Golf Australia – August 2019

14 AUGUST 2019 | golf australia

trademark.Theroller-coasteringpar-5 4th

hole is as wild a ride as you’ll get on a golf

course. The fairway plunges downhill before

levelling briefly and climbing to a green that

sits so far above, you can just see the top of the

flag from as close as 100 metres away.

The 4th might be the most graphic example

of the undulations Norman and Harrison saw

when they first looked at the property and

discovered a piece of land that needed little

massaging and just needed to find the holes.

One of the keys to scoring well at Brookwater

is deciphering the angles into the greens. The

tall tree-lined holes give the impression of the

course being much tighter than it is. However,

there is ample space on most holes and several

saddle-shaped fairways that will save a slightly

wayward drive and correct its course.

Problems only arise if you miss these slopes

and find the neighbouring trees, where escapes

are rarely straightforward. But positioning

your ball in the correct part of each fairway for

the best angle for the next shot is a distinct key

to the challenge.

“The Brookwater course is one of my more

strategic designs,” Norman said shortly after

the layout opened. “The course was designed

around the natural contours of Brookwater’s

dynamic landscape. It’s almost as if the course

was already there.”

Brookwater’s rises and falls strike you from

the start. The opening hole, a scenic and

brilliant dogleg left, drops from the tee to a

THE COURSE

WAS DESIGNED

AROUND THE

NATURAL CONTOURS

OF BROOKWATER’S

DYNAMIC

LANDSCAPE. IT’S

ALMOST AS IF

THE COURSE WAS

ALREADYTHERE.

The par-5 17th lies at the heart of – GREG NORMAN

the challenging ‘Shark Alley’.

The downhill 13th is a very good

strategic par-5 where one false

shot can bring you undone.