By adding accommodation to its well-established golf course, the complex formerly known as Ocean Dunes is strengthening its allure as a complete destination.
About the only knock on King Island during its first decade as a genuine golf destination has been the shortage of accommodation to organise a trip around. Blessed with rugged charm in a remote location in Bass Strait, the island is long on natural splendour but short on beds. That’s about to change.
King Links, the Graeme Grant-designed gem known until recently as Ocean Dunes that sits flush against the shoreline on the western side of the island, will soon unveil a new 48-room lodge with spectacular views of the ocean and course. Also in the pipeline are a 100-seat restaurant and bar. Set to open on February 1, the new rooms will add a crucial dimension to the phenomenal seaside layout as it passes its 10th birthday.
The accommodation wing makes the most of its spectacular setting. The rooms flow in a single line across the high ridgeline to the left of the first fairway. Half overlook the opening hole and Bass Strait beyond, with the other half facing the pastures flanking the ninth and 18th. The rooms will be similar in shape and style to the popular and successful Lost Farm accommodation at Barnbougle.
“Alongside our new name and King Crab logo, our lodge accommodation, GolfDream simulator, and new clubhouse and restaurant to follow, these mark significant milestones in the $38 million upgrade of this unique King Island destination,” says Andrew Muir, King Links chair.
King Links has always enjoyed the luxury of a convenient location on King Island. Much closer to the main township of Currie than Cape Wickham Links, which sits at the northern tip of the elongated island, King Links is within easy reach of the town and airport. Indeed, you can be walking off the plane and standing on the first tee within minutes. But no one comes and goes on the same day, least of all intrepid golfers, and while the local pub offers adequate accommodation, large groups and those looking for something a little more upmarket were left wanting. Until now.
THE RIDE OF YOUR LIFE
Typical of the location, King Links offers a thrilling excursion that changes almost by the hour. Buffeted by whatever wind – and there’s usually plenty of it – that streams across the ocean before striking the coastline, the golf course is as capricious as they come. Design-wise, it’s a layout that throws its aces on the table from the outset and eases off only slightly thereafter.
Golfers encounter more blind shots that they’re normally used to, but put that down to the terrain (which also yielded several amazing and natural holes, fairways and green sites) and a routing that ensures the blind shots are coupled with abundant safety in the hidden parts. The bentgrass rather than fescue greens is also a key point of difference at King Links, while the drought issues of the past two summers are now resolved thanks to increased water storage facilities. The course looked in peak condition earlier this spring.
The opening four holes are magnificent, a case of a multi-course meal where the entrée is the pick of the menu. The par-5 opening hole plays from a high tee with a 180-degree view of the sea. It tumbles down, over and around a dell-and-dune combination in the corner of the dogleg-right before descending to a green with the sea and rocky shoreline as a backdrop. It’s a truly sumptuous opening.
The second is a cerebral short par 4 with a green complex unlike anything else in the country. Wide yet shallow and almost entirely hidden, it plays like a halfpipe with high front and back edges and contours that help gather balls… providing your distance control is up to the task. For big hitters who can thread a drive down the narrow laneway, the right side of the green can be reached from the tee.
The long par-4 third is in complete contrast to the second, a brute that moves uphill and across an inlet in the coastline in a bite-off-as-much-as-you-dare proposition from the tee that becomes only marginally easier thereafter. The short fourth is King Links’ showpiece moment. A mere 131 metres from even the rear tee, it plays across another inlet to a semi-hourglass-shaped green where right-side pins are the most demanding but no hole location can be considered easy. Walking to the fifth tee, golfers will be either frazzled, utterly exhilarated, or quite possibly a little of both.
The buzz doesn’t end after the fourth green but the pace does recede. Even the most hair-raising rollercoasters ease up slightly to tackle turns. From the fifth hole, play ventures inland for the rest of the outward nine but still traverses interesting land with green sites that offer huge variety. The eighth green matches the second for sheer ingenuity. The putting surface at the 174-metre par 3 is much larger and longer than first impressions afford on the tee, while the pin position dictates the way to play the hole. Fail to match the shot shape with the target and there’s every chance you might find yourself on the green but facing a long and near-impossible putt.
Things heat up again at the 10th hole, the third of four mighty par 3s at King Links. This one begins from a tee where the waves lap at the edge of the grass and your ball needs to cover at least a portion of the water that curves with the shore. The green is far enough away from the sea to ease the nerves a little, although not entirely. The 11th crests a rise in the fairway with Bass Strait lining the entire left side before things move back inland for the remainder of the journey.
The 12th and 13th holes do their best to navigate a tricky part of the property, design and terrain-wise. The former is a par 5 that rises steeply up a hill before turning sharply right and descending. Most second shots will be blind, which is not ideal, however there is ample safety on the other side. The latter rides a ridgeline as the uphill par 4 angles right towards an obliquely set green on a high point of the site.
The final short hole, the 14th, drops considerably towards a two-tiered green where the low front section helps gather balls and the high back shelf is significantly harder to find – especially as the hole plays into the prevailing wind.
The last four holes at King Links continue to keep golfers on their toes. Best among them is the par-4 16th, where a creek flows along the right side of the fairway and frames the front and right side of a green that’s angled to fit. The 18th offers two sections of fairway to aim for, a low left area where most balls will finish and a high right side that’s trickier to find but eliminates the uphill approach shot to the green.
Which personality the golf course reveals changes by the day. In friendly breezes it’s far from a daunting task, but in a 40km/h wind or stronger it’s a relentless beast. If the conditions aren’t to your liking, fear not. The weather doesn’t stay the same for very long on King Island, allowing you to remain indoors and relax, or have fun with the GolfDream simulator while waiting out the worst of it. With accommodation and a restaurant shortly to be in the mix at King Links, you can do just that.
THE DETAILS
King Links Golf Course
Where: North Rd, Loorana, King Island TAS 7256
Phone: 0447 830 202
Web: kinglinks.com.au
Photography by gary lisbon, Jacob Sjoman
