RACV Cape Schanck Resort

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So I am now not a member of an official golf club due to my recent move.  Wanting to ensure I play a few more of the Top 100 Courses, I decided to research how I could keep my handicap yet still travel around.  Answer found, RACV Golf Club.  Having joined one of my first rounds as a member was RACV Cape Schanck, helps that we get a free voucher when joining.

Entrance to RACV Cape Schanck Resort

James and I decided to make the trip down to the Peninsula, he had played the course years before, but it was the first time for me.  In all honestly I didn’t have a clue about the course, so I was in for a pleasant surprise.  Located one hours from Melbourne, the course is located on the Mornington Peninsula.  This area has around ten top quality courses, with all but three of these open to the public, The National Golf Club requires you to be a member or members guest, interstate or overseas visitor.

The clubhouse at RACV Cape Schanck Resort

The course was designed by Robert Trent Jones Jnr, one of my favourite golf architects, in fact my favourite course in Australia was right next door, The National Golf Club Old Course.  Even though RACV Cape Schanck Resort is not a part of Australian Golf Digest Top 100 courses, it is listed in the Golf Australia Top 100 Public Access course rankings.  Good enough for me.

RACV Cape Schanck Resort course map

The course has two quite distinct nines.  The front I found to be relatively flat and a bit more open, whilst the back was very hilly and a lot more narrow.

Scorecard for RACV Cape Schanck Resort

For today’s game we had been paired up with two other social golfers who were a part of a boys weekend away, with their friends in the foursome in front.  Unfortunately they felt a little intimidated and let us play ahead after a few holes.  Can I point out to anyone reading, you should never feel intimidated by other golfers.  I actually like playing with random people as it is a good way to socialise and possibly find out things about the World you might not know.

Hole 1 – 327 meter par 4

The first hole is a nice little tester to start with ranked 2 on the index, have to love being thrown at one of the hardest holes from the get go.  Playing a slight curve to the right, there is ample fairway to hit but both sides of the fairway are tree lined.  The are a few undulations in the fairway potentially leaving you with an awkward stance, but the main danger is the bunker located to the left.

James blows his par putting on the 1st green

From the fairway it is an up hill shot of at least 100 meters to the putting surface.  Two more bunkers are located greenside, but the green is fairly large so take a bit more club.  I was lucky to put it close to the pin and one putt for birdie.  At that point I should have left the course as it wasn’t going to get any better than that. After finishing the first hole my observations were the course was in great condition.  Fairways were nice and consistant and the greens were rolling at a good speed, quick but not lightening fast.

Hole 2 – 489 meter par 5

Next we play the longest hole on the course. The hole curves slightly to the right off the tee with a few traps on both sides of the fairway coming into play.  Again a wide open space to put you ball into.  The second shot will see the hole curve back to the left, also contending with a small rise in the fairway.  The ideal line is to play almost over the tree on the left of the fairway.  One thing I notice is more mounds and fairway undulation.

The fortified second green

Playing to the green, anything right will end up in the sand.  This bunker is long running the whole length of the green.  The putting surface is made up of two distinct sections with a ridge running through the middle.  From this point the green runs away in both directions. My next observation is the clean crisp cuts to the edge of the bunkers.

Hole 3 – 172 meter par 3

The longest and hardest par 3 on the course, this hole plays from an elevated tee.  Quite picturesque from the tee actually, although always allows for a mistake with your shot to be magnified further.  We have a large green with three bunkers right, one left and one at the rear for good measure.  There is a lot of room at the front of the green for those who may struggle to make the distance.

Undulating 3rd green

The green has a slope running away at the front, and has some larger undulations towards the center.  This green is big so two putting will not be an easy thing if you have left yourself some distance from the pin.

Hole 4 – 137 meter par 3

From the tee this is a medium length par 3 with bunkers either side.  On the left the bunker is built into a mound, which ensures you know it is there. The green is narrow and has two sections, predominantly sloping from back to front.  There is also a gentle slope from the left. I can now definitely see the Robert Trent Jones Jnr design influence.

Looking back from the 4th green

So we get to my first criticism of the course.  Two par threes in a row.  Not such a big fan.  Now I am no expert designer (in fact not a designer at all), but I have read quite a bit about course architecture. I have played other courses which have done similar things, Stonecutters Ridge comes to mind with the 16th and 17th.  Not even my previous home club of North Ryde, a fairly short course with 6 par 3 holes, still managed to create a route where there was at least one hole between.

Hole 5 – 348 meter par 4

From the tee this hole looks fairly tight, but there is more room than appears.  Some of the trees block part of the fairway to the right.  This hole plays up a gradual slope all the way to the green, with the odd undulation in the fairway. Playing too far to the right will block your approach to the green by the trees.

The large fifth green

The fifth green is quite large and slopes from front to back.

Hole 6 – 318 meter par 4

The sixth hole is a short dogleg to the left.  Safest option on this hole is to play to the left or center of the fairway, leaving a short approach to the green.  This appears to be a saddle when viewed.  A bunker is in front of the green which must be carried.

The 6th green is like a rollercoaster

This green almost looks like a roller coaster with two humps located near the middle of the putting surface.  Being quite long there is also raised sides which will assist feeding the ball down to the green if hit slightly off line.

Hole 7 – 143 meter par 3

This par 3 invites trouble with any pins to the left. Most of this green is located behind the small lake, which will test the majority of people playing the course.  There is the option to play around this by sticking to the right.

Looking back from the 7th green

The green is very wide and had some gentle slopes.  A bunker also captures any shot which may be long.

The seventh green

Another view of the seventh green taken from the 8th tee

Hole 8 – 435 meter par 5

Although this par 5 is short in distance, it requires an accurate tee shot.  Water must be carried unless you skirt around the edge.  There is also a bunker and out of bounds to the left.  A long drive may carry the first hill leaving a clear shot to the green.

Approach to the 8th green

From the fairway there are still two bunkers to the left for any wayward shots, but around the green the main obstacle is the large bunker to the right.  This green has a large ridge through the center.  For any pin positions beyond the ridge, ensure you aim to the left of the pin, as the ball will end up right of the point it rolls over the ridge.

Hole 9 – 318 meter par 4

This par 4 plays with a dogleg to the right.  Playing from an elevated tee you have the choice of laying up on the fairway straight ahead leaving a medium iron to the green, or take on the trees and bunker to shorten the approach to the green.

Short approach to the 9th green

If carrying the trees you will land down in an area with various mounds.  The next step is hitting the green, which slopes from the rear and avoiding the three bunkers on the left and rear.  The area to the front of the green is sloping steeply away, so don’t be short.

Tee Marker and two maniacs

Hole 10 – 257 meter par 4

A short par 4 starts the back nine. This hole is reachable from the tee but with a bit of risk.  The hole turns to the left.  At the end of the fairway is a large bunker so choose you distance wisely.  There is a little extra clearing to the right for those with extreme safety in mind.

The wide 10th green

Approaching the tenth, you are faced with a wide green protected by one bunker on its center to right side.  The green slopes from the right to left, but has slopes on most sides, especially the rear, taking your ball away from the putting surface.

Hole 11 – 329 meter par 4

A medium length par 3 which turns to the left.  Playing over a large valley, the perfect line would be the tree in the center of the fairway.  Avoid being too far left, other wise the shot to the green will be blind and over trees.  The bunker to the right is in play.

James playing out of the bunker on the 11th

As mentioned the bunker is in play from the tee which leaves a difficult shot to reach the green.  At least a mid iron is required, but may not be possible if you are too close to the face.

Looking back from the 11th green

The large 11th green has a slight tier change through the middle.  Sloping from the rear, there are two green side traps to avoid on either side.

Hole 12 – 334 meter par 4

Between the 11th and 12th holes is a small par 3 used for betting purposes.  This is from an elevated tee and if the round is slow, could be a good stop.  If not you cross through a tunnel to play the next hole.  From the tee the 12th presents a tight tee shot, with hills on either side enclosing to reduce what can be seen. There is a fairway trap to the left to avoid.  This hole then turns to the right leaving a shot from an elevated position to the green.

The undulating 12th green

This green is quite large with slopes running off on all sides except the rear.  A trap is located to the left.  The green has some large undulations and slopes significantly from the rear.

Hole 13 – 312 meter par 4

Another medium length par 3 with a large fairway to land your tee shot, the tee plays from an elevated position.  On both sides of the fairway bunkers are found as well as some large mounds.  From either side the fairway slopes towards the center.

The 13th green is quite long

A large bunker protects the front and rear of this green, whilst to the left the fringe is higher than the putting surface. The middle of the green has a large ridge to the left side.

Hole 14 – 153 meter par 3

Playing from an elevated tee this par 3 requires an accurate tee shot.  Two large bunkers are to the left but mainly in play for rear pin positions. Front, rear and right of the green slopes ensure any ball not hitting the putting surface will roll away.

Three tiered 14th green

The green on the 14th has three tiers and slopes dramatic elevation change from the back to the front of the green.  It is important to land the ball on the correct tier.  I could not even imagine trying to putt from the lower tier to the top.

Hole 15 – 318 par 4

We come to the hardest hole on the course on 15.  The tee shot is again elevated to a narrow fairway and I would say the most difficult on the course.  A large hill is to the left with parts barren, which may allow the ball to run back down. To the right is thick scrub and a fairway  bunker is located towards the end of the fairway.  It is easy for longer hitters to play through the fairway and find themselves in a gully on a downhill slope.

The fifteenth leaves views over The National Golf Club

To reach the fifteenth green, you play up a steep slope, so take enough club.  The green is fairly large with two bunkers located to the left, with another over the rear.  The putting surface slopes from right to left. Any par here is well deserved.

Hole 16 – 144 meter par 3

From the tee the hole looks simple enough. A medium length par 3 with two small bunkers one either side of the green.  The real test occurs on the green.

The large undulating 16th green

This large, long green, has quite a few undulations and varying slopes to test any putt.  Sloping away from the green on the right and rear sides, ensuring the tee shot is the right distance to the hole is critical.  Some of the slopes on this green are deceiving, so look closely from all sides if you have time.

Hole 17 – 455 meter par 5

On the penultimate hole, I would say was the most deceiving tee shot on the course.  Be cautious trying to cut the corner of this par 5 which turns to the right.  The distance to the lone tree on the right side is further than it looks. Anything to the right of this tree could leave you in a gully with a blind shot out. Take it easy and aim for the middle of the fairway here.

Approach to the 17th green

The 17th fairway turns gradually to almost be at a right angle to finally reach the 17th green. There is on fairway trap on the right to collect any mishit shot trying to take a short cut.  When reaching the green three bunkers are located to the right. A few mounds are found on the left of the green which may assist, but may also hinder.  The front of the green slopes towards the rear making it difficult to stop the ball in this section.

Hole 18 – 290 meter par 4

Finally the home stretch.  This shortish par 4 turns to the left and plays all downhill.  The best line is the fairway bunker or slightly to the right of this. Trees are in play all down the left and beware of the large swale for the shorter hitters. Too far right brings a fairway trap in play, whilst those trying to shorten the length to the green may find themselves in heavy scrub.

The final green for the day

The approach to 18th green is down hill also.  A large gully is found just in front of the green, so anything short will roll back some distance.  This large green slopes mainly from the rear to the front.

Overall my experience here was a very positive one. A great testing course which allows for all levels of player.  The front nine was quite forgiving, but I found the second nine to be a lot more demanding, appearing a lot narrower at times, this will test all golfing levels. The condition of the course was fantastic, even better considering it is a public course. I find it funny that Robert Trent Jones Jnr had designed this course and also the neighbouring course at The National Golf Club, which is one of my favourite in Australia.

If travelling from afar, why not even consider staying at the resort, which will allow you to play some of the other gems in the area. The region has some excellent wineries and is well known for its Pinot Noir to fit in between the golf. I recommend Stonier Winery if you are interested. There is also beaches in the area if you like a bit of a surf.

One final tip, dress for any occasions. It can be quite windy in the area.

How to play RACV Cape Schanck Resort:

This is a public course which can be accessed by the public seven days a week. Please contact the RACV Cape Schanck Resort pro shop or website to make a booking.