1. thechopper | Rated | 03 Apr 2007 | Add A Review

A very nice course which demands respect and thought.

Blasting away with the driver will get you in plenty of trouble here, so it is wise to think about where to place your ball so that you dont end up in the poo.

Best hole is there signature hole the 3rd. A shortish Par 5 with a drive over the bay. Place your ball in the fairway and you have a short shot in for 2, get left and wide and you are in double bogey town.

If you are down south, play it at least twice

2. Scarlett | Rated | 11 Jan 2007 | Add A Review

Played on New Year's Day 07.

The frustration with this golf course continues! I've played it now about four or five times whilst visiting Tassie and each time I leave thinking what an excellent course it COULD BE with just some minor work. It's definitely top 5 within the state, behind Barnbougle Dunes and Royal Hobart, but is in the mix for bronze with Ulverstone and Launceston GC's.

The course has a brilliant position on the Barilla bluff as it is surrounded by the bay and the course layout takes advantage of that. It's only about 20mins east of Hobart, out near the airport and is easy to find and easy to get a game on if you give the pro shop a call a couple of days ahead. Over the Xmas break I've never had a problem getting on and am often suprised at how few people are out and about. $60 green fee is fair value and comparable to Royal Hobart.

The course is not in its best condition (I've never seen it perfect, but it's always at least good) and right now it is starting to show signs of suffering on some of the holes. The fairways were dry around the edges and the 13th even had some cracking in the fairway. The lack of rainfall is showing. The wind had been up during the past week and the big eucalypts bordering many of the holes had dropped plenty of branches, sticks and bark everywhere and they were still lying about, in the fairway and even on the greens. This is another one of those little things which if tidied up would do much more for the course.

My favourite holes are the par 5 3rd, which is the much photographed signature for the course (look at the thumbnail at the top of this review page). This hole challenges you to bite off as much of the bay as you can with your drive so don't get distracted. I'll admit to playing my third shot off the tee that day after mixing up my ability and my ambition. I also like the long par 5 16th which runs along the back of the course and is probably the most sheltered and most well conditioned hole on the course. It is particularly beautiful in the late afternoon sunshine, with it's large stands of eucalypts and other trees.

If you're in Hobart, go play it.

Scarlett

3. shappo69 | Rated | 18 Feb 2006 | Add A Review

This is undoubtly the best golf course in tasmania. This is a very tight course where the driver stays in the bag. Nice lush fairways and hard quick greens, i can now see why matt goggin is on the us tour. Playing on this course would do the worlds of good for your game

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

This course is no walk in the park.

Physically demanding as the landscape is, the course also requires concentration from start to finish. The only real shame is it's starting and finishing holes, which probably could be swapped with others close to the clubhouse to better round off the course experience.

The third is often raved about, a par 5 that skirts the bay and offers a risk/reward tee shot. I quite liked the 16th, another par 5, which cambers gently downhill through natural bushland and requires three accurate and well-struck shots. Both holes have differing natural beauty and a test for the keen golfer.

The eleventh is a nice short hole, downhill with a short iron and a vista out into the bay.

The "finish" quality of the course - the green surrounds, the tees and some of the bunker edging - is perhaps a level down from the top mainland courses, and I think some areas suffer from the foliage not allowing good grass growth, particularly in winter.

The first is a steep downhill par 4, with the green out of sight yet driveable for the longer hitters. I found it a little disconcerting that the first experience of the course might be hitting someone or being hit.

The eighteenth is an uphill par 3, which is a nice hole but I think a finish that doesn't really complement the course.

The ninth would serve as a better finish, and the tenth a better start than the first.

Nonetheless a course I'd go back to, with a better idea of what clubs to hit and which way some of the greens (which when I played were a tad slow) borrow.