My first shot at Barwon Heads went about 50 yards dead left into a clump of bushes just short of one of the houses that border the course. Immediately, I had two fears: 1) That my host, whom I had met for the first time twenty minutes earlier, would banish me from the course and 2) I was about to die, courtesy of one of the deadly Australian creatures I’d been reading about. I didn’t expect to encounter a shark or a crocodile, but how about a snake? The world’s ten most poisonous snakes are found in Australia. Fortunately, neither my host nor any dangerous creatures pounced upon me and I went on to enjoy 18 holes of links golf. The look of the land and of the course is a bit reminiscent of Prestwick: while the ocean is not in sight, you can hear it right over the dunes. If you were blindfolded and parachuted in, you’d swear you were in Scotland……until you got very close to the “gorse bushes” and determined they were Australian ti-tree. Barwon Head’s most famous hole is 13, a tiny downhill par 3 without a single bunker, but enough contours to make a recovery from off the green quite challenging. Golf has been played here for over a century and the beach just over the dune is called Thirteenth Beach, in honor of the hole. The other par 3s make for equally fine golf, particularly #8, played over a sandy waste area that would do Pine Valley proud; and #17, whose green is set in an amphitheater of dunes (which are entirely man-made, but impressive nonetheless.) The rest of the greens feature fine contours as well and can be reached either in the air or along the ground, providing plenty of strategic choices. The greens were in good condition in March, 2015, despite being composed of dreaded poa annua. The temperate climate limits the wild growth that makes poa the sworn enemy of superintendents in warmer climes.Barwon Heads is a charmer, in addition to being a very good golf course. The charm is only enhanced by the unusual multi-hued flags that adorn the flagsticks. You can get a good view by looking at my profile.