Andrew Reeve-Parker

Well Tyson, you're right about two things, it is indeed in the sand belt and it does retain its own uniqueness to its nearby brethren with a focus on wonderfully strategic short 4s and long 5s. To accuse it of being flat is to overlook the subtlety of the land movement across the site. And where the holes are indeed flat, the green complexes are presented to provide interest and challenge. The 'flat' part of the course is 13 through 16 which follows a strong stretch of holes with the 12th the stand-out as you're required to work the ball left to right off the tee to avoid deep bunkers which turn an easy 4 on the card in to a tough bogey. The 13th looks to be an easy short 4 where your eyes immediately skip the flatness of the land and focus on the intricate bunkers lining the fairways to a green site which looks tantalisingly reachable. A short hole which truly rewards a straight hit to the front left of a green complex which slopes from front to back. The 14th is the flattest hole on the course but the design has again drawn your eye to a heavily bunkered green complex. The 15th works it's way slightly uphill to a well disguised biarritz front. The 16th adds interest through a right to left bias off the tee to a green complex which welcomes approaches from the right side of the fairway. The 17th is a fantastic short 3 which can play long in to the wind and 18 is a challenging drive over a pronounced hump with bold bunkering capturing your interest on the approach. The par 5 6th is a rare example of a true 'switchback' template requiring a tight draw off the tee to negate the pitch of the land followed by a fade around trees imposing themselves down the right. In sumamry, Woodlands is a hidden gem on the sandbelt and one that I try to play each visit to Melbourne. The 3rd, 4th and 7th are amongst the best short 4s on the sandbelt (with 4 being iconic for its green design) and 12 and 13 rounding out a nice compliment of short 4s on the back 9. A fun place to play and hone your ball control before taking on its celebrated siblings.