The Yarra river rises in South East Victoria and flows for 150 miles right through the centre of Melbourne before reaching the sea very near to where the Yarra Yarra golf course has been relocated since 1929.

The golf course is mostly flat and has possibly the fastest greens I have ever putted on. Trees have been thinned out and bunkers restored to their original style in recent times, as well as some renumbering of holes which means the course no longer start with a long par three, this hole has become the 3rd. The fairways are very dry, and wide enough with only mild vegetation at their edges , which means that with some adjoining fairways it is possible to err in direction from the tee and not be penalised too heavily. The superb bunkering is the other main challenge to the fast greens, although on the day we played strong winds were also quite a factor.

The four short holes on this course are undoubtedly a highlight, they are all good with my favourites being the shortest hole on the course at 6 which is uphill to a narrow green with deep bunkers on three sides and a sharp drop behind, and the testing 11th. See photos attached plus a typical view from the clubhouse. As with nearby Victoria GC, the par fives are all at or very near to the end of each nine, in this case at 8, 9, 16 and 18, and the nice finishing hole turns right to a big green at the front of the clubhouse.

There are however too many average rather than memorable par fours to make Yarra Yarra more than just a good course to play in Melbourne’s famed Sandbelt area. It is nevertheless a fair test and will certainly find any lack of confidence in your putting stroke, for this area of your game will be strongly tested.