Course News

February 2012

Re-surfacing Greens:

Consistent with its policy of providing great golf on great putting surfaces, The Dunes continues its programme of re-turfing two greens a year. Most recently the 8^th green was replaced in April 2011. In 2012 we plan to re-turf the 9^th and 14^th greens. This will make a total of 12 greens re-turfed over the past 6 years. The greens are only out of play for a little over 3 weeks.

Penn A1 bent grass is being used, replacing Cobra bent as our preferred grass for greens.

New 15^th and 16^th Holes

Two new holes are being constructed at The Dunes. These two holes will be alternate holes to the existing 15^th and 16^th holes. They will open for play around March 2012.

Some years after The Dunes was constructed in 1996, an additional 30 hectares of rolling sand dunes was acquired. This land ran beside the current 15^th and 16^th. The primary reason for the purchase was to prevent housing being constructed adjacent these two holes and therefore overlooking the golf course.

However, it was also great land for golf and finally we yielded to temptation and have built a new hole, from a tee spot near the existing 15^th tee, which runs down a beautiful valley. This is a strong Par 4 of 430m. A new Par 5 was then shaped to meet the existing 16^th green. The new hole is a glorious downhill 515m Par 5.

The net result is that The Dunes will have two 15^th and 16^th holes – confusing perhaps and certainly different. However, it was not just an academic exercise.

Consider these major course changes in the last two years.

A new tee location for the Par 3 6^th which materially improves the hole.
A new and glorious Par 4 15^th running due west and
A new and exciting downhill Par 5 16^th

We would like to dream we will soon rate in Australia’s Top 10 courses when the changes are bedded down (currently Golf Digest rates The Dunes #14 best course in Australia).

Photography by Gary Lisbon