Moonah Links (Open)

IN: COURSE DIRECTORY | REGION: Mornington/Bellarine, VIC | USER RATING: (4.9) | Add A Review

The Open Course at Moonah Links was designed by Peter Thomson, five times British Open Champion specifically to host major tournaments. A natural stadium layout with wide undulating fairways of pure couch grass, punctuated with pot bunkers leading onto large multi-tiered greens makes this course one of Australia's finest links courses and a fitting location for the 2008 Moonah Classic. As a purpose built stadium course it offers unsurpassed vantage points for spectator viewing.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

  • Name: Moonah Links (Open)
  • Region: Mornington/Bellarine,VIC
  • Address: Rye
    View Aerial Map »
  • Directions: View Map »
  • Holes: 18
  • Metres: 6783m
  • Par: 72
1. bencam | Rated | 22 Jun 2008 | Add A Review

Played both courses at Moonah recently and do agree they are very well presented and conditioned with excellent facilities. Sadly on the day we played the wind and rain squalls where coming in horizontally for second half of the day – gotta love Melbourne weather !!

The layout is loooong (we played in the Monthly Medal comp) and reasonably varied which demands you pull every club and shot out of the bag before round’s end. The $130 all day green fee inc cart is great value.

You definitely need more than one round here as there are some holes where you can’t judge the landing area too well from the tee and what you think is a perfectly struck tee shot rolls into a hidden bunker or the rough. Also some of the greens are overdone on the tiers and false fronts given their speeds. Subtly around the greens could have been used a lot more effectively in the design without compromising the challenge.

The only real downer here is the volume of players on the course – our round was dragged out with long waits due to large (and very slow) groups in front. No sign of a course marshall anywhere and the members in the comp with, and around, us were none too happy saying this is becoming a frequent occurring on weekends.

2. leroy8888 | Rated | 20 Apr 2008 | Add A Review

I had my doubts before coming to the course after hearing so many wonderful things about it. I can safely say they are all true.

Immaculate fairways which are soft enough to sleep on and greens that look like carpet. Bunkers are very well maintained with soft sand throughout although the size and depth of them borders on ridiculous.

Extremely challenging (and I was playing on a still day) and punishing anything not on target. Definitely not for the beginner as you will never want to play golf again after this place.

Wonderful, amazing and every other superlative you can think of !!!

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3. Golfer70 | Rated | 12 Mar 2008 | Add A Review

This course is just magnificent. Just entering through the gates makes you feel like its an Australian top 10 course. The best facilities in Australia and at a relativly good price of around $75 is excellent value for an Australian top 10 course. Tough challenge with all the bunkers, sometimes the best option is backwards, they are extremly high. Best hole is the 17th par 3 around 170m if you drop short of the green even by just 1 metre you will end up 30 metres away with its steep downslope. Great Course

4. frizzante | Rated | 28 Feb 2008 | Add A Review

A golf course to rival the best.

I played this course yesterday in good conditions. The Blue Tees made the course feel long, but not impossible for an average golfer like myself. The one exception to this was the monsterous 18th.

I have been fortunate to play most of the best courses in Australia. In my opinion this course is a match for any of them. The greens are perfect, the fairways are in fantastic condition, the bunkering is very challenging and the whole feel of the place is superb.

This course is a ‘must’ for keen golfers. Walk if you can and enjoy the fresh air, or cart if you must, and you’ll have a great day. Moonah Links have a package for all day play, so you can play the highly regarded Legends Course as well. I have not played it, but can’t wait to give it a go.

5. pcc_ryco | Rated | 14 Jan 2008 | Add A Review

Tighten your spikes and bring your A game. Northerly or Southerly, when the wind gets up this course will bear its teeth, particularly from the black tees. Peter Thompson would receive fan mail daily with these undulating greens, tight fairways and cruel bunker design and placement. Some bunkers are placed smack bang in the middle of fairways with large rolling lead-ins. You think you hit a perfect tee shot only to be rewarded with at least bogey or worse trying to come out sideways from craters that can have 10 feet faces. Accuracy is the name of the game on Open course. Miss the bunkers and hit the “right” parts of the greens and you can score well. A true test for golfers of all levels.

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6. NoLuck | Rated | 24 Sep 2007 | Add A Review

Absolutely amazing golf course. Played the Holden Scramble so did not test ourselves individually, but had a great day and did not find the course intimidating. Anyone could play this course and not lose too many balls or feel that the course was too hard. We played off the blue tees so were not right off the back markers, but I don’t think they use them too often anyway. Greens were fast but not ridiculously so, although you had to be a bit careful with down hill putts as you would expect. I personally rate this course much higher than the dunes. One point of note is that when we were having a beer on the “terrace” after our round, we noticed a few green fee players hitting off and they were all hitting from the white tees, which would make the course very short and easy. I would suggest that if you are only looking to have a hit (not in a comp) that you check that you will be allowed to hit off at leat the blue markers. One more final observation, I don’t get to play the elite courses much but fair dinkum, you get to use a fresh white hand towel to dry your hands in the mens room and just throw it in the laundry basket when you have finished! No piped background music though!

7. shank | Rated | 21 Aug 2007 | Add A Review

The ultimate test of golf, the fairway driving bunkers are incredibly steep, the fairways are narrow and the bunkers cut into them and sometimes are slap bang in the middle. the condition of the course is exceptional and it’s easy on the eye. Bring your ‘A’ game, if you can drive the bunkers you will be rewarded with great roll down the other side but if you catch one it will probably take you atleast two shots to get out. You can’t compare your ability to the pros until you have crack at this course off the back markers.

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