Wednesday 22 August 2012

Mind your Language at Caboolture Golf Club

We're not certain if the webmaster made a mistake, but iseekgolf had rounds of golf at Caboolture Golf Club for $10. So we booked straight away.
It turned out to be the golfing bargain of the century.We rented trundlers for $5, which still gave us an incredibly cheap round of golf. (That was the only time we saw the $10 deal, but Caboolture does a deal on their own website for 2 green fees with a cart - $56 on Thursdays.)
Caboolture is just under an hour's drive south of Alexandra Heads and very easy to get to on the highway.
There was certainly nothing 'cheap' about the course, which was in great order and had true, fast greens.
'Don't judge a book by its cover' also holds true for a golf course i.e. you shouldn't judge a course by its first couple of holes. They were a bit scruffy and side by side up-and-back holes (boring layout, I was thinking) but when you step on to the 3rd tee, picured below, you get the feeling that surprises await.

Coming to a tee near you
Considering the sign on the fence, probably nasty surprises.
As the picture indicates, actions speak louder than words.
Caboolture is a 5331 metre, par 72 layout. The greens are big, fast, undulating and, like most courses we've played on in the Sunshine Coast, well protected by bunkers.
Water also plays a big part in the courses here, particularly at Caboolture where you have the river and several large ponds to negotiate.
The 5th hole, a 330 metre par 4, is a good example of how the number 1 stroke holes on the Sunshine Coast are worthy of that number.
First, you have a tee shot to a narrow fairway bordered by trees on the right and a pond on the left.
You're probably saying, "What's so hard about that?"
Well, the narrow fairway you're aiming at has a major slope left towards the pond. And it is also a dogleg left, so you need to be on the right side of the fairway to get a shot at the green. Which, of course, is protected by a large bunker on the left.
If you manage to hit the green in two (330 metres requires two solid shots), don't breathe a sigh of relief yet. The green is huge and undulating. You could still have a 40 or 50 ft putt, and you'd better hope it's not downhill.
And don't relax as you leave that hole and make your way to the 6th, a 356 metre par 4 dogleg. Nice wide fairway but the drive is uphill so you need a long straight shot on the right to get close to the top of the hill and see what your next shot holds.
Fear.
Trees and rough to the right, a bunker protecting the front right of the green which has humps and hollows around it. I have the impression that it's a narrow green at the front, but that may just be because I never managed to hit this green in two. (Or three, to be honest.)

7th tee
At least the 7th is a reasonably straightforward 288 metre par 4. Very picturesque, with the river running along the left side. At last, I thought, a par 4 under 300 metres.
An elevated tee always makes a hole seem inviting and, provided you get away a solid tee shot, you should only have a mid iron to a ... you guessed it ... long, bunker protected green.
Even their short holes are challenging. Scanning the back 9 holes on the card, you'll see that the 11th is a par 4 of only 232 metres.
Has to be something tricky with it, I thought. It's not in an Aussie's nature to design an easy golf hole.
This hole is relatively straight forward. You could take a fairway wood off the tee and still only have a short iron to the green. Did I mention that you need to be a mountain goat to get up to the green? The very long, 2-tiered green. If the pin's at the back and you've decided on a club, put it back and add another two and you might get somewhere near the back.
All the holes on the back 9 are challenging. The 17th, a 412 metre par 5, was where I performed a John Daly meltdown. I lost 3 balls on this hole because I knew I was capable of carrying the water. Six shots later, I proved it.
Just for good measure, when I finally got close to the green (in yet another bunker) I sent another ball rocketing into the pond.
I was on to old balls, by this stage.
The 18th is a spectacular 115 metre par 3, straight (and I mean straight) uphill. You'll either be visually intimidated (if you've lost 3 balls on the previous hole) or you'll be inspired to greatness.
For me, it was the latter both times we played. I hit my 5 iron solidly and got the middle of the green, from where I 2-putted.
Great way to finish and more than made up for the previous rubbish.
Caboolture is a great test of golf but don't play it only once. You need to play it at least twice to really appreciate how to play many of the holes.
And also to find replacement balls.

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