MOORE PARK GOLF

As a much younger man working in the inner Sydney suburb of Surry Hills, the most accessible and enjoyable round of golf I could find before or after work was at Moore Park Golf. In fact, whenever I or a colleague walked into the office with a golf bag slung over a shoulder, Moore Park was the likely venue for that day’s round. At the end of my shift, I could walk out of the office, jump in a cab, and be on the practice putting green at Moore Park five minutes later.

They were glorious days. But when I changed jobs, and locations, those days were left behind and my rounds at Moore Park were reduced to six monthly or yearly excursions. That said, the layout that has improved dramatically during the past 15 years and today is far better than the course I beat a path to in the ’80s and early ’90s.

Moore Park began as a nine-holer back in 1913. It was designed by the legendary Scottish pro Carnegie Clark, who was then the professional at Royal Sydney. Fellow Scots, brothers Duncan and Charlie McMillan, had successfully lobbied the city council to build a course at Moore Park and they approach Clark to do the job. In the ensuing years the course was extended to 18 holes and the current clubhouse was opened in 1926.

Course architect Eric Apperly, who did the routing for both New South Wales and Kingston Heath, completely rebuilt the course after World War II, transforming the undulating landscape from a barren, sandy links into a parkland layout by planting hundreds of trees across the property. Most of these remain today as part of the foundations of the current course.

In the early ’90s, safety issues with surrounding roads and the construction of a three-storey driving range – on what was the rollercoaster-like fairway of the 1st hole – led to another major redesign, by Ken McKay. In more recent times, James Wilcher, who created Pacific Dunes in NSW and The Cut in Western Australia, has made additional changes.

One thing that hasn’t changed at Moore Park in the 98 years since Clark laid out the original nine holes is the course’s public accessibility. Back then the layout was known as the Moore Park Municipal Golf Links and its popularity was immediate as there were many golfers who could not afford the membership fees of the growing number of Sydney’s private courses. Moore Park was the first public course in New South Wales and, while the Moore Park club has boasted a membership for many years, its popularity as a public access course has remained constant.

This is hardly surprising given its location but, that said, Moore Park gets a lot of return golfers because it does offer an enjoyable golfing experience. The course changes have been dynamic with the addition of dozens of bunkers, the rebuilding of green sites and the lengthening of several holes.

Complementing these changes is the dramatically improved conditioning from tee to green. Moore Park’s location means it also rates as one of the busiest courses in Sydney and, with all that playing traffic the playing surfaces, could easily start to look worn and damaged. But not so here. During my most recent visit for the purposes of this review I could not fault the tees, fairways, green surrounds or greens. The putting surfaces, especially, were outstanding with a flawless cover of grass and they provided a smooth roll at a good speed.

Moore Park has also ‘filled out’ with many of the trees planted by Apperly in the late ’40s now towering over several fairways. Addtional trees planted in the ’90s have helped to block the sight of city buildings, which has added to the oasis feel of Moore Park.

Moore Park is not a long course (5,791 metres from the blue markers) and the fairways are generally wide enough to entice players to hit their driver at every opportunity. The greens, too, are generously large but they are also full of slopes making long putting and chipping a real challenge.

My favourite hole has always been the 363-metre par-4 8th hole. This is one hole that hasn’t changed  much over the years (with the exception of a new green and surrounds) and has always demanded two really good shots to make par. Large trees, with wide-reaching branches, line both sides of the fairway, while out-of-bounds is just beyond the trees down the left side. There are few, if any, truly flat lies in this fairway as ripples in the ground turn into swales and hollows as the fairway climbs toward the relatively new green that has been pushed back from the site of the previous putting surface. The 8th green sits perched atop the hill and is angled diagonally to the right with bunkers guarding the right edge. What used to be a long and demanding second shot here is now a longer and even more difficult shot but a great challenge.

Playing Moore Park again brought back some wonderful memories of afternoons well spent on the course with mates. I’ll be playing it again soon too as Moore Park is undoubtedly in the best condition I have ever seen it.

THE COURSE

LOCATION: Cnr Cleveland Street and Anzac Parade, Moore Park, NSW. Five mins drive from Sydney CBD.

CONTACT: (02) 9663 1064.

WEBSITE: www.mooreparkgolf.com.au

designers: Carnegie Clark (1913), Eric Apperly (1950), Ken McKay (1996), James Wilcher (2005 and ongoing).

PLAYING SURFACES: Kikuyu fairways, Bentgrass greens. BUNKERS: 33

PGA PROs: Brett Johnson and Jason Atkins.

GREEN FEES: $46 (Mon-Thurs), $53 (Fri), $60 (weekends and public holidays). Midweek Twilight $29 Weekend Twilight $35. Cheaper if you book online.

THE CLUB

MEMBERSHIPS: Moore Park Golf Course is home to Moore Park Golf. There are a variety of membership categories from seven day to social. Memberships are currently open.

CORPORATE DAYS: Moore Park Golf has a dedicated director of golf and event staff who can tailor the day to suit your needs.

FACILITIES: Moore Park Golf’s three function spaces can accommodate groups of 40 to 150 people. Moore Park has extensive practice areas including a driving range, chipping and putting greens. There are eight PGA professionals in the School of Golf, dedicated to helping players improve their game and a fully-stocked pro shop with the latest merchandise ranges. The Moore Park main bar is open five days a week, serving a range of bistro meals, while the patio kiosk is open seven days a week serving a selection of hot food and sandwiches.