It's pretty much accepted by all that NSW is Sydney's best course but what do ISGers think is next? I've never played The Australian so personally I think Royal Sydney is overrated and The Lakes is good but I'd go for Terrey Hills or Concord. I played at Concord today and they were the best (and fastest) greens I have encountered for a very long time. Only problem at Concord is the kykuyu(?) fairways don't give you a lot of run and so trying to stop the ball on the green when coming in with a longish iron is a tough ask.
What do others think is Sydney's 2nd best.

Matt

Maybe Kyke is the best solution against the club and ball technology.

Concord having Kykuyu is prob an asset, as it is a relativelyly short course with a lot of down hill tee-shots. Thus the ball probably stops a little further back & still makes the course tough.
As far as the 2nd best i say yes. IMO best green complexes and surrounds in NSW, slopes, borrows, deep bunkers & quick greens. Plus they keep the rough back a bit so the ball travels the whole way down the hill.
Completely different course to NSW, Concord is definition of a parkland course & as we all know NSW is as close as a links course as Australia gets :roll:

I agree with the over-rated rap on Royal Sydney. My vote would go with The Lakes. On a windy afternoon with fast greens (both normal conditions ) it is an absolute treat and a tough challenge. If you are having a good round, trying to avoid disasters from the 11th hole to the 17th is nerve racking. The 18th as a par 3 finisher is not my idea of good course routing, but it is one tough par 3 in any direction of wind.
I never played The Australian but caddied in the 1978 Aussie Open when Packer brought out Nicklaus, Crenshaw, Kite, Bean, Lietzke and a host of others. Being a Nicklaus re-design he tried to impose American ideals onto a course that climatically did not suit IMO. When the wind blew over 50 kmh in the 3rd round there were some unplayable holes...2nd, 3rd, 4th, 7th, 8th...only 2 players broke 80 that day...Nicklaus and Crenshaw...it was a train-wreck for everyone else 8O 8O 8O

Let me begin by saying that despite what heaps of Victorians may say, kikuyu is not a detractor. Kikuyu is suited to Sydney conditions. It would look silly on the Mornington Peninsula, but goes well along the NSW coast. When in Rome...

The three traditional picks behind NSW have been The Australian, The Lakes and Royal Sydney. I'd put The Lakes at the top of those three, although I'd have loved to see the old course. The Australian is very well presented, but as is the case when a MacKenzie gets changed into an early Nicklaus (Jack does some very good design, he just did very little good design in his earlier years), the result is a constant reminder of what could still be. Royal Sydney is overrated, but doesn't quite deserve the degree of scathing remarks it cops. Like the other two courses, it was once a warrior, now overly fiddled with.

Of those not traditionally held as highly, I'd put Concord ahead of Terrey Hills. Terrey Hills is good, but not in the running as Sydney's #2. I'd put all three of the above ahead of it. Concord has had both good and bad in it's tinkering with, but it is overall not suffering.

I'd have to go with The Lakes as my #2. I don't see how with all things weighed up, a Concord or a Terrey Hills can top it. The Aussie and Royal should be ranked lower than they are, but still just ahead of Concord.

Mmmm second best in Sydney. I can tell you one thing it ain't Concord. Concord it nothing more than a good A grade track of which there are half a dozen of comparable quality floating around.

Royal Sydney -sorry Titts its a piece of crap, very little (other than Australia's most impressive clubhosue facilities) to recommend it.

The Australian -great condition, long, but a little uninspiring.

The Lakes -a worthy 2nd place. OK the front nine is nothing inspiring but the back makes up for it.

I played Bonnie Doon today and while maybe not "2nd best" it must certainly be close to Sydneys most underated course. Nestled in between The Australian and The Lakes (and Eastlakes) it has a wonderful mix of long and short par 4s and 3s. Some of the older fairways are kike which would upset my Victorian friends but for $40 on a Monday Open Day it is well worth a visit.

Matt

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Last time I was at B'Doon, about a month ago, the condition of the fairways 'across the road' were appalling. How are they now and is the par 3 last over there back in play yet.?

I lived in Sydney for about ten years, and played all but Concord of the ones mentioned to now. Agree The Lakes is clearly number 2, and I'd put the Aussie at 3 and Terrey Hills at 4. I personally think St Michaels (next door to NSW) vies with Royal Sydney for No 5 (granted I've not seen Concord). St Mick's got a new greenkeeper about two years ago and he's turned the condition into top rank. On a still day you can still score very well but off the blue pegs in the wind and you're really battling.

peanuts

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The trouble with St. Mick's these days is that the scrub & bushes have been allowed to grow up.

20 years ago very little of that was there. It was far more open & a much better course.

Accept the scrub may have grown Andrew, but how is that different from NSW? Theirs is a similar height - would you say the same thing about them?

Accept the scrub may have grown Andrew, but how is that different from NSW? Theirs is a similar height - would you say the same thing about them?

Definitely not. The scrub at NSW is well managed, as well as fire helping a few years back as well. Of course, it’s not as sandy as a few of the 1928 photos in the clubhouse would suggest.

St Mick’s could have a more strategic feel if some of the bushes were cleared, especially around some of the tees, allowing the golfer to see the strategy ahead & to chose the line.

NSW at no stage loses it's seaside feel. Much of St Mick's has lost it's seaside charactoristics. (The Kykuyu may have a bit to do with that as well)

st micks is an excellent test i played there every thursday for the first 6months of this year. For the 35 bucks and the condition of the track its a real pearler.