Pacific dunes golf club

TIME AND TIDE WAIT FOR NO COURSE, BUT THIS LAYOUT, ON THE NSW MID-NORTH COAST, HAS CONTINUED TO GROW INTO THE PRECISE TEST OF GOLF IT WAS ALWAYS INTENDED TO BE.

WORDS: JEFF CENTENERA PHOTOGRAPHY: BRENDAN JAMES

The term ‘water hazard’ was redefined at Pacific Dunes when
June floods hit the Hunter Valley region. The ponds that neatly frame so many of the holes overflowed, turning the course into something of a lake.

It’s testament to the club’s operation that the course was playable
again only three days after golfers would have had to wade
through it.

But considering how unkind Mother Nature had been during
the winter months, the playing surfaces at Pacific Dunes were in
exceptional shape. Heavy lies in the Santa Ana fairways are rare,
while the Bent grass greens rolled particularly true even after
hosting an event for 200 golfers a day before this writer’s visit.

The course, designed by James Wilcher on sandy dunes at
Medowie near Port Stephens, is part of a residential development
widely known for its public face, tennis great Pat Rafter. In the near
two and a half years since its opening, though, the layout’s distinct
character has begun to forge its own reputation. Unlike many modern courses that pile on the length to satisfy elite tournament status or commercial demands, Pacific Dunes is made to measure for thoughtful golf. At 6,411 metres from the tips, it can be a substantial enough test, but it’s the way the yardage is
used that makes it so interesting.

The par-4 13th hole severely punishes any approach that strays to the right, with water set up to the edge of the green.

The best feature of the course is its short par-4s, which typify the
kind of shot-making precision that Pacific Dunes requires. They hit you from the outset of the front and back nines – there’s the 331-metre 1st and the 288-metre 10th, lying side-by-side and sharing a fairway water hazard that looks fairly inconspicuous from the tee.

The 1st plays into a big double green it shares with the par-3 5th,
and the putting surface’s depth plays a neat trick on your distance
control so early in the round, particularly when you’ll be hitting a
short club in. A pair of bunkers, two of only 55 on the course, guard the right side.

On the 10th, the inconspicuous water hazard flows into the
dominant feature on the hole, a greenside pond. To a left-side hole location, the pond has to be carried on any angle from the fairway, particularly by those who take an iron off the tee. Unless, of course, you dared to hit driver, bringing the pond decidedly into play for any ball leaking left.

Perhaps the best of the short par-4s is the 297-metre 3rd. Driver is utterly tempting here, but the challenge ultimately is holding the course’s most fascinating green complex. There are mown-down collection areas on every side that will leave players faced with delicate chips for second or third shots.

While the front nine is defined by the lines of native trees, the back opens up and brings even more water into play. The approaches to the 12th and 13th are particularly testing – even a slightly
mis-hit iron shot is likely to end up wet as the hazards are set at the edge of the greens, with no collar of longer grass to stop a ball rolling into the depths.

The 3rd is a terrific short par-4, with perhaps the most interesting green complex on the course.

The vista at the far corner of the course near the 16th hole is among its most pleasant, which is some kind of compensation for the tough tee shot there. From elevated ground, a driver shot
has to thread lakes on both sides of the 382- metre hole, which doglegs slightly left.

The finishing hole is a 486-metre par-5 that is also easy on the eye. A lake, which runs more than 200 metres along the right edge of the hole, threatens the tee shot if you hope to hit the
green in two. It also is a factor on the third shot, particularly if the hole location is on the right.

The 18th is a dramatic finale to the multiple risk-and-reward scenarios that Pacific Dunes invariably presents. But the club is currently in the early stages of planning to make changes to
the course, which might affect the routing.

The key element of the plans before council is the construction of Pacific Dunes’ permanent clubhouse, intended for newly acquired land on the opposite side of Medowie Road from the golf course. While the details are not yet final, a couple of new holes will likely be built on the new clubhouse side, which will lead to changes
to some holes on the front nine, according to club general manager Peter Davies.

He said the essential character of the course won’t change – the back nine will be untouched, but the current 18th will become the 17th, and the course would finish on the terrific 10th. James
Wilcher was also working on the proposals, further ensuring continuity in any new design. The re-thinking of the course coincides with some new approaches to the game itself.

The approach on the 1st will not be much more than a short iron, but the depth of the double green can confuse.

Pacific Dunes is one of several clubs experimenting with the Super Sixes format, in which a traditional round is broken up into
six Super Tee, six Super Pin and six Super Power holes. Each type of hole incorporates elements such as different tees, multiple hole locations, free drops out of hazards and double Stableford points.

Super Sixes rounds are intended to bring a new level of strategy to the game. Golfers who try it will likely gain a new appreciation for
the qualities that go into a strategically interesting course – qualities that ultimately define Pacific Dunes.

LENGTH: 6,411 metres (black tees), 5,979 (blue), 5,329 (red).
PAR: 72. ACR/AWCR: 73/74.
DESIGNER: James Wilcher.
CORPORATE DAYS?: Yes. Groups of 12 of more, with personal coordinator to organise and other inclusions.
MEMBERSHIP OPEN?: Limited non-residential vacancies available.
GREEN FEE: $49 Monday- Thursday, $60 Friday-Saturday. Gold, silver and bronze VIP packages also available.
ADDRESS: Championship Drive, Medowie, NSW.
PHONE: (02) 4916 0500
WEB: www.pacificdunes.com.au
GETTING THERE: From Sydney, follow the F3 Highway to its
end and turn right onto the New England Highway to Newcastle.
Veer left onto the Pacific Highway and cross the bridge at Hexham. Turn right at Tomago Road and follow until a left turn into Nelson Bay Road. Turn left at Medowie Road, and the entrance to the club is right on South Street.