Meadow Springs GOLF & COUNTRY CLUB

 

Nearly eight years after American designer Robert Trent Jones Jnr oversaw the final stages of construction on his acclaimed Joondalup layout, he found himself back on the WA coast. This time it was to sign off on another impressive creation: Meadow Springs, 40 minutes south of Perth, which opened in 1993 and has since matured into one of the best presented and most enjoyable courses in the state. While it lacks the dramatic landscape of its sister course, Joondalup, its rolling terrain ensures that a round here involves precious few flat lies.

Both the design and the routing are fabulous, yet the lasting impression that stays with golfers after a visit to Meadow Springs is its conditioning. Course superintendent Greg Simmons, who has been here since the start, knows exactly how his course ticks. Many private clubs would look with envy upon the immaculate state of the couch fairways and bent-grass greens. Even the edging round the bunkers is neatly trimmed, seemingly without a blade of grass out of place, happily complementing the design of their creator.

Jones Jnr has long had a reputation for working with the natural beauty of a site. At Meadow Springs his approach was no different. The course weaves between towering tuart trees, four blue lakes and more than 70 bunkers. He is not afraid to intimidate the golfer with a sea of sand, or to make a player second-guess their shot with a deftly placed pot or wasteland-style bunker.

One of the biggest bunkers lies beside the 5th fairway and stretches nearly 70 metres to the green, complicating what would normally be a straightforward hole. At 329 metres, this tight, dogleg-right par-four poses little threat from the tee except for that lone, persistent bunker. Most players will hit to the far side of the dogleg, immediately bringing the mega-bunker into play. The green sits diagonally to your approach, but with so much sand lying between you and the flag that is hardly of concern.

The tall tuart trees, native to this coastal region, are a dominant feature of the layout. A few of them date back more than 200 years. Some of the biggest trees line the last four holes, a thrilling closing quartet where birdies are as common as bogeys and double bogeys.

The 15th, a 484-metre par-five, is one of Meadow Springs’s choice holes. A back tee was added a few years ago, lengthening the hole by about 20 metres and making it a stiffer challenge for good players. From this elevated tee, you cannot help noticing the trouble – in the form of tuart trees – standing either side of a relatively narrow fairway. Long hitters, in the right conditions, can blast their drive past a long fairway trap on the right. With the help of a slight down-slope, this brings the green well within range for their second shot.

Perhaps the best of the four finishing holes is the 190-metre, par-three 16th. There is simply no room for error with your tee shot, hit from a slightly elevated position. Tuart trees shadow your approach to an enormous green that has a subtle ridge running left to right through its middle. Another Jones Jnr sea of sand lies right, well beneath the level of the putting surface, guaranteeing that the smallest mishit to this side will end up on the beach. The ideal tee shot is to the left half of the green, so long as you are careful to avoid two more bunkers on the high side.

MEMORABLE HOLES

4th, 5th, 7th, 15th, 16th and 17th

WHERE TO GO

Meadow Springs Dr, Meadow Springs, WA 6210

BOOK A ROUND

(08) 9581 6360, www.msgcc.com.au

OTHER 120 GREAT COURSES NEARBY

Secret Harbour (13.7 km), Kennedy Bay (18.6 km), The Cut (20.4 km), Araluen (74.9 km)

WHERE TO STAY

Mandurah, a short drive south of Meadow Springs, has several seaside resorts and hotels.

BEFORE/AFTER YOUR ROUND

Take a cruise along Mandurah Estuary and Peel Inlet to experience dolphins in their natural environment.