Mandalay

The course at Club Mandalay is the sporting hub of a 2,000-lot residential development on the northern corridor out of Melbourne, with easy 45-minute access to the city via the nearby Hume Freeway.

Designed by Peter Thomson and Ross Perrett as a links-style layout, the Mandalay course offers significant elevation changes on two of its short holes, as well as at the par four closing hole back to the clubhouse in the northeast corner of the property.

Quite a few rocks had to be cleared from the former grazing land during construction and these have been put to good use by lining a wide water catchment channel in a lower part of the layout.

Both par threes on the front nine – the 182-metre 3rd and the 164-metre 7th hole – are excellent one-shot holes, playing down then back up the same hill. The short par four 5th is another terrific hole on the outward half, doglegging right from the tee across the crest of a hill.

On the inward half, back-to-back par fives at the 16th and 17th offer the chance of a late birdie before tackling the 391-metre 18th, where fairway bunkers either side of the landing zone severely hamper progress towards the home green if you catch one of them with your tee shot.