AUSTRALIAN CLUB OF THE MONTH
TWIN WATERs gc
REVIEWED BY: BRENDAN JAMES

After a short period of decline, one of Queensland's best known courses is looking better than ever.

I have to make a confession straight up. I have had the privilege of visiting Twin Waters many times since the early ‘90s. But after my last round on the Sunshine Coast course, I vowed it would take a team of wild horses to drag me back and play the layout again.

The par-3 2nd brings water into play for the first time during your round

That round was in mid-2004. On reflection I guess I had been spoiled over the years as I had played the course mainly during times when a major event, like the Holden Scramble National Final, was being contested. It’s no secret that if you want to see a course at its supreme best, it has to be seen when a big competition is being hosted.

But I have always been a believer that the most important thing for resort and public access courses to get right is presentation. The condition of these types of courses must be of the highest standard more often because bad presentation is bad for business. Aside from times when a course must undergo renovations, the moment a course drops its guard on presentation, the word goes out on the golfer’s grapevine and people start thinking about other layouts they can possibly play.

My round back in 2004 was a huge disappointment, not so much in the scoring department but because I had always considered Twin Waters one of my favourite Queensland courses and, on that occasion, it fell way short of its usual high standard of conditioning.

However, word on the golfer’s grapevine in recent times has been nothing but positive about Twin Waters. A naturally curious person, I couldn’t help myself during a recent trip to the Sunshine Coast and dropped into Twin Waters for a look. And there wasn’t a wild horse in sight.

I was pleasantly surprised to find the par-72 was in fantastic shape. The tees and greens were beautifully manicured and each fairway had an almost flawless cover of well-kept Couch grass. The dozens of bunkers around the course were also very well maintained, with not a hint of a weed to be found.

The impeccable condition of the course brought a smile to my face. The fact my visit was on a weekday, with no major event coming up, just broadened the smile.

While the vast improvement at Twin Waters can probably be attributed to a team effort across the board, from management to the course maintenance crew, there is little doubt the club’s new owner has had a huge impact.

The course was sold by Lend Lease Developments in July last year to Japanese surgeon Dr Tsutomu Yamaji. The Osaka-based Dr Yamaji is a passionate golfer and is a member of several clubs in Japan. It is understood that after he purchased the course, which is no longer part of the nearby Twin Waters Resort, he continued the big spend with the aim of presenting a layout of the highest standard.

On what I saw recently, Dr Yamaji has a course he can certainly be proud of.

The much improved presentation of Twin Waters now fully complements the Peter Thomson, Mike Wolverdige and Ross Perrett design, which offers generous landing areas in between its hazards, making it an ideal layout for the part-time public player or holidaymaker.

That said, there are still considerable challenges for the better player with ominous schemes of bunkers, numerous water hazards, rows of mounds and often thick bushland to contend with near the edges of most fairways.

The par-3 7th is among an impressive trio of holes on the front line

In short, the rejuvenated Twin Waters is an enjoyable course for players of all abilities.

And there are several holes every player will commit to memory long after they have pulled out of the car park.

The trio of holes, starting at the par-4 6th, that flank picturesque lakes call for some straight and strategic ballstriking to avoid watery outcomes. Of these, the 379-metre par-4 8th is the toughest, as it demands a tee shot to be struck over water to a fairway that sits diagonally to your approach. Players daring to shorten the hole with a drive down the right half of the fairway need to avoid a massive bunker wedged between the lake and the fairway.

One of my favourite holes comes early in the back nine. The 325-metre 12th is a terrific short par-4 that tempts the longer hitter, in the right wind conditions, to blaze away with the driver to try and roll their tee shot up to within a chip shot of the putting surface. But the slightest mis-hit can be gathered in by one of nine bunkers lining the fairway.

Another memorable hole is the 202-metre par-3 17th, which is arguably the toughest one-shotter on the course. It certainly had Greg Norman’s measure during the 1997 Holden Scramble National final, when he played the hole with each of the leading teams.

Swirling winds made club selection difficult, even for the then top-10 world ranked Shark, who only managed to hit the green with 50 percent of his tee shots. However, his best
effort was just a tap-in away.

The course was in outstanding shape the day Norman played and now, nine years on, Twin Waters has returned to its glory days.

FACT FILE
LENGTH: 6,183 metres (championship tees);
5,835 (social); 5,260 metres (ladies). PAR: 72.
ACR/ACWR: 72.2/72
DESIGNER: Peter Thomson, Mike
Wolveridge and Ross Perrett (1989).
GREEN FEE: $70.
ADDRESS: Ocean Drive, Twin Waters,
Sunshine Coast, Queensland, 4564.
PHONE: (07) 5457 2444.
WEBSITE: www.twgolf.com.au
HOW TO GET THERE: From Brisbane,
follow signs to Sunshine Coast. Take
Maroochydore turn off and follow signs to
Mudjimba and airport. Turn right into Ocean
Drive from David Low Way, go through two
roundabouts and turn left into the club.
The par-3 2nd brings water into play for
the first time during your round.

From the November 2006 issue of Golf Australia