Best foot forward: Why the future of esteemed Woodlands Golf Club is in good hands. 

If ever a single example could illustrate the need for golf courses to constantly evolve, it might just be Woodlands Golf Club. The revered Melbourne course – which is either part of the Sandbelt or just outside it, depending on who you ask – is currently undergoing a series of minor improvements that show just how much golf courses change organically over time.

This is no overhaul, as the timeless 18-hole layout is not going to change at all, save for a couple of small improvements here and there. Instead, this is an exercise in letting those 18 holes breathe a little more. Vegetation maintenance is more important than ever as golf clubs increasingly appreciate that the space they need to look after is everything inside the fencelines and not just the playing corridors. Woodlands, which as the name suggests, is as fertile and fulsome in the flora stakes as they come and is working through a more considered approach to ensuring the whole property is at its optimum.

In have stepped Woodlands’ newly appointed consulting architects Mike Clayton, whose knowledge of the Melbourne Sandbelt is unrivalled, and Harley Kruse, who also owns extensive expertise in landscaping, vegetation management and biodiversity. Among Kruse’s current projects is the landscaping brief at Royal Sydney in concert with the course redesign work Gil Hanse is undertaking. At Woodlands, Clayton is advising the club on the golf course, Kruse on the surrounds.

From a core golf perspective, members, their guests and those lucky enough to secure a tee-time at Woodlands will soon enjoy beginning their rounds from a renovated first and 10th tee area, part
of the course with a neat overlap where the starting points are receiving a welcome refresh that will also help improve the turf quality on both tees. Alongside this work is a new short-game practice area that will come into play as part of a broader redesign of the club’s driving range.

On the less glamorous but equally important side, vegetation clearing undertaken to date at ground level has highlighted some of the wonderful indigenous flora on the property, such as magnificent Manna Gums and stunning River Red Gums. In the places where the work is complete, you can once again see the beautiful, gnarled tea-tree trunks, low-lying indigenous vegetation and glimpses of the holes ahead.

The overall plan is to reinvigorate the layout by showcasing the indigenous vegetation. The club acknowledges that it’s the “1 percent stuff”, yet these seemingly minor projects feel more voluminous than that because of the benefits they bring, such as improved airflow and eliminating excessive shading to boost the playing surfaces. The course looks better and plays better, and the work to date has removed the intrusive species of vegetation that was drowning out the stunning indigenous flora.

“In many ways it’s taking one step back to go two forward,” says Woodlands general manager Cameron Tortolano. “It’s an old property with a rustic feel and the club wants to retain that. We’re on Sandbelt land and Woodlands plays like a Sandbelt course, yet has its own personality.”

“The amazing thing about Woodlands is – apart from Royal Melbourne and  maybe Peninsula North – it’s probably got the most undisturbed land among the Sandbelt golf courses,” Kruse adds.

Clayton and Kruse’s plan is not to overhaul but rather to enhance what has always been recognised as one of Australia’s best sites for golf.

“Woodlands, by the virtue of good management… has kind of left the place alone,” Kruse says. “It’s really good. So our advice to Woodlands is: we love the architecture; it’s a classic Melbourne Sandbelt 18. It might be a bit short, but that’s OK. It’s still a good, fun test of golf. So let’s leave the golf architecture alone and look at the vegetation and where trees are crowding holes or the wrong tree species has been put in.”

The site in the suburb of Mordialloc is also one of the most significant in the area for indigenous vegetation and fauna. Kruse also hopes to revive some of the heathland flora that he says may well still exist underneath the existing vegetation. If not, it’ll be planted. “A lot can be done to improve the place by simply looking at the vegetation right around the entire golf course,” he says.

Staying true to itself

Woodlands is no meat-and-potatoes golf course. It possesses far more nuance and intricacies than most layouts could ever dream of owning. One only need stand on the tee of the exacting fourth hole to understand this trait. A teasing 251 metres, this par 4 has inflicted punishment on many a scorecard through its seemingly innocuous shapes. While there is ample room across the fairway, the raised, slender green is best approached from just the right angle, placing a premium on accuracy with the tee shot that is not necessarily evident at first glance. Attempt a delicate half-pitch from the wrong angle and you might find yourself with a pitching club in hand for quite a while, possibly visiting multiple sides of the green.

The simple genius of the fourth returns on several occasions throughout the round, with the emphasis on placement and approach angles a recurring theme – but also necessary given that the layout tops out at 6,111 metres.

Woodland’s old-school style is a refreshing survivor in golf’s power era. It’s a feature the club is comfortable with, seeking to play to the strengths it possesses. As Tortolano says, the place has its own personality, and the biggest challenge is around the greens. It is not a course you can overpower; it is a thinker’s course that takes a strategic approach to ensure a good score.

Preserving what you have and emphasising your best assets. There’s a lesson in the Woodlands experience for many more golf clubs. 

THE DETAILS

Woodlands Golf Club
Where: White St, Mordialloc VIC 3195
Phone: (03) 9580 3455
Web: woodlandsgolf.com.au

Photos by Gary Lisbon