golf australia | APRIL 2018 107THE COURSE
ADDRESS: North Bonville Rd, Bonville, NSW.
CONTACT: (02) 6653 4002, (02) 6653 4544
(pro shop); http://www.bonvillegolf.com.au
DESIGNER: Terry Watson and Ted Stirling (1992).
GREEN FEES: September to May, $129 per
person including twin share cart (Mon-Thurs),
$145 (Fri-Sun); June to August, $115 per person
including twin share cart (Mon-Thurs), $129
(Fri-Sun).
PLAYING SURFACES: Couch (fairways),
Bermuda 328 (greens).
PGA PROFESSIONALS: Richie Gallichan.
COURSE SUPERINTENDENT: Chris Neal.THE CLUB
MEMBERSHIPS: Single, couple, intermediate,
colt, junior and sub-junior memberships
are available. Applications are available
via the website or you can email
[email protected]
SOCIAL GROUPS: Bonville welcomes social
golf groups. Bonville’s golf group coordinator
can arrange all the details including onsite
accommodation, tee times, on course activities,
dinner/ gourmet chef cooked barbeque,
reservations in the Flooded Gums Restaurant
or in a private dining room, daily leader board
updates and post-golf drinking areas.
PLAY & STAY: Bonville features 30
well-appointed rooms including 17 Resort
Rooms, eight Executive Spa Rooms and fi ve
Executive View Rooms, all overlooking the
picturesque 1st fairway. Check the website for
seasonal package deals.
RANKINGS: Bonville has been voted Australia’s
Favourite Course by Golf Australia readers for
the past two years. It was also ranked No.45
in Golf Australia’s Top-100 Courses ranking
released in January 2018.FACT FILE
Despite
common sense
suggesting to
lay-up, few can
resist going for
the green in two
on the 18th.mown portion. The aggressive player may
consider going for the green in two shots here
but it is a shot that must be solid and shaped
slightly right-to-left around the dogleg and the
wall of fl ooded gums fl anking the fairway. Two
fairway traps and a huge swale, both about 60
metres short of the green, are in play and can
complicate the errant lay-up shot.
There is no better example of risk-and-reward
par-5 strategy design than that found on
Bonville’s closing hole – a 460-metre journey up
and over a hill between deep rows of towering
fl ooded gums that line the way to the green,
which sits just beyond a pond and stream.
Standing on the crest of this hill looking down
toward the green, with the azaleas in full bloom,
you can imagine a similar view confronting
players at the Masters when playing the famous
13th or 15th holes. For many players, there is
never any question whether to go for the green in
two shots or not. In such a wonderful theatre
that the 18th provides it is hard not to add to the
drama by throwing of the shackles and risking a
dropped shot or two by going for it.
As you walk of the fi nal green you might
agree with my belief that one round at Bonville
International is never enough. The resort has
accommodation overlooking the 1st fairway,
while the Queenslander-style clubhouse boasts
the multi-award winning Flooded Gums
restaurant where you can dine on great food as
you overlook the course. So there are really no
excuses not to stick around and play at least one
more round.There are a
variety of ways
to play the
par-5 4th hole
can be played
effectively.