Narooma GC- holes 2 3Narooma GC- holes 2 & 3 

Located on NSW's South coast, Narooma is a lovely seaside holiday town.

The golf course at Narooma is the highlight of any golfing trip to the South and/or Sapphire Coasts.

Other good courses in the area include: Moruya, Bermagui, Tura Beach, and Merimbula.

Narooma is a delightful course which travels through a variety of terrains.

The first 6 holes traverse the spectacular clifftops with links like holes and dramatic tee andgreen locations.

It is just a wonderful place to play golf!

From there the course moves through a number of low lying holes abutting tidal lakes.

They are good strategic holes, testing and attractive.

And then the course changes up again and takes you into the hills and gum trees, before finishing on the cliffs again at 18

Narooma came to fame in the 1980's with a Paul Hogan commercial filmed on the third hole, which became known as "Hogan's hole".

It certainly is a spectacular hole with the green on one side of a rocky cove, and the tee on the other.

In between, a hundred feet or more below lies the heaving Pacific Ocean.

Add a little wind, mix it all around- and you have the potential for some excitment in your round.

And everyone should stop on the tee and get a photo with the green, and the cave below as a background...

 

Narooma GC- hole 3Narooma GC- hole 3

Originally a nine holer, Narooma added nine more holes in 1980 under the guidance of John Spencer.

The original nine holes, which now feature as holes 1 to 7, 17, and 18 are routed along and over clifftops beside the Pacific Ocean.

It is dramatic golf with gorgeous clifftop views, and spectacular green sites (2, 3, 5, & 18).

The coastal tee on hole 4 is nice as well, requiring a shot over an cove to the fairway

 

It is a hilly site with significant elevation change- particularly on the first two holes, and holes 7,10, 11 & 18. You need to be fit to walk these holes!

Throughout the green complexes are nicely bunkered and both the greens themselves and the bunkers are smallish, simple and elegant. Nothing has been over engineered. It is all quite understated and natural.

The only disappointment for me is the sharply downhill par seventh hole. It is an awkward hole that connects the wonderful holes preceding it to the newer holes designed by Spencer

 

The new nine, across the road, and through the caravan park, travels through different land altogether.

Holes 8, 9 & 16 are routed through lower flattish sandy terrain that is somewhat reminscent of the Melbourne Sandbelt.

Holes 10-14 are set in hilly eucalyptus forests with a couple of ponds thrown in, and big elevation changes- and hole 15 transitions out of the trees, over the lake, and into the sandy terrain again.

Of these, the short par 4 8th hole and the 15th over the lake are the pick of the bunch. The 8th would nicely fit into, say, Woodlands in the sandbelt.

It is a lovely hole!

 

I must say I really enjoyed these newer holes. The ninth is a strong par 3, and the treetop tee shot on the par 5 eleventh hole was a thrill.

The fifteenth and sixteenth are also classy holes, with the tidal lake framing the hole and defining the tee shot on 15, and then a well bunkered green adding to the drama.

Sixteen is just a lovely par 5 running adjacent to the beach through low sandy terrain, and framed by gums.

The sound of the waves crashing on the beach to your right only enhances the experience

 

Narooma GC- hole 16Narooma GC- hole 16

The final hole is back on the clifftops- with the green tucked around a corner on a promontory.

It's an intriguing hole which improves with multiple plays as you gain an appreciation for the line and length required for the partially blind second shot..

There is a huge dip in the fairway and vision of the latter part of the hole is blocked by gum trees.

One can only speculate how good the hole would be if the club was allowed reduce the vegetation enough to allow vision of the green on the clifftop.

Without those trees and with a little sculpting of the fairway 18 could present a brilliant finish with a risk/reward shot to the green you would not forget.

In this scenario the hole would play as a 'cape' hole giving the player the choice of how much of the ocean to bite off.

Speculation aside it is an interesting closing hole as it stands

 

Notable holes include:

- hole 2, a strong par 4 from an extremely elevated tee, down along and over the cliffs, and then up to a green perched on the cliffs

 

Narooma GC- hole 2 approachNarooma GC- hole 2 approach

Narooma GC- hole 2 coastNarooma GC- hole 2 coast

 

 

- hole 3, a dramatic par 3 over the ocean

 

Narooma GC- hole 3 & caveNarooma GC- hole 3 & cave

Narooma GC- hole 3 white waterNarooma GC- hole 3 white water

 

 

- hole 8, a sandbelt style short par 4

 

Narooma GC- hole 8 tee shotNarooma GC- hole 8 tee shot

Narooma GC- hole 8 approachNarooma GC- hole 8 approach

 

 

- hole 11, a cracking par 5 from an elevated tee arcing around to the left through the trees

 

Narooma GC- hole 11Narooma GC- hole 11

 

- hole 15, a par 4 playing from an elevated tee in the gums across the tidal lake to a fairway that runs at a diagonal. How much do you take on?

 

Narooma GC- hole 15Narooma GC- hole 15

 

- hole 18, a par 5 to finish where the key is the second shot. The green sits high above the waves with panoramic views

Narooma GC- hole 18 tee to greenNarooma GC- hole 18 tee to green

Narooma GC- hole 18 approachNarooma GC- hole 18 approach

 

 

Narooma is picturesque, challenging and just a fun course to play. It's a course that you will return to.

 

Golf Tours

 

 The Travelling Golfer can tailor a golf trip to suit your group.

For suggested destinations see Golf Destinations: The NSW South Coast

 

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