Every club golfer usually loves their home course for a variety of reasons. They know the nuances of the fairways and greens. They know the best way to attack each fairway and each green in order to score well. Going on a new course often offers greater challenges than is usually the case in your home field. For me, as a “hacker”, if I can get a score below a hundred on a new course, then I’d be very happy because I haven’t hit that 100 or so on a scorecard yet.

But let me get back to golf at my Ashgrove course in Brisbane’s inner west, in the shadow of Mt Coot-tha.

This is what I like about the course.

• It is nestled in the hills to the west of the city.

• It has a large creek following the course which can offer a challenge to both the beginner and the hacker.

• There are four large ponds/small lakes that come into play for the unwary.

• Every street is different.

• Each green is a different challenge. Your putt will often drift into watercourses or valleys on the course. Few greens are not without slope in one or more directions.

• The same could be said for every bunker on the course. Some are quite deep, while others protect the green for a considerable distance, creating a long and difficult bunker shot to the green, especially for the average golfer.

• All fairways are lined with trees and in some cases sloped to one side, meaning the golfer must aim for location rather than distance.

• There are elevated tees, which when played from the back blue mark change the dynamic of each hole, often making the hole appear longer and more difficult.

• There are six fairways with doglegs, both to the right and to the left in the direction that often obscures the green for the next shot, leaving the golfer with the decision of where to put their first and second shots.

• The easiest of the dogleg holes is the second. It curves to the left about 200 meters from the rear markers. The first shot is uphill along a fair path that descends to the left. Any shot too far to the left runs into the third fairway or into a position where big trees force a layup or dangerous shot over big trees onto the green. Any tee shot to the top of the elevation allows for an easy shot to a large, flat green.

• Five of these doglegs are on the back nine holes of the course.

  • The eleventh hole doglegs to the right from a narrow opening off the tee. If your shot is short, you will end up on a slope with no view of the fairway for your next shot. Although the shot is blind, the fairway ahead is wide, but requires a shot of no more than 150 meters to be sure before your third shot downhill to a large green protected left and right by large bunkers. The bunker on the right side is very deep.

  • Twelfth Fairway is narrow with a tree-lined stream on your left and a steep, tree-lined slope on your right. The dogleg circles the creek and starts about 200 meters from the back tee. If you don’t make it to the dogleg corner, your shot to the green is blind as large trees grow along the creek around the dogleg bend preventing a direct shot to the green. The green is large but is protected by bunkers on the front left, left side and along the entire right side of the green. If you hit the green too much, your ball will come to rest far below the green into the creek.

  • the 14^the requires a long, uphill first shot, best positioned towards the right side of the fairway. Any left shot will have trees as well as a steep slope that will prevent the golfer from going directly onto the green. Your next shot has to deal with the dogleg and should stay to its right side, as any shot too far to the left will roll down a very steep slope, making your next shot very difficult. The green has two levels and is protected on the left front by a large, deep bunker.

  • the 15^the The tee is well above the dogleg, which is about 200 meters from the back marks. Most golfers can get to the corner to allow a shot on a large sloping green. However, any shot to the right will bring into play the creek or a large bunker in the right corner of the green. This is the easiest of all the holes with doglegs on the back nine.

  • Finally, the 16^the hole requires a shot over a hill to an unseen fairway. Any remaining shots will slide downhill, making the second shot much longer and over or through some trees. Golfers should aim just to the left of a large tree above the dogleg corner to land in the best position for a long, uphill second shot to an elevated green protected in front by two bunkers, one of which is very deep.

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  The clubhouse is situated on an elevation overlooking 1st and 14th^the t-shirts as well as 8^the and 18^the greens with a large balcony where you can watch the game.
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  the 8^the Hoyo has recently been refurbished to make it more of a challenge. The creek crosses the road at a right angle, like the diagonal of a square. The position of the tee determines the golfer’s first shot. Lots of trees to the right of the fairway from the tee to the creek may force the golfer to “stop” or risk flying over the trees and landing on the fairway over the creek a short iron shot from the green. To make the challenge even greater, the large sloping green is protected by two very deep front bunkers. This hole is considered one of the emblematic holes of the course.
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  The third hole, a par three, is another characteristic hole. Most of the fairway is dominated by a lake. There are large trees along the right side of the lake; a steep slope with large trees about 10 meters to the left of the lake where a golfer can jump off and a ten meter landing area between the front of the green and the edge of the lake. Many average golfers point to a paperbark tree in the shape of a “Y” as their rescue point on the left front of the green. This allows for a short chip to a large two level green.

Ashgrove golf course is in quite a beautiful setting with a wide variety of trees, birds, streams flowing through the course, four small lakes all surrounded by low tree covered mountains. The course has some hilly sections, but they add to the challenge of the course without tiring the golfer out. The course may be relatively short, but it is a challenge for most golfers. You have to position your shots accurately or suffer the consequences. So if you are a “Brisbane” or golfer visiting Brisbane, I challenge you to play the course and score under a hundred on your first try.