1. The_Bogey_MAN | Rated | 11 Oct 2008 | Add A Review

Played here yesterday for a forth time, this course is comeing along nicely- i cant believe the amount of criticism it has recieved in previous posts. a very fair challenge, with great greens , good fairways and excellent bunkering. the rough can be dry and hard in some areas but hey, it hasnt rained in 10 years….Overall very good course, not great, YET !!!

2. thebighit | Rated | 13 Aug 2008 | Add A Review

played here about a month ago, to be brutally honest… overrated, not uncommon for your ball to land in piles of kangaroo droppings on some of the fairways which were at the time waterlogged similar to playing off mud in some parts, however, i still believe the growling frog to be the most unique public golf course in melbourne… if you can be bothered driving that far!

3. StewyGriffin | Rated | 06 Jun 2008 | Add A Review

In view this place as a o.k. PUBLIC COURSE, very windy, very dry, and a tad over rated. The rough is what it is ROUGH, no grass just dirt. Links courses are meant to be open and shot you down when in the rough but not this rough. Bunkers are as good as any where I’ve seen. Green are supper fast but not always true. And fairways are almost dead from the carts. Just a good public track.

ALSO LIKED

• 13th Beach Golf Links (Beach)
• Spring Valley Golf Club
• Waterford Valley

4. buzzer | Rated | 02 Jun 2008 | Add A Review

Played a round here on SAT (31st May). From the time you arrive at the course till you drop your clubs back in your boot.. you cannot fault a thing here !!

Lets start from ht begining… it is a Public Golf Course. Hence, for all the guys here that are complaining about how bad the service is & the setup is.. go have a look at your own Public Course first !!!. I am willing to challenge that you will not find a better Public Golf Course in Melbourne (Moonah Links isnt melbourne..).

The service…. FANTASTIC… from Wayne, to the ground staff, to the girl that works in the restaurant.. EXCELLENT !!!. Wehn we were there, the place was busy & we still got excellent service…7.30 am.

Lets get to the course… Graham Marsh design…. this course is laid out for every level of handicap player. If you are an over 20 HCP player, play each hole as an extra shot.. hence, please a Par 4 as a par 5, a par 3 as a par 4.. you get the idea!.

If you play sub 20… well this is the place to get your score.. keep it straight, use some thought on EVERY hole, and choose your shots sensibly.. and you cannot go wrong.

As on other contributor said.. bunkers are a plenty!.. however playing out of them an absolute treat! (yes i was there in a few).

Yes the course is long…if you cant walk.. get a cart.. if you can walk.. well shut up & walk !!.. be thankful you are not walking someplace like Cape Schanck or Moonah links… thats a tough walk !!

While you are there, enjoy the roos… the birds… we happened to be playing on a day that was 18 & fine!. Couldnt ask for better conditions.

The fairways are PERFECT!! The greens are TRUE… if it looks right.. it will roll right! The bunkers are excellent…. the rough was shrot.. & hence easier to play!!.

For $39 in a Public Course.. this one rates several times better than.. Waterford Valley & Kingston links (Both around $50 mark)

PROS

• Fairways, Greens, Bunkers, Service, Green Fee, Facilities... I can go on...

Cons

• For the guys living down south.. it is a bit of a drive... but worth it mate!

ALSO LIKED

• Kew Golf Club
• Yarra Yarra Golf Club
• Yarra Bend Golf Course
• Kingston Links
• Waterford Valley

5. Nick2397 | Rated | 24 May 2008 | Add A Review

Firstly I’d like to say to the poster “FJH”, that you have no idea of how difficult it is to get people to speed up on a busy day at a golf course. You can tell people to keep moving and catch up with the group in front, until you get black and blue in the face, but 95% of the time they ignore you and keep moving slowly. So I suggest you either put up or shut up in future.

As for the course, at the moment the fairways and greens are in A1 condition. The same can’t be said for the rough, due to the dry weather and idiots in carts driving through it. So if you’re looking for a public course in the northern suburbs Melbourne that has true greens and supurb fairways, look no further than the Frog!

6. rhyssole | Rated | 28 Mar 2008 | Add A Review

guy below me what are you talking about 50 minutes you must have got your ball lost a few times to take that long, it’s a great course and is a good deal better than the nearest club in yarrambat

7. FJH | Rated | 29 Jan 2008 | Add A Review

Took 50 Minutes to play 2 holes. 3.5 hrs for nine. Did’nt bother with the rest of the game. Course Marshall did nothing to speed things up. Just drove around then retreated to the club house for another donut. No mention of the potential slowness upon paying green fees. Absolute disgrace considering the back nine looked relatively free of players. That may have been because everyone was fed up after the excruciating length of front nine.

8. NWPGA | Rated | 23 Jan 2008 | Add A Review

played this course with our social group the previous 2 years and enjoyed it. Went to book it again this year and was instructed to email all information and they will get back to me. Terrible customer service and will take our 24 players to a course that actually listen over the phone and don’t place some junior to take calls and not complete sunday bookings. DISAPPOINTED!

9. Dave_1 | Rated | 14 Jan 2008 | Add A Review

Great course that has brains behind it, many holes have several ways of playing them, if your long off the tee the course plays ok as you get plenty of run on many elevated tees

You must hit it straight though as bunkers come into play on most holes, this course demands you be able to hit a draw and a fade (maybe on the one hole)

Its one of the best course I have played peroid – Low handicappers and high markers will enjoy it, I also didnt find the walk between holes that long (one or two were but no more than other courses)

very freindly staff also, very welcoming, will play it again when Im over there

10. scenicpeak | Rated | 12 Oct 2007 | Add A Review

1. It will take 5 hours to play. It’s a long course with a walk in between holes 2. It’s a new course so areas like the rough still need growing 3. It will always be windy. If you don’t like windy golf don’t go 4. It is interesting

11. westholme05 | Rated | 09 Mar 2007 | Add A Review

Best course in melbourne by a long shot! You guys are obviously to used to your boring, short, dry city bound courses. A bit of fresh air, a good walk and a decent challenge will do you good! Hopefully even pull your belt in a notch or two!

No problem with the proshop either, if a group is slow they will come out with their carts and tell them to let everyone through.

Doesn’t worry me if you dont play there, the less the better!

12. wazzal | Rated | 08 Feb 2007 | Add A Review

The three things that come up again and again in the past reviews are:

- Distance, both of the course and length between holes.

- Weather, everyone seems to complain about it.

- Time, circa 5 hours.

My response is this

- Distance. If you can’t handle the heat get out of the kitchen, Most Melbourne courses are short for one of two reasons, first is space, its a city, not much space to spare when you cram in 3 million people. The second reason is time, over the ages the distance a person can hit a ball has increased quite a lot, when courses were designed 100, 75, 50 years ago a good drive and a good five iron would get you 320 metres, now you should make (depending on ability) almost 400 with well connected hits. A par 5 at Huntingdale had never be made in two until Greg Norman managed it with Driver, Driver. Bubba Watson did it in 2005 with Driver, 6 iron. Times are changing people.

Growling frog is designed the way golf was supposed to be played, thats to say, it should be a CHALLENGE. And in a 100 years it may just be concidered a ‘short ’ course. If you want to hit driver, pitching wedge on every par four then perhaps Royal Elsternwick should be your next stop.

- Weather, your playing in the boons and it’s a links course. Enough said.

- Time, while i’ve had a long round due to hackers slowing us down and not allowing groups to play through you can’t blame the pro-shop. They are marshalling the course now and i was lucky enough to see a group booted off out becasue they had been warned about slow play twice and nothing changed. Plus, you are playing a longer course with big walks in between holes and a lot of zigzagging (For me at especially), i think spending an extra 1/2 an hour or even 1 hour is quite acceptable on this course given the above. One reviewer nailed it, 5 hours work or 5 hours golf ?? Hhmmmm, Tricky !!!!!!!!!!!!

If this course was on the Sandbelt everyone would be clammering to play and all the 5 hour rounds and bad weather in the world would be ignored just to play ‘The Growling Frog’.

I give this course full marks. The only reason it gets 5 little blue dots is because 6 gigantic green dots isn’t available.

If you get the chance, play this course, its hard, challenging, your legs WILL hurt afterwards but when it’s all over you can sit outside overlooking the course with a cold drink and chomping down on a home made pastry of your choice…..what could be better?

13. rorypo | Rated | 31 Dec 2006 | Add A Review

Growling Frog achieves it goal of being a unique golf course blended into the natural local environment, but where it fails largely is in golfer satisfaction.

The course condition is quite good and there is a decent variety of challenging holes but the time to play a round is just ridiculous!!

I was in a group of 3 single figure golfers and the first nine holes took around 3 hrs in good conditions!!

I believe the pro-shop/management is resposible, they cram in as many tee times as possible in order to increase revenue, and with this come long long rounds.

The course is okay... but hardly worth the drive unless you like 6 hr rounds and playing in the dark!!

14. irishb | Rated | 26 Nov 2006 | Add A Review

I am in agreement with the review below...sometimes people will search long and hard to highlight the negatives...but this course has very few!

We had the same experience of leaving a still Melbourne and arriving on course nearly being blown away...but hey, if you cant play golf in all weather...you aint a golfer!! The layout is extremely challenging...facing the par 5, the 11th or 12th I think, into a headwind is a scary experience!

Some very nice holes and the course was in immaculate condition. I would recommend this course primarily for 4-18ish handicappers, otherwise you WILL find it to be a long day! We got round in sub 5 hours with hardly any holdups on course at all.

We will be back!

15. melbsouthpaw | Rated | 11 Oct 2006 | Add A Review

Gee - don't know why people whinge so much about this course.

Yes it is long (so get a cart if you can't walk long distances).

Yes it is windy (so adjust your game to compensate).

Yes it can be slowish (but would you rather spend 5 hours on the golf course or at work,etc...??).

On the positive side of things, the course is fantastic. The layout of the holes is challenging for a social golfer like me (& probably for >95% of golfers in general).

The condition of the course when I played was terrific. In my opinion, good value for money.

Highly recommended (certainly in front of Kingston Links for roughly the same money).

16. mabeyk | Rated | 02 Aug 2006 | Add A Review

Could Swampy have found a more open and unprotected piece of land to build a golf course on? I played, admittedly, in the middle of winter (late July 06) but leaving the CBD the weather was fine and a slight breeze was blowing. As I was getting out of the car at the course I found myself huddling over the boot to get the clubs out in near freezing conditions with a howling wind blowing up my trouser leg. These conditions didn't change for the whole round and from what I have heard they don't actually get much better in this area. The course in design was good but there was a lot not to like about its conditions, the bunkers looked like they hadn't seen a rake in a long time, the fairways hadn't seen rain for months and it didn't look like a single person in front of me had repaired their pitch mark. I suppose this is to be expected cause its a public joint but I still find it frustrating. The greens were still good to putt on despite the pitch marks and if you found a bunker that hadn't been desecrated then the sand was excellent. For the previous reviewer to say the 11th is a great hole is quite surprising as I thought it was terrible after I had laid up on to a strip of concrete they called fairway. As you can tell I wasn't overly impressed and the weather did play a big part of this but I won't be coming back in a hurry and it would have to be in the middle of a long hot and wet summer to get me back!

17. griffoman | Rated | 11 Jul 2006 | Add A Review

This is a great course and I am so sick of people whingeing about play times.

Yes it is a kilometre longer than most Melbourne courses and there is a walk between some holes but get a life. You are in the bush, there are kangaroos and cockatoos and ibis and 500 year old redgums... better than a bunch of planted crap closer to the city.

I play regularly and always make it round in less than 5 hours .. no different than the other long courses around such as Waterford, Kingston Links or Bundoora. In the past 6 months they have significantly improved the flow with marshalls circling, but you are never going to achieve perfection on a public course that is open to all comers and hacks.

I agree with earlier comments the holes could be better marked, as the light green signs on the tees are almost invisible. There could also be more rubbish bins for the bogans that insist on dumping their beer cans or chocolate bar wrappers all around the course - either that or snipers to take them out and do us all a favour.

Apart from that the tees are excellent, the fairways in great condition despite the drought, the greens are maturing nicely, and the bunkers are now signficantly better maintained... and you do get a drop where the kangaroos have rested!

My favourite remains the 11th with the green reachable in two for the very long and brave... but a double bogey or worse for anyone trapped in the 12 bunkers that surround and protect the 100 metres to the green.

And please please make sure you try one of the home made pies ..

Yes you will have tired legs, yes you will probably shoot 10 over your handicap and yes you will probably have wind rain sun and fog to contend with... but it's like great sex - you'll feel shattered but satisfied afterwards.

18. pauldavies | Rated | 01 Jun 2006 | Add A Review

This is an interesting and challenging golf course, BUT!! The distance between green and tee is often 250+ mts. 4 "good" (10 to 15 h'cap) golfers taking 5 hours + on foot mid-week is beyond sensible. The course may be 6200mts but add another 2500mts for the trek between holes. We'd probably play there again but only in carts.

Enough of the negatives. Greens are great and fairways in good nick, although they'd been watered when we played and were soggy in many places. Greenside bunkers are good, but sand needs fluffing up. Fairway bunkers contribute very little other than aesthetics. Generally they are flat and non-punitive. Don't even need to modify club selection if you collect one. Woods and long irons are a breeze out of them.

Good links feel about the place, but user friendly penalty free drop zones negates many of the real links type hazards. Great clubhouse with beautiful vista of the back nine. Great 19th hole.

19. sarboy | Rated | 15 May 2006 | Add A Review

Growling frog has a ok layout with many interesting holes and some that are not.

My main problem was with the rough. Their is no rough just dirt with some clumps of grass, that is cut shorter than the fairways.

For some reason this course just takes a long time to play. We were in carts with all players under 18 handicap and it still took over 5 hours.

Course needs to improve the rough before I will go back.

20. cunninga | Rated | 18 Apr 2006 | Add A Review

Played GF yesterday and it took an eternity, just over 5 hours. I know its a public course, but an odd marshall here and there should be a requirement.

Started 25 minutes late after being told by the pro that we were only 5 minutes late, so that was a good start.

It seems that tracksuit pants, tank tops, runners, compulsory no raking of bunkers, players hitting up and over front groups, and 6 or 7 players in one group is allowable.

Course is very very average from my perspective, starting from the blind first hole (Which holds up play straightaway) to rough which is non existant (Still playing preferred lies in the first cut, which is virtually all of the rough). Maybe in 10 years the course will be more enjoyable.

Word of warning, take no note of the course book, some measurements are completely wrong and all hazards are not marked. No wonder we got ours for free.

21. tigertee | Rated | 08 Apr 2006 | Add A Review

Played there again in March and it was a 5h 40m round of golf, as a result our group of approx 24 (mainly club golfers) will not be back.

It's a shame as we will be missing out on an enjoyable well maintained course that also has very good off-course facilities; but there are plenty of others to choose from. Each time we speak to the staff they advise we are trying but there is not much more we can do to speed it up. I hope those who are making so slow for everyone else keep coming back because you are losing sales by ignoring the feedback from those who want a reasonably paced round of golf.

22. tigertee | Rated | 12 Jan 2006 | Add A Review

Played there for the third time recently and still enjoy it. Friendly layout to suit most standards, hard to loose a ball. Course maintenance seems to be doing a good job as the standard hasn't slipped.

Pace of play is the problem! I know people who have walked off after 5 3/4 hours, our round took 5; guys you have gotta do something! By getting rid of the few slow ones out there you will attract and retain more business than you stand to loose. It is the only time I have seen a group of 3 and our four play through a group of two and quickly left them well behind. It is destroying what is otherwise an enjoyable day.

Restaurant is still great, very friendly, good variety and value, very popular with non-golfers too.

I will go back again, but if I have to wait minutes on every single shot again may have to pass-up on what is a very good package.

23. thegymp | Rated | 17 Oct 2005 | Add A Review

This is a great "public golf course" but unfortunatly it is getting a reputation for being too slow. I returned to Growling for the 1st time since December 04, with 13 friends, and while the course is still in great condition and a fantastic layout - it is too slow.

I was talking to a staff member and it became apparant that they are accepting of the 5hr+ rounds. In fact, this staff member spent a long time justifying it.

In their defence you would struggle to play this course in less than 4 1/4 hrs course and they have (unfortunatly) cut back the rough in an attempt to keep things moving. There was even a marshall on the course.

I will be back, as it is a great course with so many subtle variations, it just won't on a Saturday or Sunday !

24. dtralee | Rated | 16 Oct 2005 | Add A Review

After my third visit there and the third time a round has taken 5 and a half hours plus it is time to erase 'The Frog' off my golfing map. The course itself is a good test of golf, the holes varied without being spectacular and the greens will definitely test one's short game.But more testing is controlling one's patience and completing the round instead of walking off mid round after encountering the golfing equivalent of the south-eastern carpark.No round should take more than 4 and a half hours max, irrespective of whether you're playing good or bad. The tee times need to have a greater interval between groups and someone needs to actually monitor what is happening on the course and give the hurry up to those who need it.

25. mattgore | Rated | 30 Aug 2005 | Add A Review

Played last weekend and was able to secure a 9:30 am tee time on Saturday! Expected the course to closed to the public. It's the second time I've played, last time the course had been only open a few months. They've softened the harshness of the rough - you now have a chance to find your ball. The wind got up a couple of holes into our round which certainly changes your style of game. Greens were excellent but the fairways seemed to have 'browned off' a little over the winter months. $35 a round is excellent value and it's not too bad a drive out there. It'll likely be a regular for my furture Melbourne visits. Provides challenges for all standards of players.

26. griffoman | Rated | 16 Jul 2005 | Add A Review

What a great course. I have heard and read several reviews but I think most miss the point. This is not a Melbourne sandbelt course, it is a stand-alone experience. It is great to find a top class course that offers something for the 8 handicap as well as the 30 handicap.

In its early days a ball off the fairway was a ball lost, but now the rough has been trimmed it is a much friendlier experience, especially with preferred lies and drop zones in the rocks. But it is not an easy one. Approaching the 11th green you understand how the ANZACS felt pinned down at Gallipoli with no less than 11 bunkers surrounding and layering the elevated green. The par 3s are excellent and the twisting fourth is a test for every mid range golfer with bunkers and dams to punish any errant stroke. Careful iron play is the rule here unless you can consistently drive 230m and draw at will. If you think this course is not beautiful, phone ahead and get the first tee-off for the day. The sun rising over the course, the magnificent red gums, kangaroos, water birds, growling frog calls and other abundant wildlife make it an absolute treat only 45mins from the CBD. Oh and don't forget the homemade pies - they are to die for ! Due to the strict wildlife and environmental management there is some green damage and other "flaws"not found in the pesticide drenched resort courses, but overall Growling Frog is a challenging and rewarding course for good to average golfers. My only complaint is that they tend to stack the tee times too tight on weekends which leads to delays when you have 30+ handicappers (though nothing like Sandringham) - all the more incentive to tee off early. Play midweek and you're in paradise ! Totally recommended.

27. scott tindall | Rated | 27 Apr 2005 | Add A Review

Growling Frog should be stand as a testament to everything that is wrong with manufactured "cost effective" links golf. The course is by no means bad, in fact the layout of the holes is very good, the holes themselves provide throught and interest, but as you labour through the barren plains of northern Melbourne, there is precious little to incite any sort of real atmosphere or character. The whole place feels very 'safe'. Had this routing been laid down on the Victorian coastline, golfing mouths would be watering. That is not the case however and as such we are given the dry and somewhat lifeless links of Growling Frog. Marsh has done a good job with the course's layout, it is both strategic and enjoyable, however one gets the feeling that the whole place is a little dull.The course is open and uses strategic bunkers and hilly slopes to add difficulty and thought to your shots. Certainly the layout is not repetitive, however the dry surrounds and feature-less plains are hardly excitement inducing. Devoid of natural atmosphere this place had to create it's own atmosphere with clever and crafty holes, I somewhat felt Tony Cashmore's quirky hand could have done much better around here. Some of the holes seem long for the sake of it and in a place suseptible to high winds, this is not the stuff of great enjoyment. All in all, they have done well to carve a decent a golf course out of such an uninspiring piece of land but when you trudge around for 4+ hours and fail to be genuinly excited by any of the 18 holes you have to ask yourself whether it was really worth it in the first place.

28. vectors | Rated | 07 Apr 2005 | Add A Review

Very good course in excellent condition. Challenging for the avid golfer but playable for the hacker with many open spaces. Strategic bunkering with 4 hilly holes near the clubhouse but the rest of the course is flat. Enjoyable tranquill atmosphere and well worth the visit.

29. bigwags | Rated | 13 Jan 2005 | Add A Review

A reasonable drive to Yan Yean. Course looks great. 1st hole nice 4 iron, 9 iron down to the green. Put the brakes on, it's very fast, takes a couple of holes to work out. The course will be really nice until the hoons cut it up, get on quick before this happens. Beware the drive home, and watch those speed cameras.

30. patsto | Rated | 28 Dec 2004 | Add A Review

Having opened in September 2004, the Growling Frog is a course that surpassed my expectations. The condition of the course was excellent considering how new it is.

One of the features that stood out to me were the bunkers. They really do provide a visual presence from the tees and fairways as you manouvre yourself around the course.

Most greens are multi-level and accurate iron play is required as you may find yourself with quite a difficult uphill or downhill putt.

Great value for money and a terrific view fom the clubhouse that overlooks the course fom high up on a hill.

Hospitality is excellent, with friendly staff only to willing to be of assistance.

My first visit to the Growling Frog was very enjoyable and I look forward in anticipation to returning for another game.

A Graham Marsh designed layout that is truly a great addition to the North of Melbourne.

31. thegymp | Rated | 19 Nov 2004 | Add A Review

From the moment you stand above your approach shot to the first green, you realise that this is not just "another public Golf Course".

This is a true links course, where going into the rough can result in a disaster (think The Dunes rough in winter).

A great variety of holes are on offer with pin placement dictating how the hole will be played that day.

The greens can be difficult to read and will only get faster as the course matures (or summer arrives).

This is a great course - lets hope that they continue the good work and do not hand over the management to a group with only profit as motive. (think Kingston link)

Definatley worth a round and at only $30.00 great value !