Kooindah Waters Golf Club

IN: COURSE REVIEWS | BY: Rob Shine | | REGION: Central Coast, NSW DATE: 29 May 2006 | Rated

For the nomadic golfer, getting a decent game of golf in Sydney at weekends these days can be a real struggle. The best courses are awash with members fighting out the weekly comp and the few tee times available on the top courses often turn into a five hour drag behind a busload of tourists in the heat of the afternoon. Even hitting balls at the driving range is sometimes more fun.

This all may be about to change. Kooindah Waters is the newest of a series of top quality courses due to open in the Sydney area and one that's sure to spark some interest. Situated less than an hour and a half's easy drive from the city, Kooindah Waters is at the centre of a large residential development that will one day see 252 homes and a 108 room resort. At the moment, except for a few homes dotted here and there, the resort looks more like a building site. But don't let that put you off for a moment. As far as golf at Kooindah is concerned, forget "new course" and think "Gold Coast quality resort" without the hassle of airports and expensive hotels.

Designed by Craig Parry and Ross Watson, Kooindah Waters may have only been open a few weeks but it's already that good. Best of all, when we played there on a Saturday morning recently it was quieter than many city courses on a wet Monday. One thing is for sure - that won't last.

The welcome is your first taste of resort style golf. The staff are friendly with carts ready and waiting for you as you leave the temporary parking lot. Forget that stuff about first impressions, the temporary shop and clubhouse are all nice enough (and probably better than some) but what you see as you first arrive is definitely "work in progress". Have a sticky through the wire and you'll glimpse the foundations of the new clubhouse as you make your way to the first hole.

And this is where the real fun starts. Kooindah is built on natural wetlands that come into play at almost every corner. Whilst there may be work to do on the clubhouse and the resort, the golf course is more ready than any new course I have ever played. Looking out from the well manicured first tee, there's no sign of houses or building work, just a beautiful and surprisingly mature golf course. It's blissfully quiet and bordered by a mixture of established trees.

Front Nine

At 463 metres, the first hole is narrow and offers the first taste of the aforementioned "wetlands". Admittedly it's short for a par five, and I'm a notoriously slow starter, but after two "re-loads" before reaching the green, I was surprised it rated as stoke index 18. I'm struggling to remember a tighter opening hole on any course I've played and in what will become familiar words of advice, I'd suggest you leave the driver in the bag. In fact, you'll do no harm here leaving it in the boot of the car.

The par three second, whilst pleasantly short at 149 metres also sets the mood for the day as it calls for a full carry over a dense area of wetlands. With no bail out area, hit the wrong club and you're dead in the water. Literally.

Even featuring two par threes, the first four holes here are a tight and difficult introduction to the course. In fact, as you move on through the challenging front nine you may well regret not having spent a little longer warming up on the practice tee.

The first glimmer of a chance to open the shoulders a little comes at the par five fifth. Again, you're hitting over a small stretch of water but the caddie's tip is that there's much more room down the right than it seems and a well struck drive could well set up the first slim birdie chance of the day.

My favourite hole of an enjoyable front nine was the tempting par five eighth, where a large water hazard guards an accommodating but heavily sloping green. A well struck drive will put you right in the temptation zone, but unless you are good at the high flighted soft landing 200 metre approach, (and who is?) a sensible lay up is your best shot at another birdie chance. The ninth, with its attractive tee sculpted into the wetlands brings you back to the clubhouse. There's yet more danger down the right here but a sensible tee shot with a hint of a fade can set you up for one of the easier pars of the round.

Tight and well bunkered, the front nine has a settled and calm feel to it and despite a trio of par threes offers plenty of variety but few holes you'd describe as "easy".

Back Nine

The feel changes subtly as you leave the first nine behind. The tee shot on 10 at first sight appears more open and whilst wetland danger still looms over the hill, there's a chance at last to take a breath and knuckle down to collecting some of those much needed stableford points. For a resort course, it's a bit of a surprise that this isn't the first hole of the day, it would certainly be an easier start. Following on and equally open, the eleventh rewards a well positioned drive and again par is the reward for two straight shots.

The par three twelfth plays alongside the internal road towards the new homes. On this well designed resort however, they are set well back from the course and simply add to the variety. Once again, this challenging 176 metre hole features water up the left and the tee shot throws you naturally towards the large bunker guarding the safe side of the green.

Thirteen is another good driving hole and the outlook changes completely at the fourteenth, a short and pretty par four cut through a forest of trees. This corner of the course is green and lush and with the style of bunkering and tall trees lining the hole is strangely reminiscent of Sunningdale or Wentworth. Under 300 metres, it's nonetheless yet another hole that demands smart strategy off the tee and an accurate pitch to a shallow green protected by a yawning bunker on the right. It's a lovely hole and a narrow favourite so far.

The next though is even better. Hitting out a leafy chute down below the 14th green, the 15th is a fantastic par five that manages to include all of the good things about this course. The tiger line is protected by a cluster of mesmerising deep bunkers, whilst the target area for the second shot narrows as you get nearer to what appears from a distance to be an island green. Measuring a monstrous 536 meters off the back tees, only three very good hits will reach a green bordered by two railway sleeper-lined bunkers and you'll almost certainly be left with a sharply uphill putt. The people who are lucky enough to buy a house near this hole will see lots of interesting shots but I doubt they'll see many pars.

Heading home over the road, the par four 16th features another decent carry over encroaching wetlands and the par three 17th demands a well struck short iron to yet another green partially surrounded by water. It's a great finish to a fine golf course. Unfortunately, on the day we played, the 18th hole wasn't fully in play, but given that it is rated stroke index 1, don't expect a soft finish.

Impressive

I was really impressed by Kooindah Waters. Craig Parry, who's been seen at the club on more than a few occasions over the opening weeks, recommends that players be "brave with club selection, without being foolhardy". Not overly long at 6083 metres off the very back tees, the course design is a refreshing change, calling for smart thinking and good shot making rather than monstering it with your driver.

For a new course it was in exceptional condition and the greens were large, quick and true. The distinctive bunkering is an attractive feature as is the use of railway sleepers to line some bunkers and greens. Whilst a lot of the marshy rough was relatively dry on the day we played, any ball hit into the wetlands was nevertheless heavily punished by a soggy lie or just vanishing completely. With some fairways cambering towards the wetlands, there's often little to save an errant shot from a watery death but that's something that will doubtless change as the course becomes more established. And I guess it'll teach me to hit it straighter in future.

In years to come we'll realise how lucky we were to play here when it was quiet. You may have seen the ads featuring a smiling Craig Parry proudly standing in front of his first design job, you may even have made a mental note to visit the place one day. Take my advice. If you live in or around Sydney, make a date to play there now, before the rest of the world finds out just how good this place is.

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