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country comforts
Most people think of the Gold or Sunshine Coast when considering a golfing holiday in Queensland. Some go further north to Port Douglas. But head west from Brisbane and you’ll find a booming city where an old-fashioned country welcome is guaranteed.
By Jon Underwood.
The people of Toowoomba love their green spaces. There are more than 200 parks and reserves in the city. This love of all things flora is celebrated every September with the spectacular Toowoomba Carnival of Flowers. Little wonder it is nicknamed ‘the Garden City’.
With a population just over 100,000, Toowoomba is also Australia’s second largest inland city (after Canberra). It has been growing rapidly since English explorer Allan Cunningham discovered the place in 1827.
But although it continues to expand, Toowoomba hasn’t forgotten its country town roots. The residents pride themselves on their hospitality. And with two championship golf courses, a wide variety of accommodation, restaurants and attractions, Toowoomba is the perfect place for a weekend break.
Where to play
Once described as the finest inland course in Australia, Toowoomba is the second oldest golf club in Queensland. Founded in 1896, the club moved to its current site at Middle Ridge in 1926 and since then some of the game’s greatest players have graced its fairways, including Gene Sarazen, Walter Hagen and Greg Norman (a picture of Norman playing the course in 1977 can be found in John Evers’ fascinating book A Living History.)
But the club isn’t resting on its laurels. They have just spent $AU1.8million on refurbishments, including an extension to the clubhouse to create a deck overlooking the 18th, a brand new pro shop, and improvements to the bistro bar, café and women’s locker room.
The 5,953-metre, par-72 championship course has also been affected by the changes, with a re-routing of the original layout. In a somewhat unusual twist, this now means the first hole, an uphill 415-metre par-4, is stroke index one while the 18th is a downhill par-3.
Signature hole is the par-3 7th and there’s no doubting its beauty. You play from a slightly raised tee to a green protected by water across the front, a bunker on the right and trees at the back. At 123-metres, it’s only a short iron approach but your heart will be somewhere approaching your oesophagus as the ball is in the air, hoping you hit the dance floor.
And it’s on the greens where the real surprise and delight lies. Because it’s located seven hundred metres above sea level on an escarpment of the Great Dividing Range, Toowoomba doesn’t suffer from the usual Queensland heat and humidity. The cooler climate also means bent grass can survive here and that in turn means putting surfaces that are just a joy to play on.
“This really is a stunning golf course, particularly in spring and summer when all the jacarandas and other trees are in full bloom. The mix of fir trees, the camphor laurels and some of the older trees is quite spectacular. It’s a dynamic course from that perspective,” says Ron Jadach, General Manager.
While the City Golf Club doesn’t quite have the history of its neighbour, it is just as challenging. Testament to this the fact the club has a three-year deal to host the Queensland PGA Championship, won last year by Steven Bowditch. Like Toowoomba, further improvements are also on the cards here with a Ross Watson-designed masterplan due to be implemented in coming years.
“It’s not an overly long golf course so you don’t have to hit the ball a mile to enjoy your game. But it is tight in places so you do need to hit the ball straight,” says club pro Chris Britnell.
City’s major defences are its superb bent grass greens that are quick, well bunkered and often undulating. If the pins are in the tricky spots, expect to be wielding the short stick more often than usual. Tree-lined fairways and subtle changes of elevation also provide plenty of protection to a course that measures just 5,805-metres.
Accuracy is paramount on the opening nine, which has a par of just 33. I particularly liked the 3rd, a 367-metre par-4 where you drive out of a chute with a 3-wood or long iron to avoid the fairway bunkers on the left before hitting your approach to a big, well-protected green.
However, it’s the back nine with its par of 37 where the course really excels, with the last four holes in particular offering the biggest challenge. A testing downhill par-3, a sharp dog leg right and a long, uphill par-5 brings you to the signature hole, a 406-metre par-4 that drops some 60 metres from elevated tee to green.
“People often underestimate it but it does command a lot of respect…as you’ve found today,” commented Peter Constance, General Manager. Sadly, he was right.
Now be warned. Two full rounds may leave you with insufficient time to explore the rest of this delightful region. Fortunately, Toowoomba has several short courses that can both entertain and challenge. Borneo Barracks is an 11-hole course that runs around the local army base. Greens are often the downfall of smaller layouts but again bent grass means these are a pleasure to play on. The last four holes are particularly challenging.
But if you really want to experience a country golf course in its purest and original form, then head out to Clifton. Carved out of the bush and run by a band of dedicated volunteers (club President Ian Jones had just finished cutting the greens when we arrived), it’s rough, ready and remarkable. For it was here in 1980 that Ross Watson showed the locals how to build excellent greens. That they are still impeccable some 30 years later is testament to his skill and the dedication of members.
Where to stay
Built in the 19th century, Vacy Hall offers 12 heritage-style rooms with antique furnishings and fittings, such as claw foot bath tubs.
I stayed in the Gilbert Cory suite and loved the big bay windows, open fireplace and sensational shower. But the crowning glory was the giant four-poster bed complete with drapes. Had I been a teenage girl with a Princess fetish, I may well have been in paradise.
One of the many forward thinking incentives undertaken by the City Golf Club was to spend several million dollars and build a motel just around the corner from the course. The City Golf Club Motel has only been open a matter of weeks. My room – one of 46 - overlooked the second green, was decorated in a somewhat retro green and chocolate colour and was both spacious and comfortable.
But if you want to stay in the heart of town, the Toowoomba Central Plaza Apartment Hotel will do the job. This modern four-and-a-half-star boutique hotel is right in the CBD and handily placed for shopping, dining and all of the city-based attractions.
Where to eat
Angelo Guiso has been tickling Toowoomba’s tastebuds for the past 25 years. His restaurant, aptly named Angelo’s House, is a local institution. Sadly the great man wasn’t there when I visited but I had the next best thing: his homemade pasta dumplings. Tossed with seared beef, roasted garlic, onion, sundried tomato, olives and with a hint of chilli, Napoli and Parmesan cheese, it was simple yet delicious.
The City Golf Club offers an entirely different culinary experience, more akin to an upmarket RSL. Expensive refurbishments and extension work means there’s plenty of space to relax and with several bars and entertainment areas in addition to the central dining area, the Club never seems crowded. The food on offer is buffet-style with plenty of alternatives, including Oriental, Italian and Australian cuisine.
And if you want to sample a little local ‘pub’ culture, head to The Spotted Cow Hotel. Famous for their massive steaks and Belgian mussels, there’s plenty of variety on the menu. And with more than 70 local and imported beers, plus top quality wines, the Cow is more than just a local.
Out of town, head to the Chocolate Cottage, one of five specialty shops at the Village Green in Highfields. The delicious hand-made chocolate created on the premises is the perfect compliment to one of their yummy café lunches.
What else to do…
Although it’s only been producing since 1994, Preston Peak has already won more than 300 awards for its range of red, white, fortified and sparkling wines. More than 20,000 people visit the cellar door every year, no doubt drawn to the magnificent views of Table Top Mountain and Lockyer Valley afforded from its restaurant.
Rudd's Pub in Nobby has more memorabilia and historic photographs on its walls than any drinking establishment I have frequented. Most of it is dedicated to Steele Rudd of Dad ‘n’ Dave fame who wrote some of his famous books here.
Stonestreet’s Coaches operate a two-hour tour of Toowoomba, visiting such sights as Picnic Point, the historic Bulls Head Inn and the Japanese Garden. If you’re really lucky, your guide will be Roberto, with his encyclopedic knowledge of the city’s history, its architecture…and a few extra scandals thrown in for good measure.
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