SECRET HARBOUR GOLF LINKS
REVIEWED BY: BRENDAN JAMES

SECRET HARBOUR IS ONE OF THE HIGHLIGHTS OF ANY VISIT TO WESTERN AUSTRALIA’S INCREASINGLY POPULAR ‘GOLF COAST’, WRITES BRENDAN JAMES

My recollections of a blustery day at Secret Harbour back in 1999 are as vivid as if that day was yesterday.

The wind howled in from the Indian Ocean and swept across the course, driving all but the most avid or slightly mad golfers indoors for the day. I’m not sure which category I fall into here but I braved the conditions to eagerly tackle the then recently opened 18-hole Graham Marsh-designed course.

The beautiful and treacherous water-flanked par-3 8th hole.

I wasn’t too surprised that I didn’t see one other golfer on the links that afternoon.

Secret Harbour had been a nine-hole layout for nearly four years at that stage, with what is now the back nine winding through a residential estate. I’d been told by a golfing friend that the established holes were good but the new outward half would simply take my breath away.

It did. The rolling links fairways lying between massive sand dunes were superb, while Marsh’s use of elevation change and strategic placement of bunkering throughout the 18 holes was spot on. Despite the incredible wind I encountered that day and the battering my scorecard took, I left Secret Harbour, for the 50 minute drive back to Perth, impressed with Marsh’s handiwork.

There has been considerable change at Secret Harbour since 1999. Each time I have been back since (with considerably more success in terms of the weather) it has not been hard to notice how the population explosion along the coastline south of Perth is having, at the very least, has had a visual impact on several golf courses, including Secret Harbour.

The Secret Harbour community, which was just several small pockets of residential areas seven years ago, has boomed and homes now surround the entire links layout. Even on the outward nine, which featured high dunes and seemingly impenetrable bushland around its edges a few years ago have made way for considerable residential development.

The Long downhill 5th hole is Secret Harbour's best par-4

While the purists may lament the loss of these dunes, the fact is the golf course itself remains as good today as it did when designer Marsh signed off on his creation back in ’99 and then played an exhibition match alongside golfing legends Lee Trevino and Gary Player.

If anything, the standard of the course’s presentation is better now than it was then with beautifully manicured fairways and true rolling Bent grass greens, which are the equal of many private clubs, now being the norm. On my most recent visit to Secret Harbour in January, the layout, in my opinion, had never looked as good.

The quality conditioning fully complements Marsh’s excellent design. The front nine, which Marsh has rated as some of his design work, features twisting and turning fairways punctuated by vast bunker schemes and the
odd pot bunker.

This nine is home to Secret Harbour’s best par-4 – the 381-metre (or 397 metres from the Pro tee) 5th hole. With the Indian Ocean off in the distance, the descending fairway in front is flanked by out-of-bounds left and scrubland right. Throw in some strategically positioned fairway pots and you have a tough hole

There are at least a dozen holes at Secret Harbour where the green’s surrounds and approaches are reminiscent of Alister MacKenzie’s famous Royal Melbourne or some of the fine links courses of Great Britain. The detail is terrific, while the shaping and generous green openings offer plenty of shot options.

The prettiest hole on the outward half brings water into play for the first time. The 139-metre par-3 8th hole lies next to a lake and features a wide green surrounded by pot bunkers and long grass. Your tee shot must carry water all the way to the putting surface. If you choose to lay up short of the green and left of the water, there is a bunker to contend with if you sneak too close to the putting surface.

Arguably the best par-3 at Secret Harbour is the 156-metre 16th hole. The hole is completely ringed by scrub and native bush while the green lies deceptively higher than your position on the tee. This is crucial for getting club selection right and avoiding the three deep bunkers scattered across the front of the putting surface.

Secret Harbour is a terrific test of golf for better players, especially when the wind does blow. However, it is also attractive for social, casual or high handicapped golfers who have several tee choices, wide landing zones and big greens to make sure they enjoy their round. I know I do, every time I play at Secret Harbour ... gale force winds or not.

FACT FILE

LENGTH: 6,423 metres (Black tees),
6,103 (Blue), 5,732 (White), 5,079 (Ladies).
PAR: 72.
ACR/ACWR: 75 (Black tees), 72 (Blue),
70 (White, Ladies).
DESIGNER: Graham Marsh.
GREEN FEE: $37.50 (weekdays),
$42.50 (weekends).
ADDRESS: Secret Harbour Bvd, Secret
Harbour, WA, 6173.
PHONE: (08) 9524 7133.
WEBSITE: www.
secretharbourgolfl inks.com.au
HOW TO GET THERE: Follow the
Kwinana Fwy south of Perth to end and
follow Safety Bay Rd to Mandurah Rd
and turn left. Turn right into Anstey Rd
and follow the signs to the golf course.

From the March 2007 issue of Golf Australia