Yarra Yarra is not quite in Melbourne’s top tier but it has to be close now. I’d say it makes the most of its rectangular, gently sloping land and combined with my lower expectations made it the best surprise of my trip. The property oozes class and has the conditioning to match – even after record rainfall the greens are the fastest I’ve ever played on. 1 and 2 are gentle in that they share a huge fairway though 2’s a long uphill 4 with deception bunkers affecting any layup. 3 is a standard long par 3 that unfortunately could be anywhere. Besides this, Yarra Yarra’s short holes are all real quality. Unlike the blurb above, I don’t think there is a big difference between the two nines - maybe that’s less the case after Renaissance’s work. The 6th is a typical yet excellent short 3 with trouble on all sides (first photo). Compact bunker sand means anything on the green is a good recovery. This isn’t even the best or hardest one on the course, that would be 15 (third photo) which has bunkers on all sides and a narrow green that tilts severely from back to front. Apparently the recovery play is not to aim at the flag, but aim 20+ yards up the green. 11 however is the ‘signature’ par 3… For members, these crazy green complexes make it a great course to drop balls and experiment on quiet evenings. I was told that the layout is about as hard as it was before the restoration, though the trouble has moved to the greens rather than penalising tee shots with trees. The subtly climbing par 5 of 18 is a suitably grand finish. For the few hours you’re on site your interest will be kept at high level, you won’t spend much time searching for balls, and three putting or worse doesn’t feel like a big deal. Even the members do it. If planning a trip, take a bus or cab from Oakleigh station because I would definitely include Yarra Yarra.