REVIEW: Manly Golf Club

The green at Manly's short par-5 3rd hole is heavily protected.

WORDS: STEVE KEIPERT  PHOTOGRAPHY: BRENDAN JAMES

Jack Nicklaus once shot 62 at Manly Golf Club during the New South Wales Open, which is a fact worth delivering early in this review for it’s a favourite recollection among those attached to the proud club on Sydney’s northern beaches. The year was 1971 and Nicklaus would lose the tournament to Billy Dunk, but the Golden Bear’s feat will never be matched again.

Why, you ask? Surely someone armed with 21st century equipment could eclipse that mark given perfect conditions? No chance. Not only is Nicklaus’ record round consigned to Manly’s history books, so too is the course upon which he shot it.

It’s been a period of change for the club, which is now better off for the upheaval.

Located a short drive from the suburb’s famous beach, Manly began life in 1901 as a handful of holes in a paddock and grew to a point that five years later saw it officially become Manly Golf Club, one of Sydney’s foundation clubs. By May 1908 the club had a full 18 holes and 16 years later it added the iconic Georgian Mediterranean clubhouse. Throughout the past century Manly has nurtured the games of several greats, most notably Eric Apperly and Australia’s first major champion, Jim Ferrier.

The original course was twisted and tweaked a few times but was always regarded as very good rather than great. The holes were designed well enough and the challenge full of interest yet the layout lacked cohesion and also included an odd short par-3 in the far corner of the course that looked like it was there because someone had previously counted up all the holes and realised there were only 17.

So late last decade the Manly club took the bold but important step of redesigning its course in a project spanning October 2009 to July 2012. What on the surface sounds like a plum design job was in reality a tricky project. Manly sits on a small parcel of flat, low-lying land that’s divided in two by a road. The site also has environmental implications in the form of fragile wetlands.

Peter Thomson and Ross Perrett ultimately signed off on a truly admirable job, which was largely undertaken by former associate Justin Trott. The canvas the firm was handed at Manly was far different to the expansive tracts of land where they’ve completed some of their most recognised work. Environmental constraints aside, one of the tasks was to ‘hide’ length in a compact site housing a 5,593-metre layout. The best way to achieve this was to take the driver out of the golfer’s hands – or at very least make it darn dangerous to unleash the big stick. On many holes the shortest line to the flag is ‘polluted’ by fairway bunkers, trees or other obstacles to be avoided, so steering clear of these adds distance that the scorecard won’t reveal.

Any par at the short 4th hole is well earned.

The consecutive par-5s at the 2nd and 3rd holes are the primary examples of how this attribute reveals itself. Neither is long at 505 and 461 metres, respectively, but the side-by-side holes are cut in half by a creek in the driving zone that takes hitting driver out of the equation for most players. In favourable conditions both greens can still be reached in two if golfers dare to ‘tiptoe’ a lay-up right to the creek’s edge, however most resign to taking three shots to find both putting surfaces. The 3rd is arguably more reachable but the green complex is nearly surrounded by water, with bunkers and a tiny green making the prospect even less inviting.

For a level site, the architects added contours in places to keep golfers’ wits sharp. Mostly this trait reveals itself on and around the greens. Raised surfaces, angled greens and fall-offs into neighbouring chipping areas are frequent and serve to highlight the need for position and accuracy over brute strength. The greens also vary in size quite starkly.

The largest surface of all opens proceedings with a double green spanning the 1st and 17th. The opener is a modest par-4 although one that can catch players by surprise courtesy of the large putting surface. Play crosses Kenneth Rd for the 2nd to 9th holes in a portion of the course that is far more intriguing than the former incarnation. The aforementioned twin par-5s showcase the new course’s point-to-point nature before a demanding, well-bunkered par-3 at the 157-metre 4th.

The 5th is a stern par-4 with bunkers in play all the way.

Two strong but different par-4s at the 5th and 6th can put the driver back in play but with the caveat of needing to be particularly straight. The 5th fairway bottlenecks against two fairway bunkers and can require a long second even after a good tee shot. The green is positioned against Manly Lagoon at the far point of the golf course, which will rinse any shot skipping over the green on what is the front nine’s toughest test. The most difficult aspect of the 6th hole is the grove of trees and bushes that shields the large, open green from view from all but the extreme right side of the fairway near a pod of bunkers. Approach shots require a high degree of nous and guesswork to finish close to the flag.

The same can be said of playing to and chipping aboard the next green. The 7th is a little gem – a par-3 of 143 metres that welcomes high, left-to-right curving shots to hold the tilted, unbunkered green (a creek also lurks left and long of the target). Players who don’t flight shots that way, especially to right-side pins, will find this hole particularly awkward. And, in the event of missing the green, chipping and pitching to the angled, rippled putting surface can make one look especially foolish. No.7 at Manly is proof that great par-3s can be short and relatively hazardless and still be confounding.

The 8th is another mid-length par-4 that welcomes a conservative play from the tee to avoid water and sand on the right but where a perfectly shaped driver will be rewarded with a far shorter shot over the creek to the green. The closing hole on the front half is a 268-metre par-4 with a skinny, well-bunkered fairway. It’s short, inviting but riddled with danger for those bidding to set up an eagle putt.

Back across the road to the main part of the course, the holes become more expansive but only marginally so. The toughest hole at Manly lurks at the 12th, a 380-metre par-4 that bends left before traversing a stream and climbing to a broad, sloping putting surface. Flags cut on the right side of the green are guarded by a deep bunker and add to the degree of difficulty.

The 13th is favourite hole of this writer. From an elevated tee the task is clear: hit a neat draw (for right-handers) to fit the tee shot between the treeline to the right and a pod of four bunkers lining the left side. Things become even more interesting on the second shot as a hump in the green effectively creates two putting surfaces in one. Rear-section flags are more difficult as leaving the approach short on the front half creates a horribly difficult two-putt, while even well-struck second shots risk catching the back side of the mound and bounding over the green. At first glance it looks ridiculous and gimmicky; at second glance you realise the strategy behind such a putting surface and thereafter you’ll love it.

The 14th is a strong long par-4 before another cheeky par-3 at the 15th, where many a shot has been lost for not correctly calculating the wind or distance and losing a ball long into the creek. The 16th is a meaty par-4 where a left-to-right-bending tee shot helps set up the approach to the green of the 368-metre par-4. Tee shots drifting left risk finding a pond, while the second shot plays uphill to a long, skinny green that will punish approaches missing wide on either side.

The 17th is a long, straight par-5 back to the huge green shared with the 1st before a short par-4 at the last where it’s important to thread a tee shot between opposing fairway bunkers. Manage that successfully and the ‘home’ hole becomes a birdie chance.

Manly carved a proud history for itself during its time as a tournament host and popular elite competition venue. The changing tournament scene has long rendered it too short to rekindle such thoughts, however its undeniable appeal as a members’ course has afforded the 21st-century version a brand new reputation to foster well into the future.

FACT FILE

THE COURSE

LOCATION: Balgowlah Rd, Balgowlah. The club is a 25-minute drive from the Sydney CBD via the Bradfield Highway, Military Rd and the Spit Bridge.

CONTACT: (02) 9948 0256.

WEBSITE: www.manlygolf.com.au

DESIGNERS: Peter Thomson and Ross Perrett (2012).

SLOPE RATINGS: Men: 134/131/117; women: 130/118.

PLAYING SURFACES: A1 bentgrass (greens), Windsor Green couch (tees, fairways and rough).

COURSE SUPERINTENDENT: Michael Bradbery.

PGA PROFESSIONAL: Philip Baird.

GREEN FEES: $120 (tee-times and non-member access are limited).

THE CLUB

MEMBERSHIPS: Membership is currently open at Manly, including a new introductory category that offers a once-only 12-month membership for $1,745, plus a $250 house levy. While some course-access restrictions apply, this category provides a ‘taste’ of membership and includes golf clinic and lesson packages. The $1,745 is deducted from the joining fee should full membership be taken at the end of the 12 months.

RECIPROCAL CLUBS: Avondale (NSW); Commonwealth (Vic); Indooroopilly (Qld); Cottesloe, Mt Lawley (WA); The Grange (SA); Royal Hobart (Tas); Gulf Harbour, The Grange (NZ); Singapore Island (Singapore); Saunton (England); Bruntsfield (Scotland).

CORPORATE GOLF: Manly expertly hosts numerous corporate golf days and offers premium facilities both on and off the course. With experienced staff to help facilitate the event, Manly can also stage clinics and lessons from a PGA professional, plus provide a range of food and beverage options as well as photography/videography and AV and IT facilities.

FUNCTIONS: The clubhouse is regarded among Sydney’s leading Georgian Mediterranean buildings and can cater for a range of functions for between 80 and 450 people.