nine to the sheltered dunes of the inward half,
Magenta Shores is not only visually stunning, it is
a premium test of your golfing skill.
The site is lumpy and exposed ... perhaps a little
manufactured in parts, which is to be expected
as much of the terrain is man-made. More than
250,000 cubic metres of sand was trucked in to
raise the land, covered by holes 1 to 8, above what
was formerly a sand mine and rubbish tip.
Ross Watson’s design is superb. The rolling
fairways and ever-present sea breezes make for
perennial diculty even at times when the wind
is at your back.
His creation loops several times, constantly
changing the direction of play throughout the
round and examining the diferent skills of each
player. The one stretch of holes running in the
same direction ofers you some respite, especially
in a southerly breeze. The short par-4 5th,
potentially driveable par-4 6th and short par-5
8th all play downwind in a southerly and invite
golfers into lusty hitting.
It was here that I had my first win of the
weekend; capitalising on three scrubby shots onto
the green before rolling in a 25-footer for birdie
and collecting a dozen skins, which would go
some way to paying for dinner that night.
While 16 holes at Magenta Shores are
distinctly links style, the two holes that border
the Wyrrabalong National Park on the northern
boundary feature more trees and have a slightlydiferent character about them. The 326-metre
13th is a wonderful short par-4 that requires a
straight tee shot and a quality pitch. It’s easier
said than done though as the fairway is quite
narrow and poor positioning of the tee shot can
leave a dicult downhill lie approach with a short
iron. A massive scheme of
bunkering can be found
all along the right edge of
the green.
A precise tee shot is
also needed on the next
hole – the 381-metre par-
4 14th, which is rated the
most dicult at Magenta.
The toughest element
of this hole is the drive.
Left of the fairway traps
on the left is not the play,
while the fairway runs
out on the right around
the 240-metre mark,
where the hole begins to
sweep left towards the
large green. With a stif
breeze blowing from the southeast, all four in the
group struggled to find the fairway here and a pair
of double bogey sixes halved the hole. The golf was
fun, but not of a consistently high standard.
With the halved 14th hole behind us it was on
to arguably Magenta Shores’ most memorableofering – the 124-metre par-3 15th. This is a
terrific one-shotter with a relatively small green- in comparison with others at Magenta Shores
- and is well exposed to the wind, bringing deep
bunkers and thick rough into consideration. No
wonder it’s one of Watson’s favourites.
For mine, the mark of a
good hole is the questions
it asks as you stand on
the tee. There’s nothing
worse than the design and
set-up of a hole dictating
what club and shot you
need to hit. Testament
to the quality of the 15th
was how all four in our
group approached the tee
shot. Each had a diferent
club, ranging from 6-iron
through to pitching wedge,
and each had a diferent
plan of attack into a breeze
that was gusting up to
about 25km an hour. The
result: four pars.
The sun was just nearing the horizon was
we putted out on 18 and thoughts were quickly
turning to food. In the name of satisfying hunger
pangs, it was decided to “do the accounts” over
dinner in the resort restaurant.
Barretts Restaurant didn’t disappoint. After
SHELLY BEACH
HAS IMPROVED
MARKEDLY
DURING THE PAST
DECA DE WITH
THE COURSE
NOW FULLY
IRRIGATED.
The superb short par-3 15th
hole at Magenta Shores can be
played so many ways.110 APRIL 2018 | golf australia