Riverside Oaks (Bungool)

Located an hour’s drive northwest of downtown Sydney and currently operated by the Nanshan Group, the upscale 36-hole Riverside Oaks Golf Resort occupies a 600-acre property overlooking the Hawkesbury River, adjacent to the heavily forested Cattai National Park.

The Bungool course opened in 2014 and it’s split into two distinct sections: Holes 1-7 plus 17 and 18 (which formed the initial 9-hole layout) have the river in full view, whilst holes 8 to 16 are laid out on more undulating, wooded terrain, with frequent direction changes to the fairway routing.

Measuring 6,305 metres, the layout is almost the same length as the older Gangurru course that was in use when the resort was first established in the late 1980s. Interestingly, the newer 18-hole course contains only three par threes and three par fives on the card, with all the three-shot holes played in a six-hole mid-round stretch.

Architect Harrison described the Bungool site as having many “natural advantages,” which “made it possible to develop an outstanding golf course for a comparatively very low cost. The landscape is beautiful and spectacular in places but has a certain ruggedness to it as well.”

Harrison continued: “This ruggedness suggests a style for bunkers which is still oriented to attractive patterns of shape in the bunker faces – but without pristine edges or finishes. The bunkers have a certain wildness which fits the overall appearance of the course.”