There are some big improvements happening at Narooma Golf Club that should make the course more challenging and the clubhouse more welcoming for local and visiting golfers.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The bunkers at stunning cliff-top holes 2 and 3 are being revised, while a new deck with ocean views attached to the members’ bar is being built by volunteers.
“The new back deck is about opening the clubhouse to the course, allowing golfers to come back after their game, have a few drinks and be social while looking out over the stunning course and ocean,” club president Geoff Lanham said.
The work is being done by volunteers under the supervision of qualified builder Richard Easton, who just moved to Narooma and joined the club only a month ago.
“We are so lucky to have volunteers like Richard who save the club hundreds of thousands of dollars every year,” Mr Lanham said.
New bi-fold doors will open from the members’ bar onto the new deck, that hopefully will be complete in time for the upcoming Seahorse Classic in the second week of June.
There also plans to turf the area in front of the pro shop and move the golf carts round the back of the shop, to free up an uninterrupted view from the deck.
Now to the course improvements themselves, which were just written up in the latest edition of the respected Australian Golf Digest magazine. Click here to check it out
Entitled “Hogan’s Hero”, the article is all about how a key bunker is about to be reinstated at the iconic par 3 147m Hole 3, named after Paul Hogan filmed a television commercial there.
The magazine also listed Narooma Golf Club in its top 100 courses of Australia, which was very pleasing for the club.
“I’m really pleased with the article,” Mr Lanham said. “This course is one of the main tourism attractions of the town and so you’ve got to maintain the standard of the course to continue to attract people to town – you can’t just rest on your laurels.”
Course superintendent Brendan Warby explained about six years ago the decision was made to grass over one of two bunkers directly in front of the Hole 3 green, even though it was designed with two bunkers.
Part of the problem was that strong winds were constantly blowing sand up and over the edge of the bunker. This also happens at the bunker in front of the Hole 2 green.
So the plan is to reinstate the bunker at Hole 3 but to either make it a deep British links-style “pot bunker” with sand in the very bottom or to make it a “revetted bunker” with layer of turf down the edges to prevent sand blowout.
Mr Lanham said it was all about adding challenge in addition to improving maintenance.
“It’s part of the play of the hole,” he said. “It’s the aesthetics of it and also the psychological aspect when you about to hit your ball over the gap and you see the bunker there.”
And similar steps would be taken to improve the existing bunker at the Hole 2 green that will also be made into a pot bunker or make it revetted to reduce sand blowing out.
All this work will be undertaken over the winter months after the upcoming Seahorse Classic in June, which Mr Lanham was proud to say was booked out within four hours of being offered with around 150 golfers scheduled to play.