It begins as a trickle in the Australian Alps and winds northwest forming the border between NSW and Victoria before flowing into South Australia then heading south and, ultimately, out to sea.
COHUNA TO COOMEALLA
It’s a long way from the dairy farming community of Cohuna to the U.S PGA Tour but Stuart Appleby successfully made the journey.
Cohuna Golf Club is where the Australian Open champion first played the game, honed his skills over the years, won the club championship in 1989, then turned professional and left the family farm.
Appleby once told an American golf magazine of the growing reputation of Cohuna, adding that: “if I had one round to play in my life … it would be Cohuna.”
And it is no wonder Appleby in his prime was one of the finest ball-strikers in world golf.
The Cohuna layout can be found on the forest covered Gunbower Island – Australia’s largest inland island – that is bounded by the Murray River and Gunbower Creek.
Founded in 1939, Cohuna’s development was complete with the conversion of sand scrapes to bentgrass greens in 1973. Surprisingly, there are no obvious water hazards and bunkers are seen sparingly across the course. They are not needed to make this course a significant challenge.
The first thing that strikes you about the course is its natural beauty. Black box, red and river gums, some dating back 400 years, dominate the landscape of the par-72 course and create a natural wall between each fairway. Many have tried to take the course on thinking they can “rip it apart” but have left the course thinking otherwise. There is little chance of finding an adjoining fairway with an errant shot – the trees are just too big.
While tall timbers dominate at every turn, I really enjoyed the way the course navigates its way through these natural skyscrapers. Apart from the par-3s, there are few straight away holes and the many doglegs throughout don’t really favour left or right.
Cohuna’s short par-4s – especially the 3rd and 13th – are all interesting and more venomous than they first appear. The 318-metre 18th is the best of them and despite its lack of length is no easy finish. Thick vegetation hides Gunbower Creek from view to the left as you stand on the tee. Red river gum trees – some up to two metres wide – tower over the right-to-left dogleg hole where a drive must find the right half of the fairway to leave the best chance of hitting the angled green that is protected by a ‘coffin’ like bunker short left. Any drive left leaves only a blinkered view of the putting surface.
Following the Murray on its snaking journey northwest, I drove 25 minutes to cross back into NSW and my next golfing port of call, the underrated cluBarham Golf & Sports.
From humble beginnings in the 1920s, the formerly known Barham Golf Country Club is continually improving on the back of a Ross Watson prepared masterplan nearly a decade ago, which has seen new holes built and several others improved.
The newest holes – the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 9th and 18th holes – add a modern element to the par-72 layout, which is carved from natural bushland. A stream, Hudson Creek, winds its way through the heart of the course (and flows into the Murray a few kilometres away). Majestic river gums dominate the front nine while the back nine is lined by wide reaching mature cypress pines, golden wattles and various species of gum trees.
A trio of Watson-designed holes open the round and feature plenty of red sandy bunkers to catch you out. But they are nothing compared to what awaits on Barham’s long-time signature hole.
The 383-metre 5th is not only Barham’s longest par-4 it is rated the hardest hole and is known as the ‘Gallipoli’ hole, so named after the boomerang-shaped bunker that is cut deep into the steep slope about 15 metres short of the elevated green. It is arguably the deepest, biggest single greenside bunker to be found anywhere along the Murray River.
Measuring nearly 25 metres wide and more than two metres deep, the ‘Gallipoli’ bunker is an imposing hazard that you are forced to clear with a long- or mid-iron in your hand. Adding to the challenge is the closely shaved fringe grass and slope off the front of the green, which will feed a short mis-hit approach back down into the sandy depths of ‘Gallipoli’.
With the tough ‘Gallipoli’ hole behind you, enjoy the rest of the front nine and prepare to make a score around the back ... if you’re up to the challenge.
And if it’s a challenge you really want, follow the signs to Swan Hill, an easy 60-minute drive northwest of Barham.
Explorers Burke and Wills arrived in Swan Hill in 1860 on, what would become, their fateful expedition to find a practical route between Melbourne and the Gulf of Carpentaria.
To mark the occasion, the pair broke ground and planted a small fig tree. Today, the giant Moreton Bay Fig stands on Curlewis St in Swan Hill and is one of the largest trees of its kind in Australia
More than 125 years later and just a short drive north along Swan Hill Rd, ground was again broken. This time it was on a new development called the Murray Downs Golf & Country Club.
Set in the heart of Kidman Reid’s historic Murray Downs sheep station on the NSW side of the Murray River, the Geoff and Ted Parslow-designed course took two years to build and was opened in 1989.
The Parslows created a magnificent layout with undulating Wintergreen couch fairways as well as large, true rolling and pretty quick Penncross bentgrass greens. While some greens feature subtle breaks, others offer severe slopes to combat what may have been a seemingly easy journey to the green.
Man-made lakes were included to help with irrigation and drainage, and a mass of native gums has matured to now line all fairways. Throw in some strategic, well-sculpted bunkering – featuring its spectacular ochre red sand – and water hazards on many holes and it is no wonder Murray Downs has many plaudits.
Murray Downs has been the No.1 ranked course on the Murray for nearly two decades and ranked 43rd in Golf Australia magazine’s Top-100 Public Access Courses for 2021.
There are some difficult, yet memorable, holes at Murray Downs but the 194-metre par-3 5th will not surprise you with its No.1 index rating as the hardest hole the layout has to offer. Standing next to the back markers can send a shiver up your spine as you look toward the flag and see nothing but water, red sand, a bit more water and a lot more sand. When the pin is positioned toward the back right quarter of the green it is a 210-metre carry over water and bunkers to reach safety. The bale out area short and left of the green is littered with bunkers making a safe lay-up a hazardous exercise.
Murray Downs also has its version of Augusta National’s famed Amen Corner – incorporating the par-3 15th, par-5 16th and the testing par-4 17th.
The 15th is a classic hole and, like the telling 5th, it requires a tee shot over water and sand to reach the green. But, at 169-metres, length won’t be a problem for too many players. One of the difficult aspects of making par here is to find the right level of the two-tiered green to allow a good chance for two putts.
The 472-metre par-5 16th is a tight three-shotter with water left and sand right from the tee. But it is the large sprawling bunkers, next to tightly trimmed fringes and drop-offs, around the green that add some bite to this cracking hole.
The downhill 17th may not seem like a brute at 376 metres. But when you are standing back down the fairway, or in the rough, with a long-iron in your hand and your approach shot must avoid water short and right of the green, you know the odds are against you. Thankfully, if you have success and find the green, putting is easier than on the previous Amen Corner holes.
The tremendous year-round great condition and quality design of Murray Downs certainly is enough to warrant driving three and a half hours from Melbourne for a game. I’d even drive 10 hours from Sydney to play Murray Downs (which I did).
Back in the Victorian side of the border, the B400 Murray Valley Highway continues to follow the big river northwest into the Sunraysia region where mallee eucalypts and scrub cover the flat, sandy terrain, which then give way to vineyards, olive groves, citrus and almond trees as you draw closer to Robinvale.
After World War II, hundreds of returned diggers moved to Robinvale as part of a
soldier settlement.
Many of the new locals decided they would build a golf course among the hundreds of cottonwood and pine trees, she-oaks and willows on a piece of land just east of the soldier settlement.
Sand scrape greens were laid at the end of some rough fairways and the course remained relatively unchanged for many years.
Today, the Robinvale Golf Club Resort has bentgrass greens, couch fairways and the layout – about halfway between Mildura and Swan Hill – has blossomed into a beautiful little country course.
Six new greens were built in the mid ‘90s and more significant changes followed, including the conversion of the opening hole from a short par-4 to a 149-metre par-3 that plays alongside a vineyard to the left. The small bunkerless green is only metres from out-of-bounds left, while the slope off the right edge of the putting surface can repel tee shots into the trees.
The basic design, laid out in a natural Mallee environment, has stood the test of time well.
At 5,580 metres from the back pegs, length is not Robinvale’s greatest defence. Its tight fairways and, generally, small greens are though.
A course of this length usually boasts some quality short par-4s and Robinvale is no different. The first one to impress is the 304-metre 3rd. The hole marks the northern border of the course and features row upon row of grapevines outside the layout’s boundary. Of course, this vineyard is also out-of-bounds beyond gum trees lining the left of the fairway. There are dense clumps of trees right of the fairway as you get closer to the table top green, tucked neatly in behind the foliage.
If there is one golf course between Albury and my eventual destination, Coomealla, which fully encapsulates the natural essence of Murray River golf, it is Riverside Golf Club.
Riverside is laid out on the southern bank of the Murray between seemingly endless rows, and the odd clump, of ancient river gums, which are home to an abundance of native bird life.
From the first drive, every shot must be placed in the ideal position from the tee, or your round will become a frustrating stroll through the majestic gums.
Heading south from Riverside it doesn’t take long to be surrounded by Mallee country, which is home to Red Cliffs Golf Club.
Originally designed by soldier settlers in 1925, Red Cliffs is an interesting layout that is complemented by the quality conditioning of its kikuyu fairways and bentgrass greens.
Back in the heart of town, the Mildura Golf Resort is a decade beyond its centenary but an extensive redesign in recent years has modernised the layout.
Founded as Mildura Golf Club in 1901 before moving to its current location in 1912, it is the oldest course in the Sunraysia region. Despite the many changes that have been made to the course, the holes still wind their way through the same Sugar gum trees the great South African major champion Bobby Locke found when he arrived in Mildura in 1950. That same year, Norman von Nida, then Australia’s No.1 professional, survived the gums during an exhibition match and fired an even-par 70.
The huge sugar and river gums Locke and the ‘Von’ experienced shadow each fairway and can leave slightly misdirected drives stymied behind trees.
In 2011, course designer Ben Davey and former Tour pro the late Bob Shearer (Davey Shearer design, now known as Contour Golf Design) were commissioned to redesign the course after the resort embarked on a residential development project, which included the subdivision of 100 allotments within the layout.
Over the course of seven years, several lakes were added to the landscape, eight new greens were built and several other holes were re-routed to accommodate the new development.
One of the memorable Davey-designed holes closes out the front nine. The 308-metre par-4 is a very good risk-and-reward hole with water lining the entire right edge of the wide fairway. Skirting the edge of the hazard with your tee shot leaves a slightly shorter approach into the large green, which is tucked tightly behind the end of the lake.
Water also plays a role to finish the back nine. A round at Mildura used to conclude with a very good mid-length par-3, but this has been replaced by a risk-and-reward par-5 where longer hitters can roll the dice and try to head for the clubhouse with a closing eagle. From the slightly elevated tee, you can see the edge of a lake and a tall gum tree inside the corner of the dogleg left. Avoid both and you can head for the kidney-shaped green, protected by two bunkers left and right and nicely trimmed drop-offs to the rear.
Mildura is beautifully presented and Davey and Shearer’s work there has created a very good mix of fun holes.
Speaking of fun, the Coomealla Golf Club – a leisurely 25-minute drive northwest from the Mildura resort – offers plenty of that during a round.
Founded in 1971, the Coomealla course is the brainchild of founding member Ross Putland, who came up with the design and oversaw the construction of the layout. Carved from beautiful natural surrounds alongside the mighty river, Putland ensured only the best golf course grasses were used.
Today, some 51 years on and now part of the huge Coomealla Memorial Sporting Club, it is a fabulous layout with superb couch fairways and even more impressive bentgrass greens. The large greens are well-shaped with many featuring dramatic slopes or tiers, and they are often trimmed to roll devilish quick.
Known as “Coomee” to the locals, the rolling layout measures 6,250 metres from the back tips and meanders through endless stretches of black box and river gum trees. Some fairways are so narrow there is a distinct feeling you and your playing partners should be walking single-file down the fairway to avoid the trees.
The 351-metre par-4 1st hole is a very good opening hole and really sets the scene for what is to come. Leading straight away from the clubhouse, a row of large gums and a levee bank are the only elements separating the gently rolling fairway from the flowing Murray. The line of river gums flanking the right of the fairway certainly places the emphasis on accuracy as you head for the large green that is guarded front left by a bunker.
There are two par-3s of note on the front nine. The 210-metre 3rd, is the longest of the two and presents an ominous challenge while the 145-metre 7th has plenty of trouble surrounding the green. A tree-covered levee bank to the right and behind the putting surface provides the perfect amphitheatre to hit your tee shot into. Once you have contended with the three bunkers, you had better hope your ball is beneath the hole on this back left to front right sloping green.
The pick of the inward holes is the 407-metre par-4 14th. A good drive down the left of the fairway is required. Those players trying to reach the green in two shots, must fly their approach beyond a dip traversing the fairway short of the green, which is also guarded by a bunker front left. The green is one of Coomealla’s most treacherous. It slopes markedly from back to front and a tier crossing through the middle of the putting surface can further complicate matters.
WHERE TO PLAY
THURGOONA COUNTRY CLUB RESORT
Green fees: $32 (18 holes, weekdays), $36 (weekends).
ALBURY COMMERCIAL GOLF CLUB
Green fee: $36 (18 holes, seven days).
www.commercialclubalbury.com.au
WODONGA GOLF CLUB
Green fee: $37 (18 holes, seven days).
HOWLONG GOLF RESORT
Green fee: $34 (18 holes, weekdays), $38 (weekends).
COROWA GOLF CLUB
Green fee: $42 (18 holes, weekdays), $45 (weekends).
BLACK BULL GOLF CLUB
Green fee: $60 (18 holes, seven days).
www.silverwoodsyarrawonga.com.au
YARRAWONGA MULWALA GOLF CLUB RESORT
Green fees: $60 (18 holes, seven days), $86 (all day rate), $230 (Mon-Fri unlimited golf).
COBRAM-BAROOGA GOLF CLUB
Green fee: $45 (18 holes, seven days).
TOCUMWAL GOLF & BOWLS CLUB
Green fees: $55 (18 holes, seven days), $75 (36-hole day pass).
RICH RIVER GOLF CLUB
Green fees: $55 (18 holes, seven days), $85 (unlimited golf daily rate).
COHUNA GOLF CLUB
Green fee: $35 (18 holes, seven days).
CLUBARHAM GOLF & SPORTS
Green fee: $45 (18 holes, seven days).
MURRAY DOWNS GOLF & COUNTRY CLUB
Green fee: $50 (18 holes, seven days).
ROBINVALE GOLF CLUB RESORT
Green fee: $30 (18 holes, seven days).
RIVERSIDE GOLF CLUB
Green fee: $30 (18 holes, seven days).
RED CLIFFS GOLF CLUB
Green fee: $25 (18 holes, seven days).
MILDURA GOLF RESORT
Green fee: $35 (18 holes, seven days).
COOMEALLA GOLF CLUB
Green fee: $35 (18 holes, seven days).
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