1. Elbarto | Rated | 01 Apr 2012 | Add A Review

Potentially great track that has been allowed to run down to the point it’s scarcely recognisable as a golf course.

In a city as flat as Melbourne it’s astonishing the course has been allowed to deteriorate to this extent. If it were fixed up people would be queuing up to play there it’s that unusual, that dramatic and the views are that good. I honestly believe it would be a "must play" for every Melbourne golfer. Some holes are unforgettable.

Surely someone has the cash and the inclination to turn it into a resort/convention centre.

I took photos of each hole and loaded them up on youtube. If you’ve never played there have a look.

I only played the first 9, the back 9 are "not playable". The mind boggles at the state they must be in. We played in the evening that’s why it gets dark on the last couple of holes.

PS I love the tombstone shaped tee markers, it’s like playing in the backyard of Gomez Addams.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uft3F75lmiU

PROS

• $10.00 all day

2. OldBogey | Rated | 19 Nov 2010 | Add A Review

Despite what the previous reviewer said, there is water available. But someone has to be paid to turn the taps on and off again and that’s not going to happen. In any case, there’s only weeds left on the greens so there’s little point.
Parks Victoria are responsible (or irresponsible, depending on your viewpoint) for the mess that used to be a lovely, picturesque golf course. Now it is just paddocks.

PROS

• Fabulous views all year round

Cons

• No longer playable except for practising shots in the rough

3. chipper | Rated | 09 Mar 2010 | Add A Review

Have you ever been given a recommendation to play at a course because it’s a “hidden gem”? And then when you get there, you find out two things. One, it’s not really a gem – more like costume jewellery. Two, it is hidden, but only from the non-golf playing populace? And you hack your way around in five hours cursing the reviewer…

I’ll still get cursed for saying this, but you should head up to Olinda and experience some seriously mountainous golf (unless you’ve already played there back in its heyday, in which case, ignore the rest of this and talk amongst yourselves). I played a Saturday morning round by myself in 3 hours, without seeing another person – apart from the manager, who’s the only one working there.

She told me that she has a 5 year lease, after which there will be a public tender (and no guarantee that the land will remain a golf course, or at least an 18 hole course). This leaves very little incentive to do more than the bare minimum maintenance, which is a great shame, as the course really needs it. No water has been available for use on course since May 2008. The greens are subsequently hanging on by a few weedy strands of grass, making putting a lottery, and no easier than putting across your own untended nature strip. (To her credit, when I made the booking, the manager told me all this. She also showed me the 18th green when I arrived.)

So I ventured out on the course, and experienced what it might be like to play if everyone else on earth had died and you were just trying to squeeze a few rounds of golf in before the courses got too unplayable. The downsides of condition (overgrown fairways, terrible greens, missing tee markers… I even hit a branch on my backswing when I was teeing off) are compensated for by the scenery, staggering steep hills and intriguing layout. Massive and ancient trees provide intimidating hazards at the corners of the dog legs and an even stance was impossible to find.

If I had to try the course again I’d do three things:

1) Take a 3-wood off the tee for some of the shorter par 4s. The fairways are really tight. This doesn’t apply to the uphill par 4s… you’ll need every ounce of driver power to get to a good position.

2) Pack extra Gatorade if it’s summer. The walk is brutal.

3) Stand as long as I can at the par 4 third – 300m down a steep, steep hill – and smack balls at the green. They hang in the air forever!

http://breaking80inayear.blogspot.com/

4. jestersdead | Rated | 05 Nov 2009 | Add A Review

I have recently played both the front and back nine of this course and compared to the other courses in the area (Ringwood & Dorset0 I find a huge challenge. For a relatively new player the coruse is hard however if you can play Olinda you can play anywhere. Yes the course needs some work but the times I played there the course improved.

PROS

• Best price in this region
• Not that busy (even on a saturday or sunday morning)

Cons

• Greens need some work

Also Liked

• Dorset Golf Course
• Ringwood Golf Club

5. mangomaguire | Rated | 31 Aug 2009 | Add A Review

Olinda Golf Course has been in the press of recent times, concerning the Olinda Golf Club and course condition etc. As the current Golf Teaching Professional at Olinda, I can state that the course condition has improved significantly in 2009, whilst there is still much to address.

Of course not having access to irrigation has had a dramatic affect on the greens, and yet they have hung on and the roots are now deeper and resilient. Maintenance is shoe-string but present, and innovative minimal-chemical practices are being applied – it is virtually organic.

Rabbit populations are also having an impact, so there are Parks management issues here as well.

Despite all this, I love playing at Olinda. The course is very steep, yet it is beautiful, fun, challenging, and a good physical work-out. The views are out of this world, and the weather very changable. Many par 4s are drivable, but also treacherous – so beware! It has an atmosphere that reminds me of my childhood playing golf as a boy.

So, bear in mind that is still has that charm, and that improvement is occurring. Come and check it out!

6. dabs | Rated | 04 Aug 2009 | Add A Review

great views poor condition throughout. greens are dry, fairways not mowed, staff are not educated and facilities are poor.

PROS

• views?

Cons

• all the above

7. WilsonMacGregor | Rated | 09 Aug 2008 | Add A Review

Parks Victoria (that is, the PEOPLE of Victoria) own this course. Unfortunately, Parks have allowed it to degenerate into near unplayability in recent years.

It now requires a lot of work, particularly on the greens, to bring back the golfers who used to flock here for a memorable round away from the city. Fallen trees have not been cleared away, tees are not maintained properly, fairway mowing is haphazard and basic course facilities – e.g. rubbish bins near the tees – are missing.

At its best – and you need only go back ten years or so – Olinda had unrivalled charm. It’s very hilly and it’s not long, but it presents some real golfing challenges with side slopes and blind tee shots. It also really DOES have the best views in golf, particularly from the elevated tees at 3 and 15.

People won’t return to this course in their previous numbers until the hard work has been done. All it takes is the will to restore one of golf’s little treasures (and a valuable community resource), but as its fate is in the hands of the government, don’t hold your breath.

8. mavrick5 | Rated | 17 Dec 2004 | Add A Review

It's been a while since I played there so I don't know how much it has changed. When I played there, it was a real goat track. Very hilly, and very difficult to play. Many holes have no flat ground other than the tee and green.

Some of the highlights...

One hole which was a huge right hand dogleg with the ground sloping severely down to the right. If your ball didn't stop on the severe slope, it would roll all the way to the bottom of the hill making the second shot extremely difficult.

One hole which I think was about 300 metres which I drove with a 5 wood, given it was downhill all the way.

The next hole, straight up the hill (very steep) was a 240m odd par 3. I hit a driver to about 3/4 up the hill.