the golf club kennedy bay

RENOWNED FOR ITS TESTING COLLECTION OF HOLES, THE GOLF CLUB KENNEDY BAY IS ONE OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA’S BEST COURSES. AS BRENDAN JAMES REPORTS, THE HIGHLY ACCLAIMED LINKS LAYOUT JUST KEEPS GETTING BETTER.

Ian Baker-Finch fondly recalls the day he and co-designers Michael Coate and Roger Mackay cast their eyes across the scrub covered sand dune landscape, which is today The Golf Club at Kennedy Bay. "From the minute we saw the land we knew we could do something good with it but the fi nished product exceeded even our expectations," Baker-Finch said. It is ten years since the former British Open champion fi rst visited the Kennedy Bay site with Coate and the late Mackay. The course opened for the fi rst time in 1998 but was later closed for nearly 18 months when Baker-Finch and his business partners leased the course back.

Going for ‘The Doctor’: Kennedy Bay’s bunker-riddled par-5 17th.

Kennedy Bay re-opened in December 2000 and has received a fl ood of accolades ever since. Not that this surprises Baker-Finch. “It is such a terrific course ... something special on the Australian landscape,” he said. “It is a true links layout
and a great one at that.” These are the sorts of glowing words you might expect to come from a man who played such a major role in Kennedy Bay’s creation. But for anyone who has played the par-72 layout, about 45 minutes’ drive south of
Perth, there is certainly no reason to draw Baker-Finch’s appraisal into question.

The accolades alone are supporting evidence of Baker-Finch’s high praise. Within a month of opening, it shot into
Golf Australia’s Best 25 Courses ranking at No.24 and has cemented that position in recent years. In 2002, it jumped to No.17 and in the latest listing in January this year it was No. 12, making it the highest ranked Western Australian layout.
Kennedy Bay’s lofty position in Australian golf is of little surprise when you consider the quality of its holes and
the immaculate conditioning the course is presented in.

In fact, a survey of players, media and golf offi cials in 2004 revealed Kennedy Bay has fi ve of the top-20 holes to be found in WA, which is a terrifi c feat considering the quality of its opposition including the Joondalup, Lake Karrinyup and The Vines Resort. Two of those nominated holes – the short par-4 7th and the superb par-3 16th – later made the list of Australia’s top-20 golf holes. The 7th is one of the best short par-4s in this country – alongside Kingston Heath’s 3rd and the 10th on Royal Melbourne’s West course. Called ‘Temptation’, the hole measures just 285 metres from the back tips making it easy fodder for the long hitter … or so it would seem. Two deep traps lay just to the right of the ideal landing zone, about 40 metres short of the green’s fringe, and can easily catch even the slightest mis-hit. Adding to the temptation is the wide and inviting opening to the green, which is receptive to the perfectly struck drive that creeps onto its well-manicured Bent grass surface. For us mere mortals, a 3-metal short of the fairway bunkers and a well-directed short iron can work just as well.

The wild native grasses and scrub at Kennedy Bay give the course a distinctive Australian feel.

The par-3 16th is Kennedy Bay’s shortest offering at 138-metres from the championship markers, hence the name bestowed upon it – ‘Wee Tap’. At first glance, it looks innocuous enough but the 16th requires a very precise tee shot, especially if the fl ag is in the middle of the peanut-shaped green. The mid-section of the green is wedged between one deep bunker in the front and a pair through the back. It’s not hard to see the designers drew some inspiration for this gem from Augusta National’s famous ‘Golden Bell’ 12th hole.

There is a whole lot more to Kennedy Bay than simply these two great holes. While they are the stars of the show, the supporting cast is very strong. Playing the trio of holes including the par-5 4th, known as ‘Hell’, the long par-4 5th, with its eight bunkers between tee and green, and the exceptionally demanding slightly uphill 195-metre par-3 6th is worth the price of the green fee alone. On a day when these holes play downwind, you can be sure the 498-metre par-5 17th will play much longer than the scorecard suggests. Named after the famous south-westerly ‘Fremantle Doctor’ breeze that blows in off the Indian Ocean on most days, the hole boasts three fairway traps in the driving zone as well as a set of three diagonally laid cross-bunkers starting about 125 metres short of the green. ‘The Doctor’ only has one greenside bunker but there are two small traps positioned on either edge of the fairway short of the green to catch and penalise wayward approach shots.

While it is often diffi cult to improve on something so good, the experience of playing Kennedy Bay is only going to get better. The long-awaited government approval for a clubhouse and an additional nine-hole course was granted last year and work is due to start later this year. When construction is completed, Ian Baker-Finch’s vision for The Golf Club Kennedy Bay will finally have been realised.

Five deep bunkers create plenty of drama on the daunting uphill par-3 6th.

FACT FILE
LENGTH: 6,420 metres (tournament tees), 6,154 (championship), 5,851 (regular), 5,298 (ladies).
PAR: 72.
ACR/ACWR: 76.
DESIGNERS: Ian Baker-Finch, Michael Coate and Roger Mackay.
GREEN FEE: $50 (midweek), $55 (weekends).
ADDRESS: Port Kennedy Drive,
Port Kennedy, WA, 6172.
PHONE: (08) 9524 5333.
WEBSITE: www.kennedybay.com.au
HOW TO GET THERE: Take the Kwinana Freeway south from Perth CBD and follow to the end. Turn right onto Safety Bay Rd and left onto Ennis Ave. Port Kennedy Drive is the second street on the right.