SANCTUARY COVE (PALMS COURSE)
REVIEWED BY: BRENDAN JAMES

Its life began as part of the Ultimate Event – a celebration in the summer of 1988 hosted by late Gold Coast developer and Sanctuary Cove visionary, Mike Gore.

The ‘white shoe brigade’ guru enlisted Frank Sinatra and Whitney Houston to perform concerts during the month long festival marking the opening of Australia’s first major residential resort.

The approach into the par-5 3rd hole is fraught with danger, especially from long range.

Another American, Curtis Strange, grabbed a stack of Gore’s cash during the ‘Event’ when he won the $500,000 Sanctuary Cove Classic. The appearance by the then reigning US Open champion alongside the World No.1 Greg Norman put the Gold Coast resort and its Palms course on the map. Much has changed at Sanctuary Cove since those heady days of the late ‘80s and even more changes are to come in the near future.

The resort had two owners before receivers were appointed in 1993, less than a year after extensive renovations and drainage work was carried out on the Palms course.

It was around this time that a young local golfer was starting to learn the fi ner aspects of the game, impersonating the swing of his hero Greg Norman as he tore around the par-71 layout. Adam Scott is now No.4 in the world, he is the touring professional for the resort and he has just finished building a waterfront home at Sanctuary Cove.

He was also one of the fi rst people to take up a transferable membership when Sanctuary Cove’s current owners, Mulpha, released its fi rst prospectus last year. The revenue raised from the membership drive will finance the construction of a new clubhouse as well as the redesign of the Palms course. Acclaimed course architect Ross Watson has submitted hisdesign for the new layout, which includes several new holes, with plans to revamp many of the existing holes.

This modernising of the Palms layout will undoubtedly add to its already popular standing on the Gold Coast. The Palms has always been appealing for casual players as well as holidaying golfers, and not just those staying at the adjoining Hyatt Regency hotel.

While there are plenty of watery hazards to contend with (water comes into play on 12 holes) and nearly 70 bunkers scattered throughout the 18 holes, the playing areas are generous in size and the rough is less than penal. These two factors alone make the Palms a very appealing course for beginners through to your average B-grade player.

That said, there is still enough in Fred Bolton’s original design to test the best of players, especially from the back tees, which still only stretches the layout to 5,833 metres. There are some very good holes on the Palms course, with the best of them involving water in some form.

The short par-5 3rd hole is the first memorable offering. At 448-metres, longer hitters can easily reach the putting surface in two shots but they must contend with a lake that cuts in front of the green from the left. Their shot must also be high enough to hold the green and avoid running through into one of three bunkers. In my opinion, the most impressive, and fun, hole on the Palms course is the 294-metre par-4 15th. From the elevated tee, longer hitters will be tempted to carry their tee shot over the inlet of a lake that lies in front of the long, narrow green. From the back tee, it is just under 200 metres to the edge of the water hazard and another 40 metres to clear it successfully. Even from the forward tees, not so lengthy drivers might be coerced into ‘having a lash’ at the green.

This hole typifies what the Palms is all about – a round there is all about having fun and not getting beat up by the course. No wonder it’s so popular with visitors.

Water plays a major role on 12 of the 18 holes on the Palms layout. Here it flanks the 152-metre par-3 2nd.

FACT FILE

LENGTH: 5,833 metres (blue tees), 5,392m (white), 4,918m (red).
PAR: 71.
ACR: 70 (Blue tees), 68 (white), 69 (red).
DESIGNER: Fred Bolton.
GREEN FEES: $89 inc. cart.
ADDRESS: Caseys Rd, Sanctuary Cove, Qld, 4212
PHONE: (07) 5577 6151
WEBSITE: www.sanctuarycove.com.au
HOW TO GET THERE: Take Exit 57 (north or south) from the M1 freeway and follow the Sanctuary Cove signs.

From the January 2007 issue of Golf Australia