A golf course devised with a ‘Home of Australian Golf’ and the Australian Open in mind, Peter Thomson’s Open course at Moonah Links is a supremely difficult test of execution. Immensely long, vulnerable to the winds whipping off nearby Bass Strait and cratered by innumerate pot bunkers, the Open course is about as tough as the game becomes. Two Australian Opens last decade illustrated its ferocity, especially the 2005 edition when Robert Allenby bookmarked his victory with rounds of 63 and 77.
Among the attributes Thomson got right was variety in the tee options. The back tees make the course brutal, but the forward set or two still showcase the course’s best elements to players of lesser ability and the strategy required. However, the essence of the Open course lies in the bunkering. Depending on the conditions, many pots won’t be a factor on some days but almost certainly every full shot a golfer faces at Moonah Links will need to dodge bunkers – and potentially dozens of them.
THE DETAILS
Moonah Links
Where: Peter Thomson Drive, Fingal VIC 3939
Phone: (03) 5988 2000
Web: moonahlinks.com.au
