1. cgolomb | Rated | 08 Jan 2012 | Add A Review

Played there today after a night of big rain. The greens were well drained but some I the tee boxes are verging on unplayable. It can’t be that hard to get some level tee boxes.

2. bongoey | Rated | 03 Jan 2012 | Add A Review

Played for the first time on Thursday 29/12/2011 in a flight of 4. I suspected that it might be a slow one given we booked for a 10am tee-off and being the holiday period.

When I arrived, my instincts were correct. We teed off closer to 10:15am and ended up finishing 3:15pm.

I didn’t have high expectations from the course, although a friend recommended it to me recently. I would agree with its current 2.5 star rating, it’s not overly long or difficult to play. I was a good 10 under my handicap so while I enjoyed playing well, I realise it also could be because of the course itself.

The 4th hole par 3 was swamped in the middle when we played, so after hitting our first shot, we had to backtrack to the 3rd hole, then through the 5th hole to get on the green.

Greens were in good condition, not too slow or fast, fairways were okay. But the tee boxes were the worst I’ve seen at a public course. It’s one thing to have lots of divots, but the boxes were all uneven!

Overall, not a difficult course by any means. Short course that seems to play very slow, maybe because it’s popular but not sure why.

PROS

• Decent price
• Location to Melbourne CBD

Cons

• Speed of play
• Ease of course
• Length of course

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3. jaygolfer | Rated | 12 Jul 2011 | Add A Review

Struggling to think of a more overrated course. Not many courses I have played at encourage you to take drops off their ridiculously soggy fairways. Tee boxes might as well not be there and greens are not maintained to a satisfactory standard.

PROS

• scenic

Cons

• terrible condition

4. TheDivotMaker | Rated | 27 Apr 2011 | Add A Review

Played on 26/4/2011 for the first time in about 3 years. Played at 7am so didn’t experience the queues that others have mentioned. Played 18 in about 4 hours so no complaints.
Course was in much better condition then when I last played, but that is as expected since I last played during the peak of the drought.
As other reviews have said, its short and would not be particularly challenging for decent golfers. I shot 84 and average about 95 normally.
Most tees were pretty rank- hacked up and uneven. But they have started to upgrade them so I can’t imagine they’ll be like that for much longer.
Good day had, will go back. Just a nice little course that won’t break your heart.
Seems like a great course to introduce new golfers too as its short and not too punishing on wayward shots.

5. freewaygolf | Rated | 17 Apr 2011 | Add A Review

Played here Sat 16/4/11. Was quite busy, seemed they’d packed two or three too many groups around 10am, same as us. We were waiting for the group in front every hole, and were joined on the tee by the group behind as we waited. Fine I guess if you like teeing off to a Gallery every hole!

I can see why the other reviews have gone the way they did…but I quite like Ivanhoe. Yes its short, and yes it’s often damp (but to be fair, find a Course on the Yarra that wouldn’t be with 70mm of rain during the week!) and yes it’s pretty easy.

But, it is a nice course, and by public standards far from the worst around. The elevated tees on the 1st and 10th are a brilliant way to start, and chipping up the hill on the 9th and 18th are an equally good way to finish. Greens had been cored that morning or the day before so hard to review, few require much imagination. Tee boxes remain a concern. Would probably best be regarded as a ’confidence-builder’ of a course for the better golfers out there.

Would play again, just don’t expect it to be something it’s not, and you’ll enjoy your day.

6. Goldy | Rated | 21 Feb 2011 | Add A Review

Played here for the first time yesterday. Quite liked the layout, but terrible condition. Mud and water everywhere. Teeboxes looked like you were playing off someone’s mohawk – hump in the middle of nearly all of them.

Judging by previous reviews, I suspect it wasn’t just a case of bad timing in respect of the course condition. Muddy seems to be the over-arching message. And now I know why.

Couldn’t recommend.

7. TigerforPM | Rated | 24 May 2010 | Add A Review

Do yourself a favour and have a game at the most improved public course in Victoria. Freeway Golf in Nth Balwyn.

8. puttfordough | Rated | 13 May 2010 | Add A Review

I’ve played this course 6 times over the past 9 months (most recently 3 weekends ago) and probably wouldnt go back unless it was the only public course with a tee time available.

At $26 it represents good value, but is far too short to be a real test of golf. I found the course to be over crowded with slow players who had little or no knowledge of course etiquette.

The tee boxes were quite muddy and overall you walk away slightly frustrated that you didnt go elsewhere.

The course is generally in good condition but it’s a little hard to get excited about it. That said the last 4-5 holes (over the back) are probably the best stretch of holes

9. Big_Ted | Rated | 25 Mar 2010 | Add A Review

I used to love this course as it is short but challenging, so if you are accurate with the iron, you can really carve it up, but if you spray it……no good. In saying that it is now Ho-rible. The greens had as much grass as my backyard, and there was only about three flat tee boxes on the course. There is no excuse for this type of tee box.

However in saying this, the staff where fantastic and the rest of the course great, (for $25).

Personally I would not play here again until they simply fixed the tee boxes.

10. FairwayBomber | Rated | 20 Feb 2010 | Add A Review

Quite a hilly course so be mindful on hot/wet days!

I thought the course was in relatively good condition when I played here in December. As the others mentioned, the tee box is quite uneven. Having said that, I guess its not any different if you were to hit off some undulating fairways? I do agree that it needs some attention to make it more enjoyable to the weekend warrior.

PROS

• Nice layout
• Some challengin and interesting holes
• Quite picturesque

Cons

• Some tee boxes are uneven
• Very hilly in some sections

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11. lukesimmons | Rated | 30 Jan 2010 | Add A Review

I played there in early January 2010 and, although the REST of the course was great, the tees were about as bad as I’d ever seen. It is really off-putting when you’re teeing up on an un-even, half dirt surface… If they fixed that up I’d be back – but definately not until they do so.

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• Mornington Golf Club
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12. looking4myball | Rated | 29 Dec 2009 | Add A Review

Played here christmas eve and have never seen this course before and felt it to be a nice course just outside the CBD. A good clubhouse with well stocked pro shop and bar. A well sized practice area both putting and chipping. As well as a good group of staff that were looking to get play moving on a busy public course.

The course itself was green (good start for melbourne) and besides being short had plenty of bends in it to challenge most golfers. the tee boxes were an issue as stated by those before me – yet I won’t let that ruin a well located and nice place to play for the 15+ handicapper.

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13. parsandbirdies | Rated | 24 Dec 2009 | Add A Review

Played today 23/12/09 fairways and greens in good condition some of the fairways just short of greens were perfect, now i have read previous posts of Goat track and i was scared of going there but the track was pretty decent, it was where the goats have obviously been herded all this time on the tee’s i have never ever seen tee boxes that undulated as much as they did, dont be surprised if you tee your ball an inch under your feet….. a few hills so take the heart pills, good sceneray well established tree’s, pretty good public course..

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14. soorie | Rated | 11 Dec 2009 | Add A Review

Don’t mean to be Mr negative but it’s a bit of a worry when a golf courses greatest defence is it’s tee boxes! I’m not sure if they have done it on purpose but trying to drive with the ball sitting 6 or 7 inches above or below your feet doesn’t do much for the confidence. Seriously there is more undulations on them than the greens, definantly won’t be going back anytime soon.

15. Sturmmann | Rated | 08 Nov 2009 | Add A Review

nice and easy course… for a newbie like me.

I would take a cart next time, to much walking up hills, especially on a day when it was 27.

All in all, nice day out.

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16. Howwy | Rated | 07 Jul 2009 | Add A Review

As a mid-level golfer living in inner Melbourne I think Ivanhoe is a great course. It can be packed in the summer and attracts players who are not always good enough to keep up but it is a municipal course after all. Considering the drought it is well-maintained with true greens and better fairways than most competition. It is perfect for golfers who don;t yet want to commit to membership but want more than say Northcote, Burnley or Yarra Bend.

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17. leroy8888 | Rated | 01 Mar 2009 | Add A Review

Seriously Ivanhoe…"best public course in Melbourne" !! So obviously we are excluding Waterford Valley, Kingston Links and about 30 other courses I could name which are better. If you simply rate the course against the other public courses, it is average at best – dry fairways, slow greens which need to be mowed, unimaginative layout with no length at all and uneven tee boxes. Exactly which bit of the course elevates it to the BEST ?!?!

Don’t make stupid claims like that until you pick up your act by 1000%

18. foofighta | Rated | 07 Feb 2009 | Add A Review

To say that this is one of Melbournes best public courses is a bit far fetched. I play off a 12 and shot 2 over par. Try and find a flat tee box if you can! Having said that the greens were in great condition and all very true. Also found it to be a bit on the short side. Would probably play there again but would leave the driver at home next time.

19. droobie88 | Rated | 02 Feb 2009 | Add A Review

Reasonable variety of holes – though not too challenging. Can count the number of bunkers on one hand. Very crowded however – you can hear groups being called up to the first tee at regular intervals though you might have two or even three groups in front of you.

20. Bazza2 | Rated | 17 Dec 2008 | Add A Review

A great course that provides very soft, lush fairways. Mainly a par 4 course, but has challenging par 3’s that have no room for error. Superbly maintained and the greens are always in pristine condition. Very cheap as well.

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21. dsa4139 | Rated | 04 Nov 2008 | Add A Review

Short course with a few drivable par-4s. The biggest question around this course is not whether you make a low score but how low can you go by not making silly mental errors through incorrect shot/club selection.

22. soorie | Rated | 17 Aug 2008 | Add A Review

Oh my lord, played this course on friday and it took me about a week to clean all the mud off my clubs, shoes and bag. Apart from the fact that you need to pack gumboots, the course itself is very good located in a nice part of melbourne and worth a look if your after something different.

23. KIWI | Rated | 11 Jul 2008 | Add A Review

Mud mud & more mud, plus mega trackie pants galore. Try finding a level T box, we played this course for a change, my 2 partners/mates didn’t finish the round, bailed out, won’t ever go back. Free Way Golf and Yarra Bend absolutely shit on this course.

24. plusfour | Rated | 22 Jun 2008 | Add A Review

A bit soggy (and sometimes slippery) underfoot, this may have been exacerbated by recent rain.

Well grassed fairways, forgiving layout, Tees areas had taken a bit of a battering.

A good course for beginners who don’t have a booming drive, once the bucks party group in front let us play through, went round this course quite briskly (sat afternoon).

25. StewyGriffin | Rated | 27 May 2008 | Add A Review

The web site should read “Melb best goat track” cause this joint should close its doors in the winter. Very wet in the winter months, super short and unkept greens & fairways. Was told in the bar is alot better in the warmer months, so I will try again.

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26. Lowdown | Rated | 21 Jan 2008 | Add A Review

I know why the website still proclaims this as ‘Melbourne’s Best Public Course’ – but seriously, they should at least TRY and live up to this claim. This course is clearly, not a patch on the best public courses in Melbourne. It is one of the worst courses I’ve played in Metropolitan Melbourne. Yarra Bend, Freeway, Kingston Links, Albert Park are all well above this standard…easily. Ivanhoe need to face up, and either do something about being the best, or drop the expectation. Seriously.

PROS

• Reasonable Prices
• No bunkers...

Cons

• Condition of course
• Length of course
• Challenge of course
• No bunkers

27. DanMCMLXXX | Rated | 03 Jan 2008 | Add A Review

“Melbournes best 18 hole public course” NOT!! that was written on there web site and an advert in a golf mag. with that hype a mate and myself travelled 45 mins to play “Melbournes best 18 hole public course”. after a 20 minute wait to tee off then 5 minute wait on every shot we had enough after 9 holes. the course wasn’t very challanging, short in length, slow greens, fairways were patchy etc. the positives… good weather, friendly pro shop staff, but it didnt live up to tag as “Melbournes best 18 hole public course”. it’s just an ordinary public track good for begineers and social golfers. just on par with the freeway course 5 mins away which has better greens. would rate it 3 stars but if they dont change that slogan “Melbournes best 18 hole public course” it gets 2 for now!

28. THEGREENMACHINE | Rated | 07 Sep 2007 | Add A Review

Ivanhoe: otherwise affectionately known as “the hoe”.

I’d heard the claims of “Melbournes best 18 hole public course” and was keen to give the greenmachine a run amongst some of Melbourne’s finest real estate and apparently it’s finest public track. Unfortunately, it didn’t live up to the expectations that had been so audaciously set.

While being stuck behind a plethora of slow players (some not even sporting their own sticks) probably didn’t do much to enhance my perception, I felt there were far too many chippable par 3’s and unchallenging holes in general. That said, there were a few diamonds in the rough (so to speak), namely the par 4 8th, which plays as a fantastic hole if you’re talented enough to SMASH your ball down the middle, while the hackers are subject to ‘uh-oh’s’ both sides of the fairway.

The back nine is less inspiring than the front, with the course shortening suignificantly towards the end, making drawing in a lead all the more difficult, despite the leader suffering from Lazchoitis.

All in all, hide your wedge, keep your phone in the car and let your putter get back to nature (the greenmachine sure did!)

THEGREENMACHINE

29. LadyDaiwa_aka_josh | Rated | 07 Sep 2007 | Add A Review

Deciding to give the whore a half-hearted second chance after playing there in winter, which i must add, was an experience comparable to coming across public toliets in South east Asia, i was pleasantly suprised! The course was still as easy as i remember, and even Sergio would find it hard to choke due to the lack of greenside hazzards (little to no bunkers!) and driveable par 4’s. However the little things that add up to make an enjoyable golf experience such as courteous staff at the pro shop, friendly fellow golfers, warm toasty muffins and chilled self serve water breached my expectations of mere mediocracy.

Probably won’t be boasting that it’s ‘Melbourne’s best 18 hole public course’ but it’s definitely better than Brighton! and that’s good enough for lady daiwa

PROS

• Course in good touch
• Nice Italian food around the corner

30. frb_golf | Rated | 01 Oct 2006 | Add A Review

Quite a popular course with ppl from around town which means you are forced to deal with slow play. Course is well maintained though, but does get boggy in winter.

31. kpavey | Rated | 21 Mar 2006 | Add A Review

It's been probably five years since I last played this course and it has improved in several ways. General condition in March 2006 was very good both on fairways and greens which were quite fast and often having significant break. Would be good if a few more people used their pitch fork to repair plug marks though - I repaired more than I could remember on the day. Sadly this is pretty common on most public golf courses...

Hole layout uses the natural undulation of the land, with a number of raised tees and greens for interest. Some of the tees and greens are placed a little to close for my liking though, and safety is a concern. Also given the large number of beginners playing here you will often find stray players on your hole hitting to another (virtually all holes back onto another in this compact layout). There are some revised hole layouts since I last came here.

Overall my wife and I enjoyed the round, were let through by slower golfers and enjoyed the pro shop and 19th.

Don't expect 13th Beach kind of golf challenge and you'll find it OK. Close to the city is a bonus. I wondered if I would prefer playing Yarra Bend to Ivanhoe and I'm leaning more towards Yarra Bend because of the more memorable hole layouts and it is somewhat more challenging but both are good courses in very good condition presently.

32. cheyno | Rated | 05 Jan 2006 | Add A Review

Ivanhoe is a challenging golf course for beginners and fairly easy going for advanced golfers. Ivanhoe is a hilly golf course with flooded waters and lakes. They have very good dining at the top of the reception of the golf course called the 19th Hole. The reception is situated at the top of the golf course the course is down hill for the 1st and 10th and up hill for the 9th and 18th. A few challenging holes like the 1st, 16th, 17th and 18th. If you go to Ivanhoe leave curve of the ball behind. I found that a lot of my shots curved from left to right leaving my ball in the trees, rough or even out of bounds. The greens are usally fast but some to very slow because of raising water from the yarra. But in the end a very good course for intemidate players. Farly easy for advanced players and hard for beginners.

33. hitori | Rated | 25 Nov 2005 | Add A Review

Generally in reasonable condition for the huge amount of traffic that it gets across it. Accomplished golfers will not get a great deal of challenge and will likely become frustrated at the usual slow pace of play. However, for what it is, Ivanhoe is one of the better "learn to play" courses in Melbourne.

Golfers need to accept that slow play comes where a course attracts a lot of social/learner groups. Having said that - although the pro-shop runs a tight ship, they could do with a course marshall on weekends and public holidays where the rounds can extend into 5 hours in the better weather.

It is a good little course where a competent golfer can take lower ability friends for a game and they will not be monstered by a difficult course.

34. t0m_s_1 | Rated | 21 Sep 2005 | Add A Review

the shortness of the course is a positive for myself that cannot be bothered walking long distances but still enjoy an entertaining day of golf

this course is good for juniors and women looking to upgrade to 18 holes without tiring themselves.

the fairways are fairly good for an public golf course but the greens need work. they are often slow, soft and indented. on some holes the outer rim of the green is almost like a rough in itself.

other than this there is a practise green out the front that caters for different abilities and fun tee offs from the 14th and 17th holes.

35. | Rated | 07 Jul 2004 | Add A Review

As public courses go this one's not too bad. The clubhouse sits atop a ridge surveying the course around it, which largely sits in the Yarra floodplain.

It's a fairly tight and short course, and tries to maximise the land it's on. Given the traffic it doesn't hold up too badly, but this is not a course for the keen or accomplished golfer.

The better holes are the par 4s 14 and 16, while 17 and the par 3 18th are interesting challenges. As such it's not a bad place to knock of work and play the last five. The first 13 leave a lot to be desired though in my opinion. The distance markers are often incorrect (eg par 3 12th) and the slow pace of play is quite frustrating.

I guess you get what you pay for...

36. ronrat | Rated | 13 Apr 2004 | Add A Review

Not long but has a few bunkers, lots of trees and a few water hazards. Gets longer as the hilly parts are on the back nine and the bar tempts you as travel up hill from the 14th to the 15th. This course does not require long hitting but strategic hitting or what looks an easy par 4 can quickly become a triple bogey if you go out of bounds. The 18th is an uphill par 3 that requires every inch of your club onto a 2 tired green. Next to the Yarra it provides bushwalks or cycle tracks for those whose family are not into golf. Well established pro shop and lovely clubhouse views. And good value. Caters for social groups, well established ones.