FWGR: Completely under the radar

On the thread of Victorian country courses (the thread where Lakes Entrance members had to learn that their course is really good, but just not as marvellous as some of the over the top superlatives coming out of there would have you believe, as well as Warrnambool being granted an overly blinded free pass), I listed my top dozen or so courses. Not because I wanted to get heavily involved in the thread, but because the thread instigator PM’d me and asked me nicely if I would. Boy did that open up a can of whoop arse!

In it, I listed Yarram very highly, and it appeared as my second top Gippsland course. Is it #2? Possibly, perhaps not quite, but it is a minimum of top 4-5 and a darn sight better than almost every other reasonable country course proposed ahead of it. Why? Because most people have never played it, and many haven’t even heard that Yarram has a decent track. It is funny when Sale and the like are bandied about as fair courses, when Yarram is only a little south of Sale and so far ahead of it that it isn’t funny. Of course, most of us don’t often find ourselves rolling around the far eastern edge of South Gippsland. It is either down to the Prom, leaving the highway near Foster, or along the Princes Highway through Sale to go further. Thus the lack of a need to find yourself in Yarram, Port Albert or Welshpool.

So what is the course like? For starters, it has a part sandbelt, part cleared fernery type feel. The off fairway edge flora is not unlike Leongatha, (with more judicious minor clearing where it counts, something Leongatha desperately needs to learn if it wants to climb the rankings in the hearts and minds). Whilst the highway is down along the front border of the course, only when playing #10 do you not feel like you could be tucked away in a completely hidden getaway.

Now, here’s the news flash worth noting, and an utterly stunning point of congratulations for the club. The greens are superb, true and fairly slick. The fairways are thickly low mown carpet, to the point of perfection at all times of the year. The bunkers are maintained as if their lives depended on it, with ne’er a weed in sight, a messy lip or a grain out of place. And the tees are levelled and pristine. And, ready for it? The club doesn’t spend a zac on wages. The members do it alone!!! When I was last here, a local successful farmer and committee man was out handling the watering, whilst another was mowing the fairways and the president was manning the clubhouse. Outstanding, and a huge possibility that Yarram may well be both the best course in Australia and best conditioned course in the nation utilising only volunteer labour. If that is a big call, I’d enjoy hearing the other nominations in these categories.

But enough rant. When I do a course, you want to see the pics too. Ok, here goes.

Note: My photo hosting site upgraded whilst I was loading the photos into it, explaining the varying sizes.

#1, 218m par 3. From atop the property at the clubhouse down to the sprawling lower block housing the first handful of holes. A stiff opener with a smallish green, but forgiveness around its perimeter. Admittedly an awkwardly cookie cutter shaped bunker, but this is an anomaly. Right side of the green and a little short guarded by a minor hollowed out depression to the green’s edge (seen below in the photo from just short of pin high right) to complicate the recovery of the weak push/slice tee shot

#2. 431m par 4. No, after a long opener there is no respite just yet. A man sized par 4 (that can also be made to play from slightly shorter tees) with ample width but a fairway pinching tree just off to the right, another a little further along to the left (still aside enough to never interfere with those who don’t deserve it) and a green guarded by a bunker on each side. Most green side bunkers here aren’t overly deep but have gorgeous steep lips that remind you that you are in a hazard. Maintained to allow the competent to negotiate them, but still asking the question

#3. 278m par 4. Finally some respite for the clumsy starter. A short par 4 with a wide fairway and generous area short of the green. Threatens to be a nothing hole for good players, and the green is quite wide as well, marginalising the effect of the bunkers each side. But both are large enough and deep enough to frown upon the lesser player who has missed

#4. 376m par 4. A hole that is trying to meander a little around to the left, with the landing zone gently dropping down and providing a boost to the longer player. Good length can result in a fairly short shot in whilst most will still be at the crest of the fairway and with a mid iron. An important difference as the green is more demanding than the others so far in sloping just a little more from the back and being quick, and like the past two holes has a bunker each side which in this case impinge closer to the action and narrow the target for those playing from further back

#5. 436m par 5. The best of the par 5s on the course. The tee shot is played over a gentle rise before the hole gradually continues to veer around to the right. The second pic is from the left edge in the landing zone, with the green accessible. In this pic, you can’t see the crest of the fairway about 120m out before plunging down in front of the green and climbing a little back up. At the peak at the hole’s end, the green sits perched high and waiting, a steeper drop off than has been encountered so far over its back, and bunkering to pinch. Carelessness in any direction when approaching makes an up and down harder earned

#6. 333m par 4. making sure to make it over the rise (around 200m off the tee) will leave an uncomplicated second in. The once again one each side bunkers invade a little more around to the front, but the green is also a little shallower and banked to drop off at the rear, asking for some distance control

#7. 140m par 3. Uphill one shotter that is a good one. Left bunkering stretching to the back edge of the green and two right hand bunkers appear fearsome but the target is wide. The green is deep enough also to accommodate the shallower angle of ball flight from below, but not long enough to allow the avoidance of good judgement and execution.

#8. 425m par 5. The poorest hole on the golf course by a long way, though one feels the concept could work if moulded some time in the future. Anyway, it is no great matter, but a small blight on the course. Unlike some, I like holes that camber in the opposite direction to the turn of the dogleg when done well, but this is not done well. The hole turns hard right The middle pic is taken about half way between most good players’ first and second shots. The player who has a right to left ball shape here is on a hiding to nothing. The length of the hole offsets some of the mire of the quirk, but most will always find their second shot from a stance with the ball well above their feet (for a right hander) with the hole winding further right and the landing zone dropping further left. A grass bunker-type mown hollow along the left edge of the green continues the lack of forgiveness. There is no easy way for the average length hitter to proficiently play this hole and still have an advantage for their approach over a playing partner who executed less competently.

More holes later on after lunch.

Great stuff Tithers. I've heard plenty about Yarram but this is the first time I've seen any pictures. I'll need to make the trek. Is there anything else worth playing nearby to make a (big) day of it, or would you just play it twice?

Tithers,

That 1st green, from side on, looks like a mini version of a Royal Worlington & Newmarket style green. Tough start for a long par 3 opener. With a hole that length, it’s easy to miss the green 20m wide, which would make the pitch a difficult one. I bet there are many 5’s on that 1st hole.

QUOTE: Alphonse @ Sep 9 2006, 10:30 AM

Great stuff Tithers. I've heard plenty about Yarram but this is the first time I've seen any pictures. I'll need to make the trek. Is there anything else worth playing nearby to make a (big) day of it, or would you just play it twice?

The Maffra/Yarram double is a day well spent. I've done it twice. Maffra is by far the best course within an hour or so of Yarram, and not all that much a lesser course. I'm dying to see Maffra again now that they have finished their tree clearing program. The place wasn't choked with them or anything, but they have their finger on the pulse.

QUOTE: Andrew @ Sep 9 2006, 11:04 AM

I bet there are many 5’s on that 1st hole.

For the reasons you stated, yes there was a 5 there on Thursday

#9. 256m par 4. A very good short par 4, in taking an unwilling and unyielding undulating portion of the land near the clubhouse (potentially housing some ordinary stuff) and putting a well laid out hole of interest and some opportunity. From the tee, the aggressive can go at the green complex (a tad obscured from view to the left), with a forbidding upslope and some fronting sand to stop them but nevertheless providing an opportunity for a pitch played from ground near the level of the green. Whereas the more conservative play or that for the masses will result in an approach from well below the green level. This is actually quite important, since the green is very long and narrow with a tier separating the upper back from the lower front, as well as the green being angled to face a little from front right to back left. The easily reached bottom of the fairway with a bunt requires some guesswork and luck to get an approach on the same level as the hole let alone making sure it finishes on the green. Whilst the player who can get near the green complex in one can see more and will play a shorter shot to a hole where they will be able to judge the factors surrounding it to have a greater chance of being within birdie range.

Looks rather hilly - do they have any carts?

Thanks for continuing to provide great insight into real golf courses. This one does look like a real gem, if i ever get down that way I reckon I had better play it.
Have you ever thought of writing a book (or website) "Australias top 100 courses that you might not have heard of" ? - or at least an index somewhere of all your reviews.

Strange 1st hole though - but upon reflection i guess if one just considers it as a par 3.5, then its perfectly suited to the 1st hole gay fade (appropriately aimed left), that will dribble up quite close to the green. Its only if one gets hung up on actually making the distance that's going to result in the nasty double.

Nice looking course..looks alot like hawks nest golf course..which is a good thing.

QUOTE: Alphonse @ Sep 9 2006, 10:30 AM

Great stuff Tithers. I've heard plenty about Yarram but this is the first time I've seen any pictures. I'll need to make the trek. Is there anything else worth playing nearby to make a (big) day of it, or would you just play it twice?

If you like the idea of a nice scenic drive back to Melbourne via the South Gippsland Hwy instead of the Princess, then Foster would be another nice track to play, only 40 minutes back down the road towards Melbourne.

I might be a little biased though .

QUOTE: Jack @ Sep 9 2006, 01:17 PM

Looks rather hilly - do they have any carts?

It's not hilly in comparison to some of the tracks that you'll play on the peninsula. Plenty of tracks IN Melbourne would be more hilly as well. Eastern, Croydon and Riversdale to name a few.

Yarram really is a great little track.

I should get back there next time I'm in the area, I've only played it a couple of times and looking at these pictures, there are a few holes that I don't remember.

QUOTE: Jack @ Sep 9 2006, 01:17 PM

Looks rather hilly - do they have any carts?

In the theme of member generousity, the farmer mentioned earlier who was manning the watering shouted two carts to see how they go (maybe more to come one day), and a ahipping container to put them in as well as the hire sets and the like.

Whilst there are undulations, the overall change in elevation throughout the course is quite minimal and so it is a cruisy walk. Quite easy actually. The first time I played here, I drove from home in Nunawading to Maffra, played #18 on foot, went through Sale and walked the new holes at Sale Golf Club, drove on to Yarram and played another #18 on foot, then went home and on to a trade dinner in Fitzroy that night.

#10. 453m par 5. If #5 is the best par 5, then #10 is the most heroic and potentially the most exciting. Though a risk/reward concept to a small green side zone has meant that the green itself is very plain in order to make the risk worthwhile. In the future, more should be done with this green complex to add interest, especially as it is the only one seen from the passing road and currently is no great advertisement for how marvelous this course is. A wide fairway awaits the tee shot, with the longer players wanting to be down the right in case they want a ping at the green with their second. The second pic shows the second shot either conservatively, or at the green, the blue flag peeking out behind the hazard peg in the foreground. The tall trees in the background are behind the green. Third pic is from where the typical well placed conservative second ends up

#11. 355m par 4. Turning back into the heart of the paddock that houses the first half of the back nine, this hole has the second widest fairway (behind #10), which works to snare the unwary as use of the width creates a very long second shot. Those who take on the aggressive right hand and either cut the corner or hug the tree line tightly and succeed will have a far more elementary second shot

#12. 458m par 5. Doglegging right, a fairly plain hole on a flat section of the property. The longest hole on the course and yet perhaps a better opportunity or at least the equal of any other par 5 for a shot at putting for eagle. To add interest, the safe left portion of fairway in the drive zone has been contour cut to bring in some light rough just to put a slight extra emphasis on rewarding those who identify and negotiate the optimum line

#13. 331m par 4. The tee shot pic is taken just right of the mens’ tee, back and left from the ladies’ tee. A dogleg that asks every player of all standards bar the 100m hitters to take on a line over the OOB. It is an exciting tee shot, played by most to a blind landing zone over the trees, with the more you chew off, the more flora and more OOB acreage to carry. The daring and triumphant can set up a short pitch for their second, whilst the rank and file are left with a full mid to short iron in. The trick is to be aware that there is loads of room past the corner, and not seeing all the room can lead people to be a little timid with their target line. In pic three behind the green, a ridge parallel with the line of play runs from the front into the middle of the green, placing this hole location half way between the bunker and it. A tricky small portion of green to get into to improve the chances of birdie, thus enshrining the advantage of having a shorter shot in. Whilst the green as a whole is very large, the short right and back right edges of it are guarded by minor humps and hollows just off the putting surface, making for awkward recoveries and just pinching in the players view of an optimum area to land in

At a volunteer run club, a bit of gardening enthusiasm has to be catered for. The tees here are all close by to previous greens as a whole, with a couple of the few longer treks undertaken through bark carpeted ferneries or among a private mini-forest. Very peaceful and happily noticed

#14. 255m par 4. Almost a very good short par 4. Misses the mark in terms of knowing how to differentiate between the two main philosophies off the tee on such a hole, namely the go for the green and surrounds or play conservatively. The green in the distance looks well located with the light cut of rough impeding on the left in front of the direct line at the dance floor, and then an inviting wide fairway zone to the right. A great set up for a really good hole. All we need now is to reward the player who goes at it and makes it beyond the rough to in front of the green, all whilst creating a dangerous second shot from the right in the easy zone. But the front bunker guards the entry from the left instead and the right is wide open. So the medium length hitter has no incentive to do anything other than bunt it down the middle. The left bunker doesn’t hurt the player going for the green and ending up in it because it is still a short greenside bunker flip second shot, as opposed to a conservative player’s third shot after a missed second. Off the right edge of the green is a well hollowed out slap in the face for the poorly executed second (looks like it extends around to the front, but the shallow front entrance has a welcome mat on it). Still an enjoyable hole, but there are a few different types of minor tweaks that would make it really good.

#14a. Somewhere between 260-280m. A 19th hole, or to be exact, an ex-hole which has become a great short practice fairway from the dogleg in but still has a maintained green and bunker. So a viable extra hole if ever needed. Played from the existing 14th tee to the green to the left of the existing 14th green (and so accessed via the other side of the left trees on #14 which create the dogleg. A left bunker, a raised green with a steep front left drop off and banking to the back right of the green make for interesting and somewhat exacting pitch shots for anyone further than 40-50m out.

#15. 123m par 3. Back to the clubhouse after walking off #14 and ready for the final four hole loop. #15 is the postcard hole on the course, a drop shot par 3 played from well above the green which is long but not so wide across its front half, and framed by bunkers and a hollow to the back. Not much to write about it as it all presents in front of the player and the question asked by this hole is simple. But courses that have this hole are better for it, as it has the excitement factor from being a slight version of the “fortress� hole. Fun to play

#16. 373m par 4. A gradually widening landing zone makes for a less stressful drive, though the longer player who will head deep into the end of the dogleg or cut some corner to the left has a little less room. Those who try to take on the dogleg but do so inadequately may face the front left bunker, which scornfully disapproves of players who’ve taken on the corner half heartedly. There is less green depth behind the bunker than on some other holes, and this is one of the few par 4 greenside bunkers that protects a fair portion of green directly behind it if approaching from the left. Over the back, the usual drop off is further complicated by then gradually rising again and so leaving the overly forthright player with a dip as well as the bank to negotiate to get close

Tithers,

15 is a great little hole. Although from the last time I played it, I seem to remember that the big Gum trees on the right were very close to (if not already) impeding the playing line for some players.

Did you notice anything like this to be the case on your most recent, or any previous visits?

QUOTE: Upanddown23 @ Sep 11 2006, 10:36 AM

Tithers,

15 is a great little hole. Although from the last time I played it, I seem to remember that the big Gum trees on the right were very close to (if not already) impeding the playing line for some players.

Did you notice anything like this to be the case on your most recent, or any previous visits?

They clear trees religiously every year. I haven't seen anything in the way there personally, unless it was cleared before my time. You could fly a small plane from tee to green there without hitting anything.

tithers, if ever I get re-born, I want to get a life like yours. Working in grog and able to play golf everywhere during the week. Next you'll tell me you part-own a brothel...

QUOTE: peanuts @ Sep 11 2006, 11:32 AM

tithers, if ever I get re-born, I want to get a life like yours. Working in grog and able to play golf everywhere during the week. Next you'll tell me you part-own a brothel...

Its simple. A job with one weekday off because I must work Saturdays, and even more importantly, no kids just yet. I guess you'd hate me even more when I say I'm probably taking a month of long service leave soon, with the missus only taking half of it. So I might be golfing for a bit of the rest of it. Just a bit

Also helps that it costs a lot less for me to do what I do than some others on here presume it does

QUOTE: ttitheridge @ Sep 11 2006, 12:13 PM

Its simple. A job with one weekday off because I must work Saturdays, and even more importantly, no kids just yet. I guess you'd hate me even more when I say I'm probably taking a month of long service leave soon, with the missus only taking half of it. So I might be golfing for a bit of the rest of it. Just a bit

Also helps that it costs a lot less for me to do what I do than some others on here presume it does

Played some pennant matches at Yarram many moons ago, had forgotten how good it looked/played.
You're right Tony, Leongatha Sth with cleaner rough, Jon...

And now for the final two holes.

Such a welcoming club, and a truly enjoyable course to play. Testing in places, relaxed in others. Doesn't let you fall asleep no matter how good you are, but never beats you over the head. Whether you be a junior, oldie, beginner, male/female, or sandbelt scratch marker, there is fun golf for everyone here.

#17. 290m par 4. An almost 90 degree turn dogleg right. The tree on the corner dictates so much and does so cleverly. Without it, the hole struggles to convince of there being subtle changes in advantage with subtle increases in successful attack. But where it is, it asks the conservative player to play to its left or cut it. The brave can go at the green or to their chosen point in front of it, or start over or just right of the tree trying to cut it. For those who lay back, the smallish green is well enough protected to exact punishment on the inaccurate. The behind the green shots are taken firstly from back left looking back down both the fairway and to the left of pic towards the tee. Whilst the bottom pic is from the back right and shows what either the aggressor must traverse. The ridge atop the front bunker can also be seen, making for a very narrow entrance

#18. 186m par 3. The game begins with a long par 3, and ends on a similar note. A visibly uncomplicated hole, but solid, and functional in its ability to determine a result by being stringent and demanding that the player with a less than very fine tee shot hold his nerve well from around the green and its surrounding elevation changes to be able to snuggle one up safely

Which pennant league are they in?

The captain at Mirboo Nth is trying to talk me into going up more often.

QUOTE: Jagger @ Sep 12 2006, 11:54 AM

Which pennant league are they in?

The captain at Mirboo Nth is trying to talk me into going up more often.

You may want to double check this, but I think Yarram are part of the East Gippsland District Golf Association. This would include Sale, Bairnsadle, Lakes Entrance etc for pennant.

I think that Mirboo Nth is part of the West Gippsland district which is Trafalgar, Traralgon, Morwell, Yallourn, Drouin etc.

As I said, you might want to double check this.

QUOTE: Upanddown23 @ Sep 12 2006, 03:10 PM

You may want to double check this, but I think Yarram are part of the East Gippsland District Golf Association. This would include Sale, Bairnsadle, Lakes Entrance etc for pennant.

I think that Mirboo Nth is part of the West Gippsland district which is Trafalgar, Traralgon, Morwell, Yallourn, Drouin etc.

As I said, you might want to double check this.

That matches my initial research - which sounds like it's a pity. Asking more in hope than anything.

QUOTE: Jagger @ Sep 12 2006, 03:24 PM

That matches my initial research - which sounds like it's a pity. Asking more in hope than anything.

Sorry if I gave a false impression guys, it was 30 years ago & I can't remember if we played practise matches against Yarram or 1st division pennant. Can remember playing practise matches at Cowes during that period too, don't think we played them in pennant.
Jon...

I agree that tis is a great course. The last time I played I teed off at 6.30 in the morning. The only others around were a couple of locals as in the pics. This course is also great in winter as it plays dry all year round.