Hidden Valley Golf Club
Hidden Valley is part of a sprawling regional estate between Wallan and Kilmore just off the Hume Highway near Melbourne, and no doubt looks to the example of the US residential golf community for inspiration. Designed by Pacific Coast Design with Craig Parry signing off on some changes post opening, it is a very well maintained course that has grown in and matured quite solidly from its early days. And I think this is necessary, for resort golf's appeal lies heavily in the ability to pamper the golfer with high quality turf conditions as part of the ride.
To begin with, the course does not feel shy in using forced carries over water, a feature that as I will allude to throughout, makes for some very enjoyable situations amongst your friends and some really fun shots, but may be a different kettle of fish to those who play here every week. The forgiving members' course from the back tees this is not. In places, these features are contrived and a bit too much of an obvious effort to stun in instances where great subtle architecture can't be found. I am critical of this, but I cannot avoid admitting that the different foursomes I played amongst on recent outings there had a great time. There is no doubt the course succeeds in striking some terror or at least an elevated pulse rate over a few shots. I will say this much though. If you aren't a single marker on your game, maybe avoid stroke format unless you are prepared for a few drops and a few high numbers, especially if the tees are back.
The Front Nine
The front nine is the far more tame of the two. It is the stretch from the 13th to 15th and again on the 18th where the wet stuff takes most of its toll on the scorecard. The two front nine par 5s are quite different. The 2bd is a plain hole downhill and often downwind, with a centre fairway bunker making an effort to add interest to the tee shot. The 8th follows, and is a lot more interesting on a better piece of property. Winding down from an exposed grand area to a narrowing tree lined climax, the hole allows players to be conservative but makes demands of the player wanting to give themselves a chance of dancing in two.Despite being overall a little narrow for the second shot, I think this hole is loads of fun and will give itself up to those who play it very well.
The 10th is wide open. The better approach to the green from the right side isn't defended on either the first or second shot. Perhaps then the test is to avoid complacently bombing it anywhere and ending up on the left side. From there, players have to carry a trap to a shallow raised green for their second, or play a third from well below the putting surface without seeing the bottom half of the flagstick.
The most contentious of the long holes has to be the 15th. I will, in many ways, contradict myself but here goes nothing. It is not a hole which achieves any measure of carefully hidden strategy, and for a hole where most players need an absolute minimum of three shots to reach the green, doesn't provide a single instance of choices or a selection from options for a shot. It does, however, set hearts racing, and provides the type of excitement and tension in your group that makes it a challenging if daunting prospect. I don't favour this hole for regular play or on a members' course, but I will happily admit that for the occasonional play in a betting foursome or for casual fun, it keeps the player very interested. It could have been done better and without being so penal, but others will love it for the same reasons I'm more cautious.
The Par 4 Holes
The par 4s vary considerably, and I have to say I really like some of the tee shots. There are too many bland second shots to plain green complexes, but the holes in their entirety are rarely alike and easy to remember separately. This is always a good sign. The first is a brutal welcome from the tips (memo to ground staff, cut the overhanging branch), up a slight rise to near the corner of the dogleg right. Many players will face a blind second. The green is large and there is no severity around it as a fair offer for having an unsighted shot in. Hole 3 is plain and uninspiring, whilst the 5th is close to being really cool with a spoiling blemish. Played through a widening chute of trees to a rolling contoured fairway, it offers a bailout towards the left to a wide landing areas with a longer shot in, whilst the daring line to the right of a centre tree takes on a deep ditch along the right to a shorter shot in.
Hole 6 is long and although it has a carry of around 140-150m from the tips, the hazard is a creek rather than the back nine style of a large lake. A lay-up is there for those who need it. The 7th is a short par 4, slightly uphill with water to the right. A long iron lays up before it, or the driver takes on the still reasonably wide fairway. The gradient of the hole also makes for a slightly raised green complex that avoids the boredom of some of those before it.
The 12th is a dogleg that begs you to take driver over the corner, but this is not a good play. The fairway narrows extremely after the 200-220m mark, with misses dealt with harshly either long right into jungle or left amongst thick rough with the ball below the player's feet. If the fairway is hit with the big stick, the second shot is a great birdie opportunity. The lay back into a wide fairway around 180-200m off the tee leaves a shot from a little lower, making sure the conservative play isn't rewarded as well as the fairway finding daring play. The green itself is two tiered from back left to front right as it sits almost diagonally to the line of play. The left hole locations would be tough to access from well back, and overall I welcome one of the course's more interesting greens.
The 13th is another double water carry. A lake lines the entire right of the hole from the tee until the wide bunkering just short of the front edge of the green. The tee is set across the water from the lake, making the hole a dogleg right. The safe line over less water (about 120-140m carry) to the left will leave no chance at hitting the green, the medium play (160-180m carry) will leave a mid to long iron in, and the gutsy play to a tempting peninsula (210-230m carry) leaves just about 110-120m in to the middle. The large green is wider than it is long, but receptive and banked enough to not want to penalise anybody who has done the right thing in avoiding the water.
I like the 14th, with water left at about the 220m mark all the way to the front and lots more room right. The wide green is contoured and a fronting bunker gives that intermediate reward/punishment to those who carry the water but fail to reach the green. Again though, it gives the wide play to the right no lesser a shot in, and indeed a better one to a tighter left hole location. The multi portioned green makes the second shot distance control very important.
The Short Holes
The short holes are similarly contrasting. The 4th has two tees very wide apart, allowing for very different lines of play into the deep green. As with many holes, this one suffers from having very flat and bland bunkering, in this instance at its front left. My point is that if it has been decided that forced water carries over deep lakes are okay, then why are most of the bunkers quite benign and bland? At least unlike a lake, a deep and treacherous bunker doesn't steal the golfer's pill, whilst still exacting a potentially heavy toll. The contradiction is a bit stark.
The following short hole is the 9th, a carry of around 110m entirely from tee to about five yards short of the green over a lake. When the flag is left, the best miss is still right, and good players will note this. For these reasons, I actually like the hole a lot. It has the fun of the water carry and has both a forgiving and penal miss area that should be weighed up as part of the decision making. If I was a member of a course with this hole, I know I would be fond of it over a long period of time, and respect its role in the framework of the journey.
The next short hole is the 16th, a receptive back to front sloping green that won't forgive the player who goes over the back. A sound hole, but not overly memorable. Perhaps it is the required valium for those who have survived the aforementioned 15th.
The 18th - Island Green
Finally comes the 18th, the signature hole of the entire course, the most controversial many would say, and definitely the most touted. It is an island green par 3. And thankfully, the island takes up more land than just the large (but not overly wide) green, because from the tips it is fairly long too, at around 180m. Also, it has a drop zone over the back so players don't have to stand there and pepper the lake with ball after ball. Now granted most players don't play this brute from the back tee, but I can tell you from experience that the tee shot looks terrifying from back there. The regular tee from around 150m is less formidable whilst still menacing. Left of the green is wet. Short has just one bunker cut into the front between it and Davey Jones' locker. Long has some trees and plenty of room behind the putting surface to chip back. Right has a bit of rough and sand before the splash to at least let the player make their bogey with the same ball they began the hole with.
I'm going to say it. The 18th hole admirably achieves its aims of making a statement, being a talking point, and keeping the players interested. Personally, I like to see holes that make players discover over time what they should do and trip them up for not realising it or providing an option of a daring and difficult shot for potentially great reward compared to a lesser quality shot or conservative play resulting in a tougher follow up. Ultimately, does this hole have its place? Yes it does. I don't suggest it be commonly replicated, but I have absolutely no doubt that a large number of golfers will look forward to this hole when playing here, and many of them will want to come back and play it again.
When you come here for a game, choose a betting format in pairs or a stableford event, to minimise some of the watery pain and penal nature of some holes. But overall, golfers who like a well maintained course with plush conditioning and a premium resort feel will love it here. Most will be interested and be glad they did, and many will be more than happy to return for more opportunities to get back and dice with those holes that beat them. Take a cart if you can, as there are a couple of treks from one hole to the next, but the walk isn't overbearing. And the very comfortable and stately clubhouse bar or couches inside are a treat after the game.
