Tanawha Valley Golf

Tanawha Valley golf course (1122 metres, par 27) is the most picturesque course we've played since arriving on the Sunshine Coast. It's a 9-hole par 3 course with holes from 94 to 176 metres, so you can try out just about every club off the tee.
Green fees are $15 for 18 holes (Mon-Fri) $22 on weekends. If you tee off after 3, you can play as many holes as you like for $10.
There are elevated tees, elevated greens, bush, streams, excellent bunkers (which is unusual for par 3 courses, we've found) and it'll hold your interest from go to whoa.
A picture's worth a thousand words (the exchange rate will make that around 1300 words for kiwis) so I'll make this blog a photo essay.

1st tee at Tanawha

The first hole is 166 metres. Beautifully framed hole, bunker to the right of the uphill green. Fiona hit 3-wood and chipped and 1-putted for par. I hit driver left through a garden, whacked a three-quarter wedge through the green, chipped and 2-putted for double bogey.
I'm getting a lot of practice at shrugging off a bad start.

2nd green

Second hole, 103 metres. Fiona 3, Kay 4.
Sigh...

3rd tee, yep the hole is as narrow as it looks

Third hole is135 metres but uphill the whole way and with a large bunker across the front of the green. This is the only par 3 where I've had to have a rest getting to the green. (It's way steeper than it looks in the photo - the rest half way couldn't possibly be a reflection on my fitness.)  Fiona 3 and Kay 3.
Fourth hole is 94 metres and we both hit the green and 2-putted for par 3s.

5th tee, it's a long, loooong way down

The 5th hole is spectacular. 128 metres long and it must be at least 128 metres downwards as well. Water and bunker right, strategically placed tree left. Narrow downhill green. We both hit 6 iron, but Fiona hit the green and 2-putted for par. I missed left but chipped and 1-putted for par.
I'm three shots behind with four holes to go.
The 6th is usually 114 metres but is presently using a temporary green so is only about 84 metres. (If we'd read the local rules board before we went out, we'd have realised that and not overclubbed. We both scored 4 on this hole.)

7th tee

The 7th is only 96 metres. Fiona went first and was short with her 9 iron so I took my 8 and ended up pin high. Easy 2-putt for par while Fiona chipped and 2-putted for a bogey. One good thing about all the rain they've had here - you can just throw the ball right at the pin and it'll stop dead. They barely roll, even when it's downhill.

8th tee, larrup the driver

Yay! Finally I have the honour on a tee, with just 2 holes to go.
The 8th hole is a straight forward 176 metres. After the previous shorter holes, the green looks a long way away. As there's no run, I decide to go for the driver ... especially as I hit it straighter than my 3 wood anyway.
The previous 7 holes must have been a great warm-up because I absolutely smoked my driver (you can see the ball in the photo, headed straight for the flag). It looked like it might have gone through the green so I was hoping there was no trouble at the back.
The pressure was obviously getting to Fiona (only 2 shots ahead now) as she blocked her drive into the gum trees. However, it only hit leaves and kept going, but it was still about 30 metres short.
Sure enough, my drive had gone through the green but only a few metres.

8th green, framed by majestic gum trees

I could see the sweat on Fiona's brow as she contemplated her shot to the green. She was only 2 shots ahead of me, and I was chipping better than a fish 'n' chip shop navvy.
Fiona left her pitch short of the green.
What a shame.
I chipped to 2 inches from the hole. Easy 3.
Fiona had another chip and putted for a 4.
McBride leads Wall by 1 shot.
The final hole is 117 metres, uphill. Bunker right, considerable fall-off on the left. I went down the shaft of my rescue club ... and missed right, just behind the bunker. Fiona hit the green, but on the left so her ball rolled a couple of feet off the green.
The green slopes considerably from back to front so I aimed well above the pin. The only good thing about the shot was that it stayed on the green. Fiona decided to putt from just off the green and left it on the green but short.
We both faced difficult side putts on a slope. Tricky to read when you know the green and nearly impossible when you don't.
What can I say? Fiona 3 putted for a double bogey while I got down in 2.
Squared match. We both shot 32, 5 over par.
The temperature was climbing so we decided not to go around again. It was time for icecreams at The Old Stable, beside the clubhouse.

The old grey mares...

The Tanawha golf course is wonderful value for money. It was a Saturday and we didn't have to book a tee time. We just rolled up at about 11.00 am and walked straight on to the tee. We had no one pushing us and no one holding us up. We would recommend this course to golfers of every standard.
And, if you've ever fancied owning your own golf course in Queensland, you're in luck. This one's for sale.
For $2,999,500.00 you need never pay green fees again.