1. billybassos | Rated | 17 Feb 2008 | Add A Review

This course is a cracker!! One of the better layouts i have played for a long time. The island green 18th is a perfect way to end a round, it is challenging without being too difficult. The rest of the course is undulating and fairly long, fairways are very wide and forgiving which is a plus for the not so accurate players off the tee. The only down side was the dryness of the course, greens and tee’s are fantastic but the fairways could use a drink, still the fairwys are more than playable. All in all a great layout with the potential to be an absolute gem. $55 on a sunday was a bit pricey too.

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2. wab | Rated | 08 Jan 2008 | Add A Review

really enjoyed our round at hidden valley, a quality course with some marvellous holes. take plenty of balls to take on water carries with “seconds” you get to see just how far you can carry the ball. does anyone live in the houses? it’s like a ghost city. staff very friendly, but asking $25 to try out a second hand rescue club over 18 holes was a bit rich, no money back, but if the club was purchased the $25 was taken off the price. a good golfing experience.

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3. tamiroff | Rated | 05 Mar 2007 | Add A Review

A bleak, strange place -you are surrounded by houses that appear both new and unoccupied -all the curtains are drawn as if hiding some inbreds chewing of the bones of missing children. Wallen is nearby and though busy is a sad, depressing little truck stop. We didn’t see a soul on the course which is really rather nice but the sudden movement of curtains and blinds in the seemingly deserted homes was hair raising -we felt we were surrupticiously watched. Even the island hole (the 18th) was odd -surrounded by wrecked yachts that seemed to have no place in this tiny pond -perhaps it’s the depository for all the missing boats from the Bermuda Triangle. We were grateful for a cup of steaming phlegm when we got to the clubhouse. A large fat man greeted us singing snatches of Gilbert and Sullivan. We spent a couple of hours with him and have subsequently bought one of the abandoned properties. It has a gas ring where we can heat up soup cans and a Hills Hoist out the back where we can sit and feel like locals. We’d like to leave but the fatman says we can’t and some of the locals took our car and sold it for scrap. My wife’s leg has not improved and the local Ju-Ju man says we should amputate it so the rest of the tribe can feast -I am all for it but Barb said if anyone’s going to eat her leg it will be us -besides I have some nice potatoes and turnips growing in the vegie patch which should make it a festive roast. Do visit soon and bring some tender young children.

4. irishb | Rated | 28 Jan 2007 | Add A Review

Was expecting the course to be snugly hidden away in a valley as the name suggests, but wasnt prepared for how exposed some parts of the course were. The proshop staff were great and happily loaned us out a few demo drivers to test out.

We played on a Saturday afternoon (after the members comp) and saw NOBODY the entire round, which is was a welcome change from a lot of the courses around melbourne. The grass coverage on the fairways ranged from average to extremely poor. Is there anything worse than knocking a 290 metre drive than to go up and find that there is no grass under your ball when the ground is as hard as concrete!

Some really good holes here though, just need the drought to subside and we will definately be back. I think it was the 13th that was like a dog-leg right version of the 18th at Pebble beach. A really challenging hole, except for the fact that the Lake was COMPLETELY EMPTY...a real shame, because it meant the green came into play off the tee, something only the ballsiest of players would consider if the lake was full.

As for the island hole 18th, it is not long enough off the visitors tees, so sneak to the members tee or back tees if you are feeling confident, then do what I did and sink a 15ft putt for birdie to win the match!! A very sweet hole! :-)

PS God only knows what the developers were thinking in regards to the "tuscan villas" surrounding the course...it is obscene. One reviewer mentionned he liked the feeling of a mediterrenean course...well then go to spain or italy, cos hidden valley certainly doesnt come close!

5. rickross@ozemail | Rated | 22 Jul 2006 | Add A Review

Cold winter mornings are not the best for your golf but we had an enjoyable round recently (10th July) at Hidden Valley.

Fairways are dormant yellow & grey but well kept, greens were remarkably fast considering the soggy few days beforehand. No one to speak of out there on a Monday. Course guide & pro-shop warned us that we could lose 20+ balls on the back 9 but we all managed to make most of the water carries easily. We even conquered the 18th with 2 pars and a bogey in our group of 3. Some blind shots when you haven't played the course before resulted in a bit of swearing but we had fun.

6. Matt Brown | Rated | 07 Apr 2006 | Add A Review

Having played this course only last weekend in a group of eight we were unanimous in our dissapointment to find that while the fairways were consistently solid the greens let the course down.

My guess is that they were cored only 10 days ago and while I appreciate this is necessary and routine maintenance there were several greens absolutley covered in the excrement of local wildlife - to the point where one had to clear a path on the way to the hole.

Tee block were uneven and unchallenging but thi may have been a deliberate move by greens staff to counter the extremely blustery conditions - although on the Par 3's thi had little or no impact. It certainly had more impact on the front nine where holes were legthened considerably into the wind.

On a positive note the club house provided an excellent pre round meal, open fire place and genuine country club feel.

Overall I would go back, but would ring first for a weather forecast and to make sure the greens were worth the visit.

7. tigertee | Rated | 16 Feb 2006 | Add A Review

Paid the $45 green fee to findout the visitors markers were on or in front of the ladies tees! It did detract from the round a bit.

Some very nice holes on this course but a lot of the challenge and water carry was taken out by the tee position, hard to judge some holes as there was no hole info for the visitor. The rough is tough here so pick a club that will keep tee shots on the fairway and you will score well. Overall fairway coverage is excellent, just a couple of bare spots on some holes that give nasty unpredictable bounces. Certainly a LOT of run at the height of summer, very easy to run off or out of fairway, smart club selection is critical. Greens were ok. The few bunkers I found were very good and consistant.

A golf cart makes it much more enjoyable, distance between holes is extensive. The food cart that zips around has good food and drinks at good prices.

8. doubleeagle007 | Rated | 31 Oct 2005 | Add A Review

I played this course last week and I must say it was in terrific condition. Tees, fairways, bunkers and greens were in fantastic condition.

Very little course information was the only negative I could find about the course. As a first time player of the course I had no information about the hole I was playing on in terms of layout. A small description board at each hole showing the hole layout and water features (which were sometimes out of sight) would be nice. Golfers aren't happy losing balls on bad shots but are even more frustrated losing balls to hidden or unknown water. Finding the 10th hole was also a real challenge. Lucky enough I was playing with a friend who'd played there before. One suggestion to improve this would be to add a hole-by-hole description and course layout which could be added on the Hidden Valley Golf & Country Club website. First time players or irregular players could then view this information before visiting and playing the course. That's all the negatives out of the way.

This course is real quality and a challenge for all golfers. The picture post card rolling hills with Tuscan style houses, take you away to the same Tuscan region of Italy. The great scenery along with the well maintained golf course puts you in that perfect relaxed state of mind to play your best round of golf.

The layout is very challenging and long. Keeping the ball on the fairway and out of the rough is a given. Good fairway placement off the tees is important and a quality second shot on most holes will allow you to attack the green and post a good score. Greens were quick and true. As always a solid short game is rewarded.

Water features around the course add to the challenge of the course and the 18th Par 3 island hole is a little gem. My favourite is the 14th long par 4 with a dogleg left to an undulating green. Tee off is over water, and fairway positioning is important for the next shot. With water on both sides of the fairway approaching the green, you need to be confident to attack the green with a 3 iron or 3 wood. Long and right will just clear the water but will be safe and land you in the rough. Anything left and less then 190m after a monster tee off will land you in water. If you want to play it safe, lay up the ball with a 5 iron just before the fairway narrows. Then attack the green with a solid 7 or 8 iron across the water. The undulating green has some small bunkers positioned in the front should you fall a little short attacking the green over the water. The green is nice and big here so you can attack the pin. Scoring a par on this hole can be achieved with 4 quality shots.

If you're a beginner or having an ordinary day, make sure you have a few spare balls, as there are several water features off the tee and around fairways which can get a little hungry if your shots are a little wayward.

I would highly recommend the golf buggy for this course, as there is lots of extra mileage between holes and from the tees that are situated over the water.

In summary, a great golf course layout around some beautiful countryside that is well maintained. The course offers some real challenges around water and a number of hidden greens. If you want a quality and peaceful 18 holes of golf and want to beat the congestion of the city courses, then Hidden Valley Golf Course is for you. Great course.

9. largemountain | Rated | 23 Sep 2004 | Add A Review

Heartily recommended!

10. largemountain | Rated | 23 Sep 2004 | Add A Review

What a nice course with a wondeful Meditteranean atmosphere. The cove tile roofs on the brutal homes that surround the course remind you of some of the more industrial areas of Tuscany. The course itself is a real eye-opener -especially the southerly wind that slices right through you. The cart provided by the club was a real beauty -white with a bright green stripe and the words 'Hidden Valley' mispelled along the side. It also had a rather annoying pull to the left in the steering which caused us to investigate one of the many water hazards more closely than we wished. A quick change of clothes and a new buggy had us back on track, chasing the white ball around the course.

The island hole eighteenth is a ripper and a real island with a number of wrecked or abandoned boats surrounding it. All together an enjoyable if sometimes damp and painful day on a lovely course.

11. peanuts_1 | Rated | 30 Dec 2003 | Add A Review

This course is really close to being top notch. Clearly the layout is professionally-designed, and there are some terrific holes on both nines.

The best on the front nine I think are the par 3 fourth and the par 4 sixth. The fourth hits about 160m across a small watercourse to a green protected by a bunker on the left front and a large tree front right. With a breeze club selection can be quite tricky. The sixth is a long hit from the back tees across a dam - the carry would be in the vicinity of 180m from there, but the fairway is reasonably wide to reward a solid strike. The green is well-protected against shots coming in from the right, so left side (which involves the longest water carry) is the preferred option. At over 400m a par here is pleasing.

The back nine has six or seven really good holes, including the famed island hole finish (and it is a legitimate island, along with the 80m walk across the floating bridge).

The tenth is an uphill par 5 which is reachable for the longer hitters, but which carries plenty of danger on the approach following a wide target from the tee. Hidden Valley has its' own "Amen Corner", from thirteen through fifteen. Thirteen is a dogleg right par 4 that skirts a large dam. Straight at the pin requires a 300m carry, which may tempt the longer hitters with a stiff southerly blowing. Otherwise there's a narrow fairway that rewards those who flirt but avoid the water with a shorter approach to a well-guarded green. Fourteen is a long par 4 with a dogleg left to an undulating green. Tee off is over water, and the approach is also flirting with water. Fifteen is a double dogleg par 5, with water in play for the first two shots. Strategy here is paramount.

And finally a word about the eighteenth. It's only a short iron (unless there is a stiff sou'wester), and to be honest the green is quite large, but the novelty is enjoyable.

The course is a long walk without a cart, so be prepared, and suffers a little from being relatively new (in some areas the grass cover is not terrific, and greens are a little inconsistent). Nonetheless a tough and enjoyable challenge if you are able to get onto this private course.