have made the trek without blinking. Heck, do it as a full day trip if you have to. Otherwise, just do an overnighter. Either way, there is no credible golf lover in this state who has never played here. If you haven't, then you are seriously not able to call yourself a golf lover.
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What a load of crap tithers. The place is !#@#ing miles from civilisation and hence why many golf lovers (like me) have not been there. To suggest otherwise is nothing short of rampant, lofty, elitist, chronic golf architecturalism masturbation. (mind you if my horse runs at the Warnambool carnival this year I may pop in for a look)
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Shipwreck Coast Golf Classic 36 holer in august at port fairy and warrnambool is a good enough excuse to get down there.
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It's not miles from civilisation. Takes just over three hours to drive there from Melbourne. You could have a bloody good weekend playing Port Fairy, Warrnambool and a hit around the 9-holer at Peterborough. Over the Labour Day Weekend, Port Fairy is
civilisation.
Trentham Golf Club |