Victoria Golf Club
(#11–Golf Australia magazine Top 100 Courses in Australia 2016)
Adjacent to Cheltenham is Victoria Golf Club.
Victoria was founded in 1903 but moved to its current location in 1926
where it was designed by founder Billy Meader and Oscar Damon, architects you
likely do not recognize. However,
Alister MacKenzie (Augusta National Golf Club) was in Australia that year
designing Royal Melbourne, so Meader and Damon commissioned MacKenzie for £200 to
provide the final touches to what has become a classic Sandbelt course. The
course opened for play in May 1927, although the last of MacKenzie’s
suggestions were not finished until 1935.
His greatest contribution was centered around the bunkering for which he
is so well known, and the approximately 100 bunkers come into play frequently.
The history of Victoria is consistent with that of a club
that has been around for over 110 years.
The list of tournaments it has hosted, the who’s who of Victoria members
and the other notables who have played (and won) at Victoria would put it
alongside the great courses of the world.
It has hosted the Australian Open, Masters and PGA Championships,
Women’s Australian Open, World Cup, the Wills Masters (a European Tour event),
World Amateur Team Championship and the Colgate Far East Ladies
Championship. Champions of these include
Aussies Kel Nagle, Bruce Crampton, David Graham and Stuart Appleby (in a duel
with Tiger Woods) as well as Texan Bill Rogers (in a duel with Greg Norman) and
Englishman Ian Poulter (in a duel with Victoria member Geoff Ogilvy). Other notables to play include Arnold Palmer,
President George H.W. Bush and Jack Nicklaus.
In fact, it was when Nicklaus was playing Victoria in the mid-60s that
he was first called the “Golden Bear” by local writer Don Lawrence, a name synonymous with him still today.
 |
| Hole #1 - 233 Metres (256 Yards), Par 4 |
The course is
terrific – layout, conditioning, playability, enjoyment. Sandbelt courses are best “firm and fast,” and
due to water limitations, they often play that way. Victoria is no different. You will get plenty of roll on tee shots, but it can be difficult holding greens unless the shot is struck well.
The landing areas are generous for the most
part; although, the tea trees and other vegetation, along with the bunkers,
give the appearance that you have less room.
But, if you venture too far off line, you can forget reaching the green
and having a birdie chance. The trees
are full and tall, making it difficult to play toward the green from anyplace
other than the fairway.
The real challenge comes with the approach shots. The greens are rather large, but many have run-off areas that like to collect the wayward stroke, and it does not take much
to find them. Of course, if you miss the
green, you also have the likelihood of playing your next stroke from a
bunker. Getting the ball close to the
hole, whether from your approach or a recovery from a bunker or collection
area, is a challenge in itself as the greens are well contoured … in a subtle
sense. Nothing too dramatic as that
would be out of character. Putting also
proves worthy of your attention. It will test you to match the correct speed and line; otherwise, you will have more than your share
of 4-5 footers remaining after the first putt.
As with any course
that has hosted numerous professional championships, Victoria can be as difficult
as you decide to make it. If you are a
very strong player, try it from the back tees and it will really challenge you. But, for a fun outing, play it forward. While you might have shorter clubs into the
greens (and who doesn’t like that), it still will require accuracy and the deft
short game I have previously mentioned.
It will give you the true flavor of Victoria, and Sandbelt golf, and is
well worth the time!
Next week: Kingston Heath Golf Club
