When first conceived as a golf club in 1891 in Caufield, there was no Royal designation. That happened in 1895 when Queen Victoria proclaimed recognition of the now Royal Melbourne Golf Club.
In 1901 the club moved to Sandringham, near its current location. In 1926 Alistair MacKenzie began designing a course on adjacent fields in Blackrock. This would become the West course. In 1931 Mick Morcom designed the East course.
Consistently ranked as the top course in Australia and amongst the top five globally, RMGC West is difficult to describe. There are many generous fairways but a miss in a fairway bunker is penal.
There are significant uphill and downhill lies adding to the length of some holes.
And, of course, the cavernous green side bunkers!
It was a true test of golf made even more challenging by the wind that sprung up. The good news was that the wind brought a “cold” front that dropped the temperature from the mid 90’s to mid 70’s which was much more comfortable.
As with most golf trips one wishes the opportunity existed to play a course a second time to both enjoy the layout while, hopefully, playing better given that little bit of knowledge. Well at least we do have a standing invitation to return.
Next up is a day of wine tasting in the Yara Valley. Oh, and a tour of a chocolate factory. With all the walking for golf (20,000 steps per day) it means we won’t have to worry about the calories. Ha!
The Bennetts On Tour 