Royal Queensland - day 116

Posted by Michael on 27 April 2010 | 2 Comments | Tags: Royal, Brisbane, Royal Queensland, Queensland, Mike Clayton

Royal Queensland Golf Club.  That famous track 6km from the Brisbane CBD nestled alongside the Brisbane River and underneath an almighty bridge known as the Gateway. 

Actually the golf course is now known as The New Course at Royal Queensland, after a complete redesign by Mike Clayton. This redesign was triggered by the federal government decision to build a new Gateway bridge alongside the existing one.  During construction the golf course land was required and so a settlement was reached and RQ redesigned.  Unfortunately the new design no longer requires shots to be played underneath the bridge �?? this could have been a bit of fun considering how high I hit the ball�?�

So after a very early start up on the Sunshine Coast I made it to the course with plenty of time and met my playing partner, a fine gentleman from these parts by the name of Ray.  Ray and I were a two-ball at the end of the field, which meant plenty of time to take some photographs and have a good chat.

On the first tee another gent, by the name of Shaun came across, welcomed me to RQ and gave me a course guide to help me through.  The course guide said something along the lines of: �??at RQ it is not simply about hitting it to the middle of the greens, but you need to assess the exact position of the flagstick and ensure you position your ball on the right area of the green�?�.  This was the most pertinent comment of the day and the defense of this course is undoubtedly it�??s greens.  My first taste of this was on the gentle par 5 opening hole. Just short for two I pitched up to around 25 feet, where I proceeded to four putt for a 7.  The pin was on a treacherous spine and the hole was one you just couldn�??t attack.

The next episode came on the glorious short par 4 third hole.  At about 290m this is a genuine chance to knock it on and make 2. But water looms to the right and the green is one that you must approach from the right spot on the fairway.  This green has a swale in it front right that is seriously deep and any shots even 4 feet to the right of the flagstick (or short if the pin is position on the back of the green) will gather to the bottom of the swale.  I made the error of leaving my sharply uphill putt from aforementioned swale short and watched as it rolled right back to my feet. Humiliation.  This was a green that some might say was �??tricked up�?� but on this short par four it really worked for me.   The other short par four on the course, number 11 also worked nicely with perfectly positioned bunkers protecting a more gentle sloping heart shaped green.  

As Ray and I wandered down the next few holes I really began to enjoy the atmosphere of the place.  With the yachts cruising along the river running alongside the course, 100 year old heritage-listed fig trees dotted here and there and the huge man-made feature arching over us RQ really has a distinctive feel.   The main block of land directly in front of the clubhouse was particularly peaceful as the holes glided through the trees almost inconspicuously before the greens and surrounds really got up to give the course bite. 

The two main features of RQ as a golf course are the bunkers and the greens.  Both of these features were like no others that I have seen this year.  The bunkers were like little trenches, cut out of the ground on the fairways and around the greens. They are so thin that there is often no flat ground at the bottom, so you either get a downhill or uphill lie.  They are dotted all over the course and are timid on the eye, but a real obstacle to play out of.  They are, of course, surrounded by the scruffy Mike Clayton edges, which again I don�??t think are always necessary, particularly on a traditional track such as this one.  This is not a links course.  After a day or so to dwell on it, I have decided that I really like the bizarre style of these bunkers.  What I don�??t particularly enjoy are the 2 or 3 waste bunkers which line the 8^th, 11^th and 12^th holes.  To me, these are out of character with the quaint bunkers on the rest of the golf course.

As I have already described in part, the greens are gnarly. And I can say that from experience after my 42 putts today. Ray also knocked it around the hole with frustration a few times so we could relate to one another. I imagine many a member walks in after striking the ball well only to read a scorecard that looks a bit sorry-for-itself.  The swales here do not start besides the green, but actually on it. Take for example the 4^th hole where the back tier is barely 30 feet wide, but has a serious slope on the left quarter of it making it that much more difficult to get to.   Another gnarly slope like this was on the left side of the 7^th green.  Although the 7th green also had an unusual ditch running sideways right through the middle of it, separating it�??s front and back sections.  My ball ended in this �??ditch�?? giving me a stepped putt back the short distance to the hole on the front �??tier�?�.  Unusual.  

The 9^th and 18^th greens and 1^st and 10^th tees are all laid out in front of the clubhouse on an expanse that has very few trees but allows you to look across and see other golfers all enjoying their walk.  I enjoyed this outlook, and could imagine this area of the course lined with spectators watching a big aussie tournament go down the wire.

Despite hitting it pretty well all day both Ray and I just couldn�??t convert.  I ended up with an 83, 11 over par which was particularly poor considering that I hit about 10 greens in regulation.  But all in all it was a thoroughly enjoyable round with great conversation and exactly what the doctor called for.

After the round I had another chat with Shaun and Josh in the pro-shop. Shaun (in his bright pink shirt he wore so it could feature on the blogroll) has previously been at Royal Canberra and played a few of the great golf courses in Aussie so we shared a few war stories, including hearing about his spectacular round at the World Famous in Australia Barnbougle Dunes where he only lost one golf ball (can you believe it) on the last hole. And yes, before you ask like every other Aussie golf fanatic has over the last two months, the plan is to get to Tassie at the end of the year on the way back to NZ to have a crack at this gem!

But back to RQ, another gem of a day in tranquil surrounds on a golf course I would definitely recommend.  Thanks to Ray for joining me and for Ross for hosting puregolf2010.