The wind was strong enough to shake the press tent while bunker sand specked against the windows with such force that visiting media wondered if Melbourne was under attack by hail-storm. That it was a sunny day confounded further.
Rather, it was explained, Royal Melbourne was just doing Royal Melbourne things on Tuesday morning ahead of the 13th annual Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship, won last year in Thailand by Sydney’s Harrison Crowe.
Yet, for the 120 gun amateurs practicing on the course, the vast majority for the first time, it gave them pause. The jewel of the Sandbelt was showing her teeth. An indoor Trackman range this was not.
Checking on the form of several international players was coach of the AAC Academy and former Federal GC teaching professional, Andrew Welsford.
He had players hitting four-irons to short par-3s on Tuesday, to see - "and feel" - the ball flight under the wind. He was physically turning guys’ shoulders to the four points of the compass prior to each shot. Feel that? Feel that?
"Into the wind, there were guys hitting these balloons," Welsford said. "I got guys hitting balls off scruffy lies, hitting almost knuckle balls. It was about taking spin off the ball."
Welsford told Golf Australia magazine that tight fescue lies and links golf is alien to many players from Asia and the Pacific.
"It will be a challenge for some guys to keep it under the wind," Welsford said. "But there’s also guys who'll adapt really quickly. There are some very talented players here, don’t worry about that.
One of them is Vietnamese prodigy, Le Khanh Hung. The 15-year-old recently won gold in the South-East Asian Games in Cambodia and is off to school in Florida to continue his development.
"He ticks all the boxes," Welsford said. "Short game, iron play. Carries himself well. Mature for his age.
"He's a lanky kid and not even that physically strong yet but he generates a lot of speed efficiently. He uses what he has very nicely.
"He reminds of a young Ernie Els; long and languid."
Another visitor to watch is strapping Bo Jin of China who was runner-up to Crowe at last year’s tournament at Amata Springs. Welsford said he is fearless around the greens.
"He has an incredible short game. Very close to green he's always chipping, not putting. It'll be interesting to see what he does on the tight fescue at RM.
"When he grew up he would hit 500 chips, 500 putts, 500 range balls every day," Welsford said.
Yet it's the Australian contingent, particularly the Victorians, who will have a distinct advantage at Royal Melbourne when the 72-hole stroke-play tournament kicks off on Thursday.
For Kingston Heath member Max Charles, Tuesday's conditions were “as Royal usually plays - the wind’s up, the greens are slick. It’s always a treat to be out here.”
Charles said local knowledge will be a huge advantage for the Australians – some of them, anyway.
“I grew up playing around here. Kingston Heath is right around the corner and a pretty similar Sandbelt style as well.
“[But] I'd say even up north, sometimes, for guys from Queensland, it's a bit different. They have to get used to the grain and it's a different grass.
“So I think a lot of the players will find that difficult this week, whereas we've already got that under our belt,” Charles said.
Queenslander Quinn Croker first played RM in a Golf Australia camp a month ago. He said “it was a lot softer” then.
“I got a rude shock when I rocked up here today,” Croker said. “It's extremely hard, like, conditions, and the wind was up. It definitely got the better of me today, so I’ve got to fix it up the next couple days.”
The Australian team, as host nation, will trot out ten Golf Australia reps aiming to do what their former team-mate Crowe did – win the title and a spot in the field at Augusta National for the 2024 Masters and at Royal Troon for the 152nd Open Championship.
South Australia's Jack Buchanan has his eyes on the prize.
“You can get in the Masters and the British Open if you win,” he said. “That makes it exciting.”
Buchanan has played RM in the Sandbelt Invitational and in the Master of the Amateurs. He reckoned on Tuesday “it played pretty normal to how Royal always plays … very windy."
"Though maybe a hair softer than it normally is?
"It’ll be interesting to see how it plays if it firms up,” Buchanan said.
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