AUSTRALIAN CLUB OF THE MONTH
Brookwater GOlf CLub
REVIEWED BY: BRENDAN JAMES

Four years after opening, Brisbane's Brookwater golf club is winning back some players, who considered the layout too hard. Brendon James looks at changes made to the course to temper its ferocity.

I’ll never forget the first round I had at Brookwater. It was just weeks after it opened in 2002 and for weeks Greg Norman’s co-designer on the project, Bob Harrison, had been whetting my appetite with small snippets of information about the course.

From the moment I stepped onto the 1st tee and soaked up the imposing view of trademark Norman/Harrison bunkers lining the fairway in the distance, I was sold on Brookwater. Each shot I faced during the rest of the round only moved to solidify my lasting memory of the layout.



As a single-figure golfer I always like to put my game to the ultimate test by playing from the championship tees. In the half a dozen times I have revisited Brookwater during the past four years, I have done the same. I have broken 80 once, and therein lies the reason why I can’t wait to go back and play the course again. I love the thought that one day I will conquer the great course by playing or beating my handicap there.

But losing golf balls, spending five hours on the course and not breaking your handicap is not everyone’s cup of tea – no matter how impressive the course is.

It is for this reason that Brookwater’s management, Troon Golf, has undertaken a program of making the layout more forgiving for the average golfer.

The most noticeable difference between 2002 and my most recent visit was certainly the wider fairways and the shorter cut of rough to be found just wide of the short grass. Much of the thick undergrowth beneath the trees lining most fairways has also been cleared.

In more recent times, some trees have been cleared and bale out areas extended.

While the course set-up changes have taken some of the ferocity out of the layout, Brookwater remains a stiff challenge. This is evident from responses to Golf Australia’s 2006 Readers’ Choice Awards, with Brookwater being voted Australia’s hardest course.

However, any golf course is only as hard as you make the journey for yourself. In the case of Brookwater, if it is played from the appropriate tees to match your standard of play, you will find the experience not only remains challenging but is far more enjoyable.

Troon Golf has recognised this and taken the appropriate action by adding a new set of tees to each hole. The new silver tees, which are located between the gold social tees and the jade ladies tees, are already a success with high handicappers, first time visitors and corporate events. Management has already seen a marked improvement in the speed of play, as players spend less time searching for miscued balls in heavy rough.

These changes now make it possible for golfers of all abilities to enjoy what is arguably one of Australia’s best inland courses.

I consider Brookwater to be one of this country’s great courses because great courses are always entertaining. There is nothing ever boring about a great course and Brookwater certainly fits that bill.

The par-72 is a spectacular layout with stunning views from most tees. The undulating landscape, fairways lined with Ironwoods and majestic Gum trees, as well as the trademark dramatic Norman/Harrison bunkering, make for a memorable round, no matter what your score.

The quality design is complemented by its superb presentation. The Santa Ana Couch tees, GN1 Bermuda fairways and Tifdwarf Bermuda greens are well-manicured and have matured beautifully during the past four years.

In my opinion, Brookwater doesn’t really have a signature hole, it has memorable stretches of holes.

The opening five holes are without peer as the best sequence of holes at Brookwater. In terms of entertainment value, this quintet is worth the green fee alone.

The 380-metre 1st and 406-metre 2nd are outstanding par-4s, while the 358-metre par-4 3rd, with its wildly undulating fairway is a terrific driving hole.

Few would argue that Brookwater’s 551-metre 4th is one of this country’s most spectacular par-5s, with its rollercoasterlike fairway linking tee to green in between rows of tall Gum trees. This awesome hole is then followed by the layout’s best par-3 – a 167-metre downhiller that calls for a deadly accurate tee shot to find the green, which is surrounded by sand.

While recent changes have mainly been to the golf course, Brookwater will soon become the only course in Brisbane to have a hotel based onsite when a luxury five-star resort hotel opens.

The eight storey resort hotel will feature 140 rooms, reception, lobby bar, day spa, ballroom, meeting rooms, car and golf buggy parking, restaurants and a multi-level pool looking out over the golf course.

Brookwater General Manager Mark Holland said a hotel onsite would appeal to a tourism market currently not being catered for in Brisbane.

FACT FILE
LENGTH: 6,505 metres (black tees), 6,104m (gold), approx.
5,700m (silver) 5,276m (jade).
PAR: 72; 73 (jade).
ACR: 73
DESIGNERS: Greg Norman and Bob Harrison (2002).
GREEN FEES: $110 (Mon- Thur), $130 (Fri-Sun). Carts equipped with coloured GPS and range balls included.
ADDRESS: Tournament Drive, Brookwater, Qld, 4300.
PHONE: (07) 3814 5500.
WEBSITE: www.brookwatergolf.com
HOW TO GET THERE: Brookwater is 30 minutes’ drive south of the Brisbane CBD via the Centenary Hwy. Access to the
Centenary Hwy can also be made from Logan Motorway when
travelling from the Gold Coast.

From the December 2006 issue of Golf Australia