The Vines has hosted the biggest names in golf of the past 20 years.
The Vines has hosted the biggest names in golf of the past 20 years.

Images: Vanessa Murray

The Vines Resort and Country Club

The Vines has hosted the biggest names in professional golf of the past 20 years as hosts of events like the Heineken Classic, Johnnie Walker Classic and Lexus Cup.While the resort – located in the picturesque Swan Valley, about 35 minutes’ drive north-east of Perth’s CBD – offers two 18-hole courses, it’s the Lakes layout that so often earns the praise of visiting pros and average golfers alike. Golf Australia magazine has rated it the No.1 resort course in the nation.Designed by Graham Marsh and Ross Watson, the par-72 layout covers stunning rolling land with fairways bordered by tall timbers and native scrub. The condition of the course is immaculate. The huge undulating greens are excellent. They may roll faster during a tournament but for average players they’re kept at a speed that can still be a little scary when you’re faced with a long putt that will roll down a steep tier en route to the cup.

The back nine tends to receive most of the accolades when anyone speaks about the Lakes course but the underrated front half has some stunning holes. The 473m par-five third has a fairway that narrows and widens in strategic places so you can’t just blaze away with the longest clubs in your bag. Four fairway bunkers stand sentry for the last 80m to the elevated green that features grassy hollows left and right.The real key to scoring well on the inward half is to keep your tee shots in play. There are some wonderful driving holes – if the driver’s working well for you. The quartet of par-fours – the 11th, 14th, 15th and 17th – place a premium on strong, accurate driving. Where many pros might choose to use a three-metal from the tee on these tight, twisting two-shotters, there’s plenty of temptation for the average player to use their driver so they are afforded a much shorter approach into the trademark massive greens.

Contact: (08) 9297 0777

www.vines.com.au

The Cut Golf Club

Not too long ago it seemed there was little chance of any new links courses being built around the Australian coastline. Then the post-2000 golf course building boom kicked in and world-class links layouts opened for play in Tasmania (Barnbougle Dunes) and Victoria (The National and Moonah Links). Western Australia’s offering came soon after in 2005 with the launch of The Cut Golf Club.Laid out on and around sand dunes at Port Bouvard, just south of Mandurah and about 80 minutes’ drive from Perth’s CBD, The Cut is the centrepiece of a massive residential and resort development wedged between the Indian Ocean and the picturesque Peel Inlet estuary.The par-72 was the first full 18-hole design of Sydney-based designer James Wilcher, who worked on the Greg Norman design team for a decade. Wilcher had two contrasting landscapes to work with. The opening hole leads straight from the clubhouse to the ocean and the following three holes run parallel to the beach across gently undulating land. The second and third holes are terrific short par-fours where a narrow strip of dense native scrub to the left is all that separates the fairway from the beach. The views can easily distract you from the task of making par or better.

Heading to the tenth, past the multi-million-dollar clubhouse, first-timers should feel the excitement building with the knowledge they’re about to tackle one of the best nine-hole stretches in Australia. The back nine’s more undulating than the front nine, with each hole bordered by thick walls of native shrubs while high dunes play a major role on some holes. A combination of rough, natural bunkering and manicured traps punctuate strategic points en route between tee and green on every hole.Undoubtedly the highlight of the back nine is the 400m par-four 12th. The tee is perched high above the beach, offering panoramic ocean views and a sighter of the green, parked on another high dune off in the distance. This hole offers bucket loads of the “wow” factor and is worth the price of the green fee alone.

Contacts: (08) 9582 4444

www.the-cut.com.au

Meadow Springs Golf and Country Club

Meadow Springs, designed by renowned American Robert Trent Jones Jnr and about 40 minutes’ drive south of Perth, opened in 1993. Over the years it has matured into one of the best-presented and most enjoyable courses in Western Australia.It’s a fabulous design, but the lasting impression is its conditioning; it sets a standard many private clubs would look upon with envy. And the quality playing surfaces fully complement Jones Jnr’s design. The American has a reputation for working with the natural beauty of a site. His finished product weaves between towering tuart trees, four blue lakes and more than 70 bunkers. He’s certainly not afraid to intimidate the golfer with a sea of sand or make a player second-guess their shot with a strategically placed pot or wasteland-style bunker.

One of the biggest bunkers lies beside the fifth fairway and stretches nearly 70m to the green, complicating what would normally be a straight-forward hole. At 329m, this tight, dogleg right par-four offers little confrontation from the tee except for a lone bunker lying through the end of the fairway. The majority of golfers will hit to the far side of the dogleg, which immediately brings the mega-bunker into play. The green sits diagonally to your approach, but that’s not of concern, with so much sand lying between you and the flag.The 484m par-five 15th is one of Meadow Springs’ choice holes. A back tee was added a few years ago to lengthen it by more than 20m and present a stiffer challenge to better players. From this elevated tee you can’t miss seeing the tuart tree troubles either side of a relatively narrow fairway. Long hitters, in the right conditions, can blast their drive past a long fairway trap right and be assisted by a slight down slope to bring the green well within range for their second shot.

Contacts: (08) 9581 6360

www.msgcc.com.au