Australian Golf Passport

This edition starts off with another brief look at headlines of the day, including news of a sister course alongside 7 Mile Beach in Tasmania, the 2023 Asia Pacific Amateur Championship at Royal Melbourne, and the 2028 Presidents Cup which looks set to be held at Kingston Heath.

Discussion quickly moves on to another Melbourne sandbelt star – Metropolitan Golf Club. We touch on the Club’s history including changes to the layout in the late 1950s, as well as the hallmarks by which Metro is universally recognised – immaculate fairway grass presentation and striking greenside bunkering. The strengths of the additional par 3 hole nestled between the fifth and sixth are discussed, as well as the Warren blueprint for a reworking of the 12-13-14 stretch. The Doak Scale score for Metro is also briefly mentioned – visit our twitter feed (@ausgolfpassport) for a current tweet on the Doak Scale.  Lukas Michel joins us in the second half of the episode to offer his expert views on the course and Club. Lukas is a highly decorated amateur who has won the Metropolitan GC Club championship several times, in addition to the 2021 Master of the Amateurs, as well as the 2019 US Mid-Amateur, which earned him stars in the 2020 US Open and 2020 US Masters. Read more about Lukas via the following links –

https://www.australiangolfdigest.com.au/lukas-michels-fateful-family-journey-to-augusta/

and

https://www.australiangolfdigest.com.au/to-build-courses-or-birdie-them-amateur-lukas-michel-still-cant-decide-what-to-do-for-a-living/

Thanks so much to Lukas for his insights and time. As usual, images of the holes discussed can be found on our Instagram page (@AustralianGolfPassport) and supporting chat on Twitter (@ausgolfpassport).

For those visitors wishing to play Metropolitan GC – click on https://www.metropolitangolf.com.au/cms/golf/interstate-overseas-golfers/

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Australian golfing royalty makes a guest appearance this episode, with Mike Clayton sharing his views and experiences of golf on the Mornington Peninsula. A longer podcast than normal, and a wide-ranging discussion that includes Mike’s early recollections of the golfing landscape in this part of the world, and his answers to listener questions on the topic of Mornington peninsula golf. Discussion branches off to include vegetation management, a sparsely played course in Morocco, various elements of course architecture, the progress at 7 Mile Beach, agronomy, forward tees, and Clayts’ ten round split across the three courses at The National. Attention shifts to St Andrews Beach, Rosebud Country Club, Portsea, The Dunes, and other courses on the peninsula. 

As usual, images of some of the topic and holes discussed can be found in our Twitter feed (@AusGolfPassport) and on our Instagram page (@AustralianGolfPassport). We hope you enjoy the chat!

Links below to a range of courses and lodging options on the Mornington peninsula.

St Andrews Beach - https://standrewsbeachgolf.com.au/

Portsea Golf Club tee times - https://www.portseagolf.com.au/cms/public-golf-green-fees-mornington-peninsula/and accommodation - https://www.portseagolf.com.au/cms/portsea-accommodation/

The Dunes - https://thedunes.com.au/

Portsea Hotel accommodation - https://portseahotel.com.au/accommodation/

RACV Cape Schanck Golf - https://www.racv.com.au/travel-experiences/resorts/cape-schanck/golf.htmland accommodation - https://www.racv.com.au/travel-experiences/resorts/cape-schanck/accommodation.html

Rosebud Country Club - https://www.rosebudcountryclub.com.au/cms/golf/and accommodation - https://www.rosebudcountryclub.com.au/cms/accommodation/

Moonah Links - https://www.moonahlinks.com.au/cms/

Bay Views golf course - https://bayviewsgolf.com.au/

Flinders Golf Club - https://www.flindersgolfclub.com.au/cms/

Sorrento Golf Club - https://www.sorrentogolf.com.au/cms/visitor-information/golf-for-visitors/

Mornington golf course - https://www.morningtongolf.com.au/cms/golf/public-golf/

Eagle Ridge - https://www.eagleridge.com.au/

And for the foodies who picked up on Clayts’ reference late in recording - Johnny Ripe Pies - https://www.johnnyripemainridge.com.au/

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Episode Six – Mornington Peninsula Part 1

This edition starts off with another brief news of the week segment which ranges from Australian history, to a whisper of new developments at Barnbougle, and a brief chat on specifics of the Kingswood golf course land sale.

This is the first of two episodes devoted to the Mornington Peninsula, and we focus largely on one of the treasures of Australian golf – The National and their three courses at Cape Schanck, on the southern segment of the Mornington peninsula, a little over an hour’s car trip south of the Melbourne CBD. From the bold design of the Club’s first course (by Robert Trent Jones Jnr) to the Moonah course produced by Greg Norman Golf Course Design, and the Gunnamatta course by Tom Doak and Renaissance Golf Design. The history and characteristics of each of the layouts, as well as some design specifics are covered.  As usual, images of the holes discussed can be found on our Instagram page (@AustralianGolfPassport) . We hope they add to the discussion and aid your enjoyment of the topic.

For those wishing to visit The National GC – click on https://www.nationalgolf.com.au/cms/play-the-courses/request-a-tee-time/and https://www.nationalgolf.com.au/cms/play-the-courses/visitors-information/

Accommodation options in this part of the world abound – the RACV has a new, modern facility next door – for more information visit - https://www.racv.com.au/travel-experiences/resorts/cape-schanck.html

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A labour of love for Scott, as we cover loads of detail about one of the most iconic and dramatic courses in Australia – that of the New South Wales Golf Club. We discuss the site on which the holes sit and the origins of the course, from MacKenzie’s initial design to Apperly’s revisionist work on the layout, and subsequent redesign efforts undertaken by others in the last few decades.  Scott shares his initial experiences of the course, and some of the lessons he’s learned in many subsequent laps. Several holes come in for particular focus, and we briefly touch on possibilities with the imminent work by Mackenzie & Ebert. A few of listener questions round out the hour.

As discussed at the top of the show in news of the day – here’s a link to the Harris Kalinka animation of the par 3 course at Kingston Heath - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FrgUmwmreDM. For more information on these amazing creators, visit http://harriskalinka.com/

For those wishing to visit New South Wales GC – click on https://www.nswgolfclub.com.au/cms/how-to-play/booking-enquiry/

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Pushing through cold symptoms during recording, Scott’s flu game is strong. He & Matt devote this episode to the crown jewels of the Apple Isle – Barnbougle Dunes, Lost Farm and their new sibling, the 14 hole Bougle Run. The origins of the two World Top 100 courses, the architectural highlights of each layout and some comparisons are all covered, as well as points on accommodation and on-site post-round activities. The pros and cons of commercial domestic flights to Launceston and direct charters on smaller aircraft, along with some attractions around Launceston round out the episode.

Hit https://barnbougle.com.au/for all your enquiries regarding tee times, costs, accommodation and more.

For flights direct to Barnbougle visit either https://barnbougle.com.au/stay/private-airline-charters/or https://www.vortexair.com.au/

For flights to Launceston visit either Qantas, Virgin or JetStar, and then organise a rental car through the usual suspects (Avis, Hertz, EuropeCar etc) or take a look at a transfer organised via the staff at Barnbougle https://barnbougle.com.au/stay/airport-transfers/

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The boys kick things off with a brief review of some news and tidbits on the local golf scene, as well as answers to some listener questions following the previous episode. Discussion then moves on to the best course in the southern hemisphere. Lots and lots of stuff you wanted to know about RM West, and some things you didn’t know you needed to know! How to organize a game whether you’re a local, interstate or overseas unaccompanied visitor, and much more. The history of the course, grasses, architectural merits of the holes, and the joys of wandering around the clubhouse during a visit. A series of images and overheads of some holes are up on the Australian Golf Passport Podcast Instagram feed, to flesh out the discussion and bring the descriptions to life for those yet to play the course. You’re sure to agree - a round at Royal Melbourne is really the lynch pin of a golfing visit to Australia.

https://www.royalmelbourne.com.au/cms/guests-information/ for overseas and interstate guest tee time enquiries

https://beaumarisrotary.com/bayside-mayoral-charity-golf-day-at-royal-melbourne/ for those wishing to participate in an annual Charity golf day at Royal Melbourne. Also look online for links to the Paul Rak Memorial Tournament.

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A timeline of Australian golf seems a good matter to address prior to diving into details on specific courses in later episodes.  Travel logistics and consideration of course maintenance projects are covered.  For those visitors wanting to play competitions over good courses, check the Golf Australia calendar of events for amateur tournaments and entry details.  Discussion detours to plans for New South Wales GC and Royal Sydney GC, also touching on considerations for golf in modern urban areas.  Scott & Matt explore how Australia came to have a wealth of fine courses, the 1926 arrival of MacKenzie and the flow on effect of that moment in time, extending to the visits from Tom Doak in the 2000s and the design of great new courses in the last few decades. The episode closes with some chat on the best time of year to visit Australia, with consideration given to weather, daylight savings, course conditions, and local attractions. Intro & exit music - Nbhd Nick / Stop Playing With Me - Instrumental / courtesy of www.epidemicsound.com

In this premiere episode hosts Scott Warren & Matt Mollica introduce themselves, discuss the genesis of the podcast, and outline the format for the series. Scott & Matt touch their own golf trips from years gone by and the lessons they’ve learned, as well as the pitfalls of simply using a rankings list to plan an itinerary for a golf trip. Near the end of the episode, we get Scott’s analogy involving Liam Hemsworth and a prominent Sandbelt course, while Matt speaks of a course in Sydney that might be more at home in Florida. Discussion then shifts to flesh out hopes that any bucket list golf trip down under will include some memorable under the radar golf. Special thanks to Rod Morri from Sydney Podcast Studios & Cameron Hurdus for their expert guidance and technical support. And Nicklaus Mills of Sandbuilt Studios for our wonderful logo. Intro & exit music - Nbhd Nick / Stop Playing With Me - Instrumental / courtesy of www.epidemicsound.com