1. SJP1182 | Rated | 01 Feb 2011 | Add A Review

Played at Avondale in their first open competition in December 2010 and this club is everything that a golf club should be.

Avondale is by far the best golf course that I have ever played. The course is in marvellous condition, and given the amount of greenkeepers I saw on the course it is no wonder why it is in such pristine condition.

The course is nestled away in the quite bushland, and playing the course you feel like you are in your own little golfing world. With only a few houses visible from the course, and the neighbouring Pymble Ladies College, there are no outside distractions to worry about.

You really need to be straight off the tee, with the longest cut of rough very tough to hit out of. I didn’t play to my handicap on this occasion, but still had one of the best golfing experiences to date.

The $85 comp fee was well worth the money, to play at this course. The buffet lunch that was laid out after the comp was just what the doctor ordered and the quaint clubhouse was the perfect setting to reflect on the beauty of this golf course.

If you ever get the chance to play at this course, take it! And for those low markers out there, the annual Avondale Amateur Medal played in January , is a 54 hole stoke play event (18 holes on day 1 then 36 holes on day 2) open to amateur golfers on a handicap of 4.4 or lower.

2. q-tip | Rated | 23 Dec 2010 | Add A Review

Measures 6059m Par 71 with five par 3s ranging from 148-183m, nine par 4s ranging from 303-439m and four par 5s ranging from four par 5s ranging 489-549m.

Course is extremely well conditioned as you’d expect. Fairways are lined with tall thick mature trees, but most fairways are quite wide. There are quite a few hills and slopes to overcome, but the topography is not too overly difficult.

The fairways are lush Santa Ana couch with true, pacy G2 Bentgrass greens. The rough is not so punishing, however, the ball can settle down in the couch. The course has 65 well-positioned bunkers.

My highlights include the stretch of holes 6-11 and holes 15-18:

• 170m 4th with OOB left from tee to green with bunker left and right – anything left of the bunker is OOB.

• 351m 6th which has a narrower driving area than previous holes with 2 large fairway bunkers right to a green guarded by bunkers back left and short right.

• 492m slight dogleg right 7th with 3 large fairway bunkers on the dogleg right corner off the tee to a sloping green to the front right with 2 bunkers.

• 163m 8th with a large undulating green with ridges guarded by 4 large bunkers.

• 489m sweeping dogleg left 9th with thick bushland left – anything left is pretty much a lost ball – fairways slopes to the left.

• 338m dogleg left with OOB left from the tee to green has a large gully 90m short of the green guarded by a bunker short.

• 148m 15th with 2 bunkers short and a deep undulating green slightly obscured from the tee with low shrubs and water between the tee and green

• 439m par 4 slight dogleg left 16th with thcik bushland left to a bunkerless green – Index 3 – is also the only hole completely bunkerless on the entire course.

Avondale also has a spare 133m 11A hole which has long narrow green guared by a bunker right with a lateral water hazard on the left from tee to green.

Played here 22/12/2010 in the golf club’s only open competition and paid $85 comp fees. I agree with others that the proshop is very friendly and the club is currently looking at ways to entice more members. Still extremely expensive to play here though. Highly recommended as the course is extremely well conditioned.

3. Adams23 | Rated | 18 Oct 2010 | Add A Review

Great golf course, good layout, a couple of boring holes but 7th, 12th, 14th and 15th favourites of mine. am a junior member there and is a great golfing environment to grow up playing in. proshop staff are all champs!

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4. Mortley | Rated | 01 Jul 2010 | Add A Review

I recently phone the club to enquire about golf membership. I left a message with the club manager, who promptly phoned me back and organised a round of golf. The club followed things up and were extremely friendly. Given some of the posts I have read about ‘private clubs’ and their snooty attitudes I was pleasantly surprised with the friendly nature of this club.

I was placed in a group of regular golfers for the comp. The members were from all walks of life, a local businessman, retired businessman and a golfing fanatic. I love the idea of no timesheets, it allows you to mingle with some highly successful people.
Onto the course…

As soon as you enter the gates you feel like you have left the hustle and bustle of the city behind you. As you walk towards the club house a sense of serenity sets upon you. No car noise, no beeping horns, just on oasis of golf.

There is a golfing range for those that want to warm up before teeing off on the first.

The course was in pristine condition, even though it was a little frosty. I have played many courses in the Sydney area and rate this one up there. The fairways and greens were in top condition and I thoroughly enjoyed the course. Plenty of sand makes for a challenging game. If I could find a criticism it would be that I would have like a hole with water. It has everything but the challenge of water.

Overall I loved this course and hope one day to join!

5. Parky123 | Rated | 16 Jul 2009 | Add A Review

The course was Absolutely Phenomenal.
The Greens were still on the quick side, considering the amount of rain it got the week before.
definately tests your short game.

6. wiwegelafr | Rated | 22 May 2009 | Add A Review

Nice and pretty course with exclusive feel. Couch fairways in good condition and greens of uniform quick speed. Classy, traditional clubhouse. Overall quite challenging course but a few holes really detract from a true championship test. Real shame because there are some classic Par 4s but interspersed with some "gimmicky" holes requiring blind shots.

7. alberto | Rated | 16 Mar 2009 | Add A Review

Great clubhouse, couch fairways. fast greens, slick trees

8. Cynthiab | Rated | 03 Mar 2009 | Add A Review

Stunning course set in the beautiful bushland region of pymble. Course is always is such great shape. Friendly pro shop!

9. Kakuna | Rated | 16 Feb 2009 | Add A Review

Avondale is one of my favourite courses in sydney. I get to play this course atleast 3-4 times a year due to my grandparents being members. This is definitely a top 50 Australian course. The course is always in such great condition with consistent speeds on the greens. There have also been some changes in recent years which have made the course more interesting as now the greens are much more undulating and tiered.

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10. Wingnut | Rated | 16 Feb 2009 | Add A Review

Played the course for the first time and extremely impressed. Best course on the northshore. Definitely a hidden gem. Exciting layout and fast greens. Ross Watson’s additions certainly improved the course!

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11. WolfCreekIsAwesome | Rated | 14 Jan 2008 | Add A Review

Avondale is a stunning Upper North Shore golf club with a well maintained and challenging course, despite your initial perception that it looks quite straight forward. The greens are lightning quick and true, and you get excellent value for your shot making as a result of the top quality fairways, but if you find yourself zig-zagging all over the course, you will have a very tough day as the course is well integrated into the surrounding bushland. A great part of a round is that a few holes in, you don’t even feel as though you are in Sydney because of the surrounding bushland and you feel somewhat isolated from the outside world. Probably a good thing if you are having a bad day and you want to voice your frustrations! On the flipside, on a hot summer’s day, this mean the last handful of holes can be very demanding, so bring plenty of fluids.

The 10th is a cracker of a hole and definitely worth the admission price!

Definitely worth a round if you ever get the chance.

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12. Blackers | Rated | 03 Dec 2007 | Add A Review

If you ever get the chance to play Avondale, take it. This truly is Sydney’s best kept golfing secret. The course looks very easy at first but you soon find its quite challenging. I had a terrible game but the beauty of the course and the friendly members still made it a very enjoyable day.

PROS

• Beautifully maintained
• Quiet and pieceful

Cons

• Very expensive to join with a long waiting list

13. Richie_Hornsby | Rated | 19 Aug 2007 | Add A Review

PLayed here on a golf day, very hot like what Gwynne said mind you i was in a cart so it made it better for me. i will say that it frustrated me when you try and place your shot in the fairway to set up for the next shot and the ball just runs right down the other side of the fairway. Course in fantastic condition which can be rewarding for for good shots while also kill you with good shots. Would play again but at the same time very pricey.

PROS

• To say I have played at Avondale GC

Cons

• Very dear to play at Avondale GC

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14. mdelos10 | Rated | 20 Feb 2007 | Add A Review

I am lucky enough to have my aunty and uncle as members. I must say, this course is presented exceptionally well. The moment you enter the car park and see the clubhouse, you know your in a different world. Everyone hole was manicured to perfection, from tee to green, with the fairways being the best I have ever played on.

Some resort courses I have played such as The Vintage, Pacific Dunes and Horizons may have more interesting layouts, but Avondale GC beats them by a country mile in regards to the condition of the course. I can definitely see the club investing the members fees back into the course. Get a game here if at all possible.

15. gwynne | Rated | 15 Oct 2004 | Add A Review

Played this course with the Jack Newton Foundation in January 2001. Was a scorcher and being in scrubland it seemed to make it even hotter. Favourite hole is the 10th The Chasm. I actually played this hole well as well. Not a good course to be chasing after your ball on a hot day as from memory there wasn't much shade except near the clubhouse. Being from the southwest it was a whole new world of seclusion so i'd jump at the chance to play there again. There is complete isolation from the outside world.

16. kjgreen | Rated | 07 May 2004 | Add A Review

I was just reading the previous reviewer and he must have had a real bad day to be disappointed in this course, I was in awe at how the course was presented and will put it down as one of my best experiences of golf in the sydney area, I would say if anyone gets invited to play there take it with both hands and I hope you enjoy the day as much as I did.

17. | Rated | 28 Aug 2003 | Add A Review

I'd heard good reviews about Avondale, yet on the occasion I had the fortune to be invited I didn't quite find what I expected.

To be fair the layout has to maximise limited available ground suitable for golf within the rugged terrain of it's situation, and the day I played was extremely hot, so my own enjoyment was always going to be hindered.

There are some unique and attractive holes, particularly in the stretch from 6 to 9. The manicuring was good but for the fees the members play I felt they were being a little short-changed. The tees looked tired and the greens surrounds were inconsistent in the amount of grass on them.

Had it been a public course my impression may have been somewhat better because my expectations may not have been so great, but I came away thinking I might look elsewhere in seeking a membership at the price one would have to pay.

18. mort | Rated | 25 Jan 2003 | Add A Review

A pleasure to play. Can be very hot in summer, especially in the long socks you have to wear, but early morning here is a treat.

The 2nd time around is probably more enjoyable once you figure out the layout of some of the holes and a couple of blind shots.

19. andrew14966 | Rated | 27 Dec 2002 | Add A Review

Excellent course. You need to drive well, approach well & putt well here.

Always a pleasure, especially early in the morning.

20. gameboy | Rated | 03 Dec 2002 | Add A Review

One of Sydney's best.

21. gameboy | Rated | 03 Dec 2002 | Add A Review

Avondale is a lovely 18 hole members only course on Sydneys North Shore. I have been lucky enough to play here on a number of occasions through a friend.

Avondale winds through Sydney bushland near Pymble. The fairways are always lovely and the greens generally pretty slick and true. The recent refreshes to the course have improved some of the more average holes, particularly the 1st hole which has had it's difficult to hold green removed and a slight dogleg added.

With little Johnny Howard one of it's members, find a member and get out there. Lovely course.