That’s exactly what happened to Ross Watson back in the early 2000s when he first laid eyes on the relatively flat and sandy landscape that today is home to the Pacific Harbour Golf & Country Club, which is ranked among the best layouts in the Sunshine State.

“Who doesn’t like playing with sand?” Watson once cheekily questioned in an interview with this writer.

“I’ve been fortunate enough to have the opportunity to build some courses on spectacular sand-based land, which allows you to really get creative without moving heaven and earth to do it.

“I’m really pleased with the finished product at Pacific Harbour.

“I tried to create 18 individual and memorable holes that all golfers will enjoy. The fairways are generous in width but there are definitely a variety of playing lines on most holes that call for different strategy and there are plenty of safe hitting areas for less gifted players.”

And that’s the conundrum of every course designer – you need to challenge better golfers, while not alienating the bulk of golfers from casual to mid- and high-handicap players.

The fairway bunkers off the tee of the par-5 14th must be avoided at all costs. PHOTO: Brendan James.

It is a fine line but experienced architects like Watson have proven it can certainly be done, as you will find at Pacific Harbour, where golfers of all standards can play fun golf and not feel beaten into the ground by the time they have reached the 18th tee.

Watson’s island links course, about 45 minutes’ drive north of Brisbane Airport, really issues the challenge to better players, who are no doubt the same players able to hit a ball of some decent length. Longer hitters can blast away with their driver at will as the fairways are, for the most part, generously wide. But the further you hit your drive on some holes, the more complicated your approach is made because of Watson’s simple rolling fairway design, which brings shorter, more accurate players back into the frame.

The width of the fairways and angled greens really adds to the risk-and-reward strategy required on most holes. For example, the dogleg right par-4 5th, which plays 389 metres from the tips, features a scheme of fairway bunkers on the inside of the dogleg. Even though the driving zone is quite wide, your tee shot ideally needs to flirt with the sand and finish near the right edge of the fairway to leave the shortest and most direct approach into the green, which is angled diagonally from right to left.

Watson’s design boasts some really strong two-shotters – long and demanding pure ball-striking. Even the short par-4s are testing, but they’re a whole lot of fun at the same time.

The first of them comes early in the round at the 307-metre par-4 2nd hole where a lake (left) and sand (right) are definitely in play off the tee. With an expansive bunker wedged between the left half of the green and the aforementioned lake, the best playing line into the putting surface is from the right half of the fairway. Big hitters who are tempted into going for the green with their tee shot will be rewarded for such a high risk shot.

The par-3 13th hole, with its expansive bunker and wide green, is known as Kakadu. PHOTO: Brendan James.

But, for mine, it is Pacific Harbour’s collection of par-3s most golfers will long remember.

All four one-shotters at Pacific Harbour are very different to each other, which is an integral aspect of any memorable course. The 4th measures 184 metres from the back markers but a wide entrance to the putting surface allows you to land your tee shot short and watch it run on.

The 137-metre 7th pays homage to the famous island 17th green at TPC Sawgrass, and it even bears the name of the home of the PGA Tour’s Players Championship. However, Watson’s version is only a semi-island putting surface but you could swear it is totally surrounded by water as you survey your water carry tee shot from the back tee. There is nothing but water hazard between you and the fringe of the green, which is perched nearly two metres above the water line. The aggressive play is to take on the water and carry your tee shot all the way, but hitting with too much club can bring the large bunker through the green into play.

Watson has always been very keen to minimise any impact on any surrounding natural environs and his par-3 13th hole, known as Kakadu, is a great example. The 132-metre hole skirts the edge of some beautiful wetlands and was laid to be played into the prevailing breeze to challenge your club selection skills.

Perhaps the most talked about hole at Pacific Harbour is the 189-metre 17th (pictured top), which stretches to more than 200 metres from the tips. The hole features the longest bunker in the southern hemisphere, which forms a beach barrier between the fairway/green and a huge lake that runs the entire length of the right side of the hole. The hole is appropriately called The Beach.

The 380-metre par-4 15th is appropriately named ‘Deception’. PHOTO: Brendan James.

It is a mighty blow into the middle of the slightly elevated green. From the forward markers, the task is less exacting but a tee shot of at least 150 metres is needed to clear the edge of the sand and run up onto the front edge of the putting surface. This is one hole golfers will either love for its beauty and challenge or they will hate because they can’t hit the ball far enough to clear the sand and are forced to lay-up on a par-3.

Complementing the challenge and fun of Watson’s design is the high quality of the course’s presentation – the combination of both has seen Pacific Harbour ranked in both the Top-100 Courses and Top-100 Public Access Courses ranking for more than a decade.

FACT FILE

LOCATION: Avon Ave, Banksia Beach, Bribie Island, Queensland 4507

CONTACT: (07) 3410 4001.

WEBSITE: www.pacificharbourgolf.com.au

DESIGNER: Ross Watson (2006).

COURSE SUPERINTENDENT: Matt Hartup.

GREEN FEES: $79 (18 holes including cart, weekdays); $89 (weekends and public holidays).

MEMBERSHIPS: A range of membership options are on offer at Pacific Harbour to accommodate everyone from individual golfer, the family golfer and non-golfers. Full membership costs $2,985 and provides full access to the club’s facilities (and playing rights seven days a week. Free driving range balls (one bucket per day) as well as a long list of inclusions come with full membership.

ACCOLADES: Ranked No.91 in Golf Australia magazine’s Top-100 Courses for 2022 and ranked No.28 in Golf Australia magazine’s Top-100 Public Access Courses for 2021.