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Royal Queensland Golf Club |
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There is no doubt that the Clayton-designed Championship course will usher in a new era for Royal Queensland when it is completed in 2007. |
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HOLE 1 PAR 3 150 METRES
This opening hole, shortened to a par 3, gives the golfer a challenging introduction to Royal Queensland. A mid to long iron is required to hit this small green which is slightly elevated and from the tee positioned left of the original fairway slopes left to right. The subtle borrows on this green are typical of many of the putting surfaces which the golfer will be required to negotiate throughout their round. |
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HOLE 2 PAR 3 138 METRES
A difficult par 3 sees the golfer hitting another long iron over water to a narrow green running diagonally from the tee. Any shot hit past the hole requires a delicate chip or put down a fast green sloping from back to front. |
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HOLE 7 PAR 4 362 METRES
The first hole where the full effects of the prevailing Easterly breezes coming off the Brisbane River are felt. Another demanding driving hole in terms of positioning the ball for the shot to the green with the left half of the fairway offering the more favourable line. The small plateau green is again a very difficult target. Any approach missing the green will challenge the golfer’s short game, both in terms of skill and imagination.
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HOLE 6 PAR 4 374 METRES
One of the more demanding par fours on the golf course. Deep bunkers on the right hand side of the fairway will catch the drive trying to cut off too much of the dog leg. The strength of this hole however, comes from the demanding second shot. The small narrow green provides a very difficult target, requiring an accurate approach both in terms of length and direction. Shots from the bunkers left and right of the green offer little relief. An even worse fate awaits the ball which is hit over the back of this green.
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HOLE 5 PAR 5 467 METRES
A genuine three shot par five for all but the long hitters. Although the fairway appears generous from the tee, the large tree which guards the corner of the dog leg to the right will reduce the options for the second shot for anything played right of centre from the tee. The approach shot to the green must be precise. Water over the back of the green and bunkers and heavy rough to the left and right will penalise the errant approach.
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HOLE 4 PAR 3 170 METRES
The tee shot requires a well struck long iron or even fairway club to carry the water and also negotiate the bunkers some 20 metres short of the generous two tiered green.
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HOLE 3 PAR 5 453 METRES
This par 5 requires the average golfer to lay-up short of the fairway bunker leaving a mid iron into a small green well guarded by bunkers. For the big hitters, a long and accurate drive is required to take on the bunkers guarding both sides of the fairway. Any tee shot hit left will leave a difficult chip back out onto the fairway through low hanging trees and long rough.
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HOLE 10 PAR 5 411 METRES
The distance on the scorecard makes this short par 5 sound easy however a very accurate tee shot is required to negotiate two large fig trees on either side of the fairway in the driving area, leaving a long iron or fairway wood to reach the green in two. The approach shot must be precise as this small, elevated, two tier green is difficult to hit and any chip shot the golfer is left with will require deft touch and imagination.
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HOLE 9 PAR 4 372 METRES
A testing par four to conclude the first nine holes. From the tee the golfer may think that he is hitting into a sea of sand. An accurate drive is required to avoid the bunkers left and right in the driving area. The second shot is then a mid iron to an elevated green guarded by bunkers left and right at the front of the green.
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HOLE 8 PAR 3 129 METRES
This short hole is where the influence of Dr Alistair Mackenzie on Royal Queensland is most obvious. Probably the worst place to miss the green is short and to the right, where a large, deep bunker awaits. Many golfers who, from the tee would consider this a reasonably straight forward hole, often walk off the green with a much different opinion.
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HOLE 13 PAR 5 465 METRES The shortest of the par fives at Royal Queensland. Another hole strongly influenced by breezes coming off the Brisbane River which runs the full length down the right hand side. To get into a position to attack the green with two shots, the player must hit an accurate drive into a narrow driving area. The more conservative tee shot is to take the large fig tree and bunker on the right hand side out of play by hitting a fairway club to the top of the mound just short of the bunkers. A relatively simple par five hole which, if played aggressively, can either yield many birdies or run up some reasonably high scores.
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HOLE 12 PAR 4 359 METRES
The Brisbane River runs the full length of the right hand side of this hole. The drive is hit under the Gateway Bridge to a slightly elevated fairway. Bunkers on both sides of the fairway await the drive hit slightly off-line. The second shot is to a long elevated green with a large deep bunker protecting the entrance on the right hand side. Missing the green to the right, either in the bunker or down the steep slope on the right hand side of the green, presents the player with a very challenging recovery shot.
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HOLE 11 PAR METRES
Generally regarded as Royal Queensland’s signature hole, with the imposing structure of the Gateway Bridge framing the green as the player lines up the approach shot. The fairway provides a generous target from the tee and then it is a short to mid iron to a well bunkered green which is only 20 metres from the banks of the Brisbane River. Another hole where the prevailing Easterly winds off the river can have a significant impact on the way the hole is played.
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HOLE 16 PAR 3 191 METRES
For the average golfer a fairway wood is required to hit this narrow and undulating green guarded by two bunkers and a hazard on the left. Bailing out to the right will require a demanding chip onto a green where a two-footer can easily be missed.
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HOLE 15 PAR 4 395 METRES
The second shot is the key to this hole. Only the longest hitters will reach the fairway bunker on the preferred line down the left hand side of the fairway. The second shot requires a long iron to a narrow green protected on the right hand side by a large, deep bunker and to the left hand side and to the rear by large fig trees. This green also contains some of the more subtle borrows on the golf course.
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HOLE 14 PAR 3 153 METRES
Australian Golfing legend - Norman Von Nida, rates this seemingly innocuous short par three as one of the best in Australia. The prevailing Easterly breezes swirl around the tight, small green, making club selection vital. Missing the pear shaped green, which is just 21 metres long and 16 metres wide, leaves the golfer with a delicate shot from sand in front and to either side or deep rough over the back of the green. Par on this hole is a good score but any shot which finds the green gives a reasonable chance for a birdie.
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HOLE 18 PAR METRES
For the finale, the average golfer must negotiate bunkers 15 metres short of the front edge of the green to run a long iron or fairway wood up the narrow front toward the right side of the putting surface. Greenside bunkers guard the left side of this upside-down pear shaped green and offer little relief to any pin cut on the left side. Any shot hit right will require a delicate chip to get close to the hole.
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HOLE 17 PAR 4 397 METRES
Bunkers to the left and right of the fairway in the driving area provide a very small target for the player seeking maximum length with the tee shot. Having safely negotiated these bunkers, a line of bunkers running diagonally from left to right across the fairway can put the player in two minds with club selection for the second shot. A definite birdie opportunity.
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