Golf Australia – April 2018

106 APRIL 2018 | golf australia

Georgia. However, there is only one Augusta.

What Watson and Stirling did was create a

distinctly Australian course that has the some

features Augusta is famous for, including holes

with great elevation change between tee

and green, holes incorporating natural

watercourses, large undulating putting surfaces

and, of course, the azaleas.

“The 17th is very similar to the 12th at

Augusta. It’s a similar length, it has an elevated

tee. We don’t quite have the swirling winds they

have at Augusta, but we have the back bunkers

and the big water carry in the front,” says

Bonville Chairman Peter Montgomery.

“There are some other holes that have

similarity in some of the shots, but we get told

that all the time. It’s not really proper business

practise to compare yourself to the heaven of

golf, but in our own little way we like to think

we resemble that beautiful course.

“We are happy to think that if people can’t get

to Augusta they can at least get to Bonville.

They’d be welcomed here with open arms.”

Bonville opened for play 26 years ago and its

design in a beautiful setting has always been

its strength.

During the past dozen years Bonville’s

presentation has continued to improve,

year-on-year. The conversion of the greens to

the more resilient Bermuda 328 grass more

than a decade ago was a master stroke. All the

bunkers were renovated as well a few years

back and have never been better.

More recently, slight tweaks to the design

have seen a bunker moved near the 1st green to

create a wider entry to allow shots to run onto

the green, while the cart path that used to skirt

the edge of the green on the par-3 8th hole has

been re-routed well away from the playing area.

It is the little changes like this that continue

to enhance the playing experience at Bonville.

Then, of course, there are the holes you will

long remember, with Bonville’s par-5s being

particularly memorable.

Each of the par-5s require attention to

strategic detail and, just like Augusta, putting

your shots in the right position from the tee and

in lay-up areas will reap benefits.

The 485-metre 4th is a great driving hole

with a saddle-shaped fairway funnelling even

slightly of-line shots back to the centre of the

WE ARE HAPPY TO

THINK THAT IF

PEOPLE CAN’T GET

TO AUGUSTA THEY

CAN AT LEAST GET

TO BONVILLE.

• PETER

MONTGOMERY

Bonville lays the challenge

squarely at your feet from the

opening tee shot.

The beautiful par-3 8th hole has

been further enhanced with the

re-routing of a cart path.