TEEING OFF:
BRENDAN JAMES
Golf is meant to be fun.The definition of ‘golf fun’ is different for all of us. It could be the joy derived from trying to better your handicap or holing a putt to beat your mate in a close match. For some, there is the simple pleasure of just trying to hit different shots without keeping score. Each to their own I say.
Golf courses, obviously, play an integral part of in how much ‘golf fun’ you have. Playing a course where you are constantly looking for wayward balls in high rough, for example, is no fun. A course can be a stern test but remain fun to play.
Then there is a layout like Barnbougle’s new course, Bougle Run, which, for mine, is golf’s version of spending a few hours at Luna Park.
The course has been so expertly designed by Bill Coore and constructed by the team at Barnbougle (see our story on page 40) that novices can play a round next to a plus-two marker, be challenged differently but have equal amounts of fun.
All this has had me pondering … should Bougle Run, a 14-hole course, be considered for Golf Australia magazine’s Top-100 Courses ranking to be published in January 2022?
One of the guidelines our judging panel need to keep in mind when looking at courses is whether or not said course is fun to play. Bougle Run certainly ticks that box.
It also ticks the boxes of being a quality design, laid out in a great setting and boasts playing surfaces that will only get better as they mature.
But can a 14-hole course be ranked alongside 99 18-hole courses?
We’ve actually had judges vote for ninehole courses – like Frankston and King Island Golf and Bowls Club – in previous ranking years but neither course received enough votes to crack the Top-100.
What do you think? Can it be ranked? Let me know your thoughts via email to bjames@golfaustralia.com.au