For a variety of reasons, club golfers often love their home course. They understand the subtleties of each fairway and green. To score high, they know the best way to approach each fairway or green. A new course can present greater challenges than their home course. As a student, I am a “hacker”If I score below one hundred in a course I am taking, I will be happy because I still haven’t scored 100 on my score card.
Let me return to my course at Ashgrove, Brisbane’s inner-west in the shadow Mt Coot-tha.
These are my top five favorite things about the course.
- The hills to the west of the city are where it is found.
- There is a stream that follows the course, and it can pose a challenge for novices as well as hackers.
- The uninitiated can enjoy four small lakes and ponds.
- Every fairway is unique.
- Every green presents a unique challenge. The watercourses and valleys of the course will be the most challenging areas for your putt. There are few greens that don’t have some slopes in one or two directions.
- This could also be true for each bunker. There are some that are extremely deep and others that guard the green at a fair distance. It makes it difficult for most golfers to hit the green.
- Fairways are all tree lined, and some may be sloped towards one side. The golfer must focus on placement instead of distance.
- You can play off the back blue marker to change the dynamics and make the hole feel longer.
- There are six fairways that have doglegs. These can either be right- or left-facing and often obscure the green, leaving the golfer to make a choice about where to play his/her first shot.
- Second is the easiest. The second curves to the left about 200m from the back markers. First shot: This is uphill over the fairway which slopes to left. If you go too far to your left, the shot will either run onto the third fairway and into an area where trees can force a lay up shot or dangerous shots over trees. A tee shot at the top of the hill allows for easy shots to a large, flat green.
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The back nine holes have five of these doglegs.
- From the narrow opening at the front of the green, the eleventh hole plays to the left. Your shot will be short if it ends up on a steep slope without any view to the fairway. Although it is blinded, you must have a shot not more than 150m to make the fairway safe. Your third shot will be down the hill to reach a large green that is protected by large bunkers on both the left and the right. The bunker to the right is extremely deep.
- The 12th fairway is narrow and has a creek lined on one side, and a slope lined with trees on the other. Around 200 metres away from the back hole, you will find the dogleg that circles the creek. You cannot reach the corner of dogleg without being blocked by large trees that grow around creek bends, preventing you from aiming directly at the green. Although the green is huge, bunkers protect it from all sides. Your ball will be well under the green towards the creek if you hit it too hard.
- The 14ThIt is best to position your shot towards the right side on the fairway. Every shot left of the fairway will be blocked by trees and a steep slope, preventing golfers from hitting the green directly. The dogleg will be your next challenge. Any shot left of the green’s right edge could cause a roll down steep hills making it very challenging. On the left side of the green is a deep bunker that guards two levels.
- The 15ThThe tee can be seen high above the dogleg, which is approximately 200m from the back markers. The corner is accessible by most golfers, allowing them to take a shot on a sloped green. Any shot left will put the creek in play. There is also a bunker to the right. This hole is one of the most straightforward, with the doglegs at the back nine.
- Finally, we have the 16ThTo play the hole, you must shoot over a hill to reach an unmarked fairway. Anything left can slide down the hill making your second shot longer, more challenging and possibly through or over trees. To land at an ideal position for the long, uphill second shot towards the elevated green guarded by two bunkers (one of which is extremely deep), golfers must aim to the left of a large dogleg tree.
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The clubhouse is located on top of the 14th and first.ThTees and the 8Thand 18ThGreens that have a big balcony so you can watch the kids play. -
The 8ThThe hole has been recently reshaped to provide greater challenges. Like a diagonal, the creek runs across the fairway. The golfer’s initial shot is determined by the position of his tee. Golfers may be forced to play if there are large trees to your right from the fairway to the creek. “lay up”Or, you can take a chance to fly above the trees and land directly on the fairway. Two deep bunkers guard the green’s slope and make it even more challenging. The hole is considered to be the most memorable on the course. -
A par 3 is also a signature hole. The lake dominates most of the fairway. The lake is dominated by large trees to the right. There’s a slope of steep trees about 10m up the hill, where golfers can get out of trouble. A landing zone of ten metres between the green and the lake’s edge allows for a quick bailout. A paperbark tree is a shape that many golfers consider to be a “normal” target. “Y”As their bail-out point, they should be located at the left front of green. The chip can then be extended to the green’s second level.
Ashgrove is a beautiful course with lots of trees, birds and creeks running through the course. Four small lakes are also found around the course. Some sections of the course are hilly, but these add to the difficulty and don’t tire out golfers. Although the course is short, it presents a challenging challenge to most golfers. To avoid injury, you must position your shots correctly. If you’re not careful, the consequences could be severe. “Brisbanite”If you’re a Brisbane-based golfer, my challenge is to get under 100 on your first attempt.