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

I love playing at Heywood. I travel to Portland at least a couple of times a year and every time I do I make a point of getting out for a hit at Heywood. It is out in the middle of nothing which is a big part of its appeal – no traffic noise and no crowds. Often I go out on a weekend and I will be the only one on the course which is heaven for a city golfer.

As for the course itself, I find it a really varied and interesting challenge. It is by no means an easy course as there are plenty of ways to lose your ball or find yourself stymied amongst the trees. There are no bunkers, but it’s not a really short course so if you keep it straight you can score well, but if you don’t your score can easily blow out. No hole is similar to any other which is one reason I prefer it to Portland, though it is a bit rougher around the edges. I last played over Christmas and it was in excellent condition. It can get a bit dusty in summer and soggy in winter, but overall for a course in such a small town it is remarkably well maintained.

Unless you are looking for a Kingston Heath I would recommend anyone heading down that way to pop into Heywood for a hit. It really is a lovely experience.

2. q-tip | Rated | 28 Nov 2010 | Add A Review

Measures 5820m Par 72 with four par 3s ranging from 126-194m, ten par 4s ranging from 267-375m and four par 5s ranging from 437-460m. After driving via Mount Clay Road and then about 2km along a dirt road to find this little gem I was pleasantly surprised with the course.

The fairways have a good coverage of grass with good lies, the grass greens were firm and smooth with consistent roll and the teebeds were mostly flat. There is only one bunker on the course. Course is tree-lined with mostly wide fairways and 8 slight dogleg left holes and 4 slight dogleg right holes. The par 5s are generally short and a little weak but the subtle dogleg par 4s are quite a reasonable test of your skills.

Highlights include 306m dogleg right 4th with lateral water hazard 170m off the tee through the dogleg and water stays with til about 30m short left of the bunkerless green. The 267m short uphill dogleg left 8th with bunker 20-40 short left on dogleg corner protecting the green. The 194m 12th with its bunkerless green sloping to the right is a little challenging to hold. The 375m 13th (rated the hardest) doglegs right slightly uphill is tree-lined both sides with the leftside fairway treeline quite thickly vegetated. The 341m 18th doglegs left with a dam 190m from the tee on the left with thickly vegetated treeline on the left has you hitting your second shot slightly uphill to the green.

Played here 18/11/2010 with $15 green fees or $10 green fees after 4pm daylight saving time. The course is located 8km south-east of the town via Mount Clay Road. Heywood GC is 1 hour west of Warrnambool and 20 minutes north of Portland. Could do with a few bunkers to rival nearby Portland for the challenge, but for a town of around 2000 people the course is kept in fairly good condition.