 |
beastie bay
It has a formidable reputation but is The Links Kennedy Bay really as tough as they say? Jon Underwood heads west to tackle this colossal course.
It has a formidable reputation but is The Links Kennedy Bay really as tough as they say? Jon Underwood heads west to tackle this colossal course.
Truth be told, I’ve never had much time for film critics. Too often I’ve rushed to see a movie that’s earned rave reviews and come away less than euphoric. To me, word of mouth can sometimes be the kiss of death.
Therefore it was with some trepidation that I drove through the gates of The Links Kennedy Bay, ranked by many experts as one of the best public courses in Australia. But would experience match expectation?
I am delighted to report that this course is the Ben-Hur, Titanic and, more appropriately, the Gone with the Wind of golf. It may not have the history of Royal Melbourne or the scenic beauty of New South Wales, but The Links Kennedy Bay is one of the toughest courses I have ever played.
What Ian Baker-Finch, Michael Coate and Roger Mackay have created on this narrow strip of land in Port Kennedy, just north of Mandurah in Western Australia, is a course that wouldn’t look out of place hosting the British Open. I have no doubt if it was on the east coast, it would have staged the Australian Open by now. It’s the kind of course professionals love to play and one that makes amateurs realise why they’re not professionals. And the fact it is a public course only makes me love it more.
“Some people might wonder why you would market your course as a tough track,” says Douglas Bailey, Managing Director of Prime Golf. “Yet you can still make it playable for the average golfer but not be shy in taking away the fact this is probably the toughest course in Western Australia. I would even hazard a guess it’s also one of the five toughest in the country.”
No argument here. As is the case with most links-style designed courses, the wind is the overriding factor. Locals speak with awe and morbid fascination about the day it blew so hard on the par-three 16th – which measures only 138 metres off the back tees – the entire field in a Saturday comp failed to reach the green. It’s also said that if you find anyone out on the course after midday, chances are they’re visitors: members are in the bar long before the arrival of the Fremantle Doctor (a quaint term for the afternoon sea breeze that affects these parts).
But herein lies the skill of the course designers. With 115 pot bunkers, penal rough, tight fairways (in some places only 15 paces across), and raised greens, LKB has more than enough weapons to defend itself even if the wind isn’t blowing harder than an asthmatic jogger.
“We’ve actually opened the course up considerably over the last few years to make it more playable for the average golfer,” comments Douglas. “But the tightness of the course really does call for accurate golf. If you’re not accurate here you’ll be punished and in many respects punished severely by a lost ball.”
“We’d like visitors to be challenged by the golf course yet we want them to enjoy it at the same time.”
Now chances are you’ll wonder what all the fuss is about if the first three holes are downwind. A well placed three-wood and a short iron should take care of the opening two par-fours while the par-three third is a comfortable seven-iron with the breeze at your back.
But then you turn into the wind on the aptly named par-five called ‘Hell.’ In three attempts I didn’t finish this hole with the ball I started with so I guess you could say I’ve been to Hell and very nearly didn’t come back. It’s also the longest hole on the course at 520 metres from the back tees (497 from the blues) with nasty bunkers in all the testing spots just to play with your mind.
“It’s a risk-and-reward scenario on many holes. Your course management determines whether you lay up in front of a bunker and have a four iron into the green instead of a seven iron if you take the bunkers on,” adds Douglas.
“This is probably the course in Australia where you have to manage yourself around the course more so than any other. And not just off the tee. If you miss a green, you have to make sure you miss it in the right place because if you miss it the wrong way, you’ll be punished.”
Particularly on greens such as the fifth, the largest in Australia when it was built, and which also houses the seventh. The former has three nasty bunkers short and right while the latter has more run off than a waste pipe. To give you an idea of how deep some of the bunkers are, I found myself in the greenside pot on seven and still couldn’t see the flag.
Although the course is hard, it is fair. Because of the wind, they can’t shave the Bent grass too short, so the greens hold a well-struck shot and putt beautifully. And the fairways provide the tight lies so beloved of those who dream of crisp iron shots.
The ninth is stroke index one and is named ‘Coate Hanger’ after one of the designers. A classic dogleg, it has five bunkers across the fairway where it turns to face the green, which you’ll probably have to hit with your Sunday best long iron. It's one of the top holes on the course and worthy of its ranking.
Members tell me the back nine is considered slightly easier than the front and off the blue tees, it is marginally shorter (the course measures 6,420 metres off the back tees, 5,851 off the forward blocks).
After a birdie on 10, I was hoping my game was rising to the challenge. My drive on 11 was in the ideal spot, just to the right of two fairway bunkers. I had 170-metres to the green and hit a sweet iron, only to see it fade slightly on the wind, hit a bank and kick off into the bushes.
Even when you do play it smart, disaster can be but a shot away. Having taken a three-wood on 15 to lay up short of the ubiquitous fairway bunkers, I was then faced with a shot of some 180-metres into the teeth of the wind to a small green bordered on three sides by dense undergrowth. I flushed my iron approach, saw the wind blow it left of the target and never saw it again. At LKB, punishment can be swift and cruel.
And so to the signature hole, the aforementioned par-three 16th known as ‘Wee Tap.’ The green is raised and incredibly narrow, so you have to pull exactly the right club to have any chance of holding the putting surface. Anything short and you’ve got a nightmare pitch back up a steep bank to a green with plenty of contours.
If I had any criticism of the course it would be that the 18th green is in the middle of nowhere, bereft of a grandstand setting in front of a magnificent clubhouse. But that is being addressed with the current clubhouse set to make way for a lavish new building that will add the final piece to this impressive golfing property. Construction is due to begin in November with completion by early 2013.
The clubhouse will be the first item delivered in the proposed Kennedy Bay Town Centre, which will contain commercial, residential and tourist accommodation as well as public facilities such as foreshore parklands, a watersports club and a new public jetty. It’s all part of the master plan to attract big name events to the course.
“The future is very exciting. It has been what this place needs: to have facilities to complement the quality of the course that will put this place back on the map,” explains Douglas. “It was always our long-term plan to have the Australian Open here and we will have all the facilities in place by 2014 – 2015. We will be aiming to put in an expression of interest to maybe have the Open here in 2016 or 2017.
“Bring on the facilities and Links Kennedy Bay will just go from strength to strength. I’m quite sure one of the national events will be here in due course.”
Cooking is the new black so let me finish by rating LKB thus. It has all the right ingredients to shake and bake your game. It is not for the faint hearted and take plenty of ammo but enjoy the experience of tackling a course that’s harder to play than a didgeridoo.
Where to stay
Mandurah is just a 15-minute drive from the course. And if you like your hotels with plenty of location, location, location, then The Sebel Mandurah has to be the choice.
Offering four-and-a-half-star accommodation, the hotel overlooks Mandurah Estuary, affording scenic views from its waterfront location. It’s also next door to the local Performing Arts Centre and cinema, while a variety of cafés, restaurants and bars are within easy walking distance.
at a glance
Getting there: Qantas flies direct to Perth from all major Australian cities. The airline has just launched a new Business Class service on the route from Sydney. 131-313; qantas.com.au
Budget offer great deals on hire cars to get you from the airport to Port Kennedy and Mandurah. 1300-362-848; budget.com.au
Green fees: AU$45 midweek, AU$50 weekends. kennedybay.com.au
Accommodation: The Sebel Mandurah has 89 guest rooms including studios, one-bedroom suites and one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments. Most guest rooms boast private furnished balconies with impressive water or town vistas. Recreational facilities include a heated lap pool and well-equipped gymnasium. 1800-604-353; sebelmandurah.com
Stay & Play: The 'Sebel Mandurah Golf Package' offers one round at either Links Kennedy Bay, The Cut, Meadow Springs or Secret Harbour. The package requires two days advance notice for bookings and provides a round of golf at one course for up to two guests for each day of your stay plus breakfast to the value of AU$40 at the stylish M on the Point Restaurant. Rates start from AU$168 per person, per night based on twin-share accommodation in a studio room for stays from October 1 to December 31. Rate is based on best available rates and is subject to availability. Conditions apply.
What else to do: Discover the delights of Mandurah, including the vibrant Marina, Abingdon Miniature Village, Dolphin Quay Markets, Marapana Wildlife Park and stunning beaches.
For more information on holidays in Western Australia, contact Tourism Western Australia at westernaustralia.com
|
Comments
|
|
|
|
|
