The final leg of the trip saw a journey back to Adelaide to get properly acquainted with its myriad delights of yorkshire terriers, gastronomy, viticulture and its’ wonderful sandbelt full of world class golf accompanied by the singularly best welcome one could wish to receive from a serious group of golf loving members. Tragics….all of you!
Viticulture at its finest - Torbreck Winery, Marananga, SA
Circling back on part one of this odyssey, two weeks had passed since Cathay Pacific failed to load my golf clubs onto the plane from Heathrow. The law of baggage averages finally caught up with me, with the double whammy of deferred club arrival and subsequent discovery that one of the three putters I had stowed was broken… just as well I brought some spares and that the offending articles finally arrived safely prior to the departure for Melbourne.
I am indebted to former RA club pro (Cameron Howell), who very graciously lent me a set of replacement clubs. Their owner, teaching pro Tony Christie, was oblivious to this fact as he may have been wrestling wildlife back in NZ… who knows! Thanks TC!
My worries were salved by a somewhat inpromptu visit to Torbreck Winery in the heart of the Barossa. The aforementioned AT (who isn’t all bad) had arranged a tasting of the delights of the full range of Torbreck wines (the pic above is only a subset) accompanied with a tasting menu…. some reintroduction to Australia!
Those that know me well will attest to the fact that I am not overly prone to throwing bouquets in a direction where they aren’t warranted.
Some may interpret this reticence in two possible ways, I often get called a ‘golf snob’ (I’ll take that on the chin, it’s probably true), the second interpretation is that it may be the early onset of ‘grumpy old man syndrome’!
One of the benefits of my reluctance to praise too quickly, is that when I do, it is offered as a counterpoint, heartfelt and meaningful.
I can attest to Adelaide now being my favourite city in Oz, I fell in love with the people, the vibe, the food and the two courses that I holed up at, over the course of my last 6 days as a golfing interloper in Australia.
Kooyonga Golf Club
“Scratchy!” - John Corbett
Scratchy me hole! Mr. Corbett laser beams another approach shot
Kooyonga Gold Club is a proper gem. I was a guest of the club pro John Corbett on my first day back golfing in Adelaide. John opined on the first tee that “this might be a bit scratchy, I haven’t hit a ball in a while”...famous last words. He missed a putt on the pro side on the final green to shoot 65. It’s always great to see a master at work and John is certainly one of those. For anyone in Adelaide searching for a Titleist Performance Institute Professional, John ticks that box too and also has access to the performance teaching centre onsite, which can only be good for all at Kooey and the surrounding Lockley’s area in Adelaide.
As with Royal Adelaide, Kooey was laid out by Cargie Rymill, who actually owned the land on which the golf course was constructed. Martin Hawtree has recently been involved in further development work on the golf course, but don’t let that put you off.
John lags it up from a difficult position
You could make a case that Kooyonga is the Metropolitan of Adelaide, while more undulating than its Melbourne counterpart, it too is lovingly manicured and presented with those prominent bunker lips that protrude in the true ‘20s style that is so apparent on many of Australia’s classic courses.
Throughout my round at Kooyonga, the course reminded me of County Carlow GC, one of my favourite Irish heathland courses, Carlow was designed by Tom Simpson and Molly Gourlay. It has a more rolling, “heathlandy” feel than any course I have played to date in Australia.
I’m always a sucker for crested blind or semi-blind holes as they remind me most often of the 9th at Royal County Down and that other cracker, the 5th at La Perouse, and of course Old Tom Morris’s “Klondyke” at Lahinch. Kooyonga has a number of fine examples of this design template, for which I am an undoubted sucker.
Any trip to Adelaide would not be complete without a visit to Kooyonga, located close to Adelaide International Airport it should easily and quite happily be your first or last port of call.
Kooyonga GC video introduction.
Royal Adelaide
“If you’re going to make 5 from there, I’ll stay and watch.” - Rod Phillips
Great golf courses are often synonymous with a train line. In historical terms, there was invariably a link between the railways and the building of a golf course: a train line in close proximity ensured that golfers could access the course for their allotted tee times. In more remote locations course development could often be partially funded by the railways.
RAGC goes one better than an adjoining railway: it has a live one running straight through it, separating the clubhouse, practice facilities, 1st tee and last five holes from the balance of the course. In fact the club originally had their own station right beside the first tee. In a nod to tradition, when the Womens’ Australian Open comes to town a temporary station is constructed beside the clubhouse to enable civilised patron egress.
Legend has it that you can place a dollar coin on the track and after a few passes by the train; you will end up with a freshly minted ball marker. I tried this and lost my coin! I probably shouldn’t have believed a fella whose nickname is GOAT (he’s good at golf and great at goat wrestling apparently… sweet mother of jesus TC!)
The green site at the short par 4, 3rd hole - MacKenzie genius in action
Royal Adelaide offers up one of the most outstanding golfing experiences that I have yet encountered. The outdoor terrace is the ideal location to chew the cud on what you might have done differently, if you’d been given a few mulligans, and those locker room showers are just what is required post-round to cleanse the soul. I must admit that I developed a deeply emotional connection with both the city of Adelaide and its Royal Golf Club. I will most certainly be back.
The intimidating drive at the 4th
During the overdose, I was afforded the opportunity to uncover some of its myriad intricacies. The greens team was preparing the course for the ISPS Handa Women’s Australian Open during my visit and as a result even the members hadn’t ever seen pins as ferocious as those on offer for the duration. They got a very worthy winner in Inbee Park, a 20-time LPGA winner and one of the most underrated golfers of all time.
On a regular day, patience is the key to performing well at Royal Adelaide...even more so when the pins are precipitously perched at the side of greens. Nathan Bennett and his team were understandably protecting the greens with this approach, however, the members assured me that they had never seen some of the locations that I had to contend with over a 5 day period of hot housing.
Bunkering on the par 5, 2nd hole guarding a less than perfect approach
Although initial design credit can be extended to local designer Cargie Rymil, the original routing was dispensed with once the planets aligned, towards the end of 1926, when Dr. Alistair MacKenzie spent 4 days onsite at Seaton during his epoch defining antipodean expedition.
3rd hole, looking back towards the tee box
MacKenzie is credited with a significant rerouting of the golf course in order to serve two purposes; namely removing the need to play across the live railway line (save for the drive on the par 5 second hole). Secondly, the original course had avoided the central dune system and this area undoubtedly represented the more interesting part of the property. As anybody that is familiar with MacKenzie courses will recognise, his tendency was to make the best use of interesting site features such as ridges and dunes and Royal Adelaide is no different in this regard as you masterfully weave in and out of the central area where the dune system is most prominent.
Oblique view of the par 3, 7th hole
Holes of note include the sublime bunkerless 3rd, which MacKenzie considered one of his very best short fours, the par 3 7th, with its 8 sentinel bunkers surrounding the green like an unfurled necklace, the 11th ‘crater hole’ is a standout memory set amongst a duneal amphitheatre that ushers you towards its carcrash unducing embrance. The final run for home sees the glorious 14th that becons the unwary golfer to bite off more than their ability can chew and the knife edge 15th that has a table top, crowned green that repels balls just for the craic (fun).
The approach shot to the ‘crater hole’, #11
The course itself is a real grower that has really benefited from some subtle Tom Doak/Renaissance Golf Design loving over the past number of years. I believe that further enhancements are planned by Doak, in keeping with MacKenzies design principles in will focus on tweaking and flouishes as opposed to wholesale edits.
As with all courses in Australia, sustainable irrigation and access to water is of utmost importance. This is especially true in South Australia, which is one of the driest places on earth. I am glad to report that in partnership with the state government, RAGC is a net contributor to the Adelaide aquifer. Utilising storm water runoff from the surrounding suburbs, a series of reed beds on the site purify and clean water for use on the course with the balance being injected back into the city’s main supply. The ability to access an abundant source of ethically sourced water for irrigation purposes ensures that the verdant grasslands of RAGC are always in tip-top shape for your enjoyment.
A real feature of Royal Adelaide is its exquisite bunkering. Strategic questions abound, usually involving the challenge of either carrying one or avoiding another. Do not pass up any opportunity to sample the delights of the combination of the enchanting Royal Adelaide and the “moreishness” of Adelaide itself.
Take a look at the following Gary Lisbon drone video to get a feel for RAGC.
Many thanks for reading, the final piece in this series will look at my takeaways from this adventure. If you’ve enjoyed the series so far I would appreciate if you would subscribe and retweet at your convenience.
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