Cottesloe Golf Club

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When ever I make the journey across this vast country, I like to ensure a game is played. Such a long way to travel without getting one in. This time I was paying a visit for our good friends daughters (who was a big surprise to all of us) Christening.

Wanting to not travel to far from the city, I thought it a great time to complete all the courses in Perth’s city regions area. The last on my list was Cottesloe Golf Club. After contacting the clubs general manager, I was informed that four holes were out of play due to construction. Second thoughts then arose, but being offered a reduced green fee I decided to play the course anyway.

Entrance to Cottesloe Golf Club in Swanbourne WA

Cottesloe Golf club is located around fifteen minutes east of the Perth CBD.  It is located near one of the cities most popular beaches.  The club was originally formed in 1908 as a nine hole course, five minutes down the road overlooking Cottesloe Beach.  This site is now home to Sea View Golf Club, which is an open links course overlooking the beach.  Due to various inconveniences with the site, it was decided to move with a new course on the current site being completed in 1931.

The large two storey clubhouse

The clubhouse is quite large and full of old memoribillia in the bar area.  Sitting on the balcony you overlook the first, ninth and eighteenth holes, allowing for great viewing of the days action.  There are also views of the city to the west and ocean to the east. The club offers some great food, but I must admit the beer prices were quite high.

Map of Cottesloe Golf Club (taken from Google Maps)

Scorecard for Cottesloe Golf Club

Upon arrival for my days play I was greeted by one of the clubs professionals, who was very courteous and informative on the clubs current reconstruction, but also on my quest to play Australia’s top 100 golf courses. This created a great first impression of the club.  Unfortunately the same cannot be said for some of the green keeping staff, but I will leave that rant to a little latter in the piece.

The 1st tee plays downhill with this short par 4

Presented with a strategic decision from the initial shot of the round, hole one is a 274 meter par 4 playing down hill.  Quite reachable but requires an accurate shot to avoid numerous traps protecting the front of the green.

Approach to the green from the 1st fairway

I found playing to the right and short a safer option, which then opened up the green a little, taking most of the bunkers out of play.

Another down hill shot from the 2nd tee

Hole two is a par 3 measuring 168 meters, but being down hill plays a little shorter.  A vally must be carried to reach the green, but is quite well protected to the left with three traps, allowing a layup right of the green, if you can’t make it.  A few swales are also found to the right, ensuring the ball does not run down to the green off the hill.

A large but sloping 2nd green

The green is quite long from front to back, but slopes towards the front, and right to left.

The 3rd tee shows the entire length of this long par 4

Another strategic decision comes into play on the 397 meter par 4 third hole.  From the tee there is plenty of room to the right to play your shot, taking the trees out of play from the tee shot, if going the most direct route.  This will find the second shot to the green blocked by trees on the right, I found this out once I arrived at my ball.  A slight fade will be required from here to reach the green in regulation, otherwise you can lay up to the left of the green.

The 3rd green is quite wide but not overly long

Once you manage to reach the green area, you find a gentle slope from the front of the green with some small hollows around the left to rear.  A few small slopes can also be found on the putting surface.  On my day of play I was finding inconsistent speeds, all aided by some of the greens having been cored, so it was difficult to get a rythem going.

The 4th is a medium length par 5

From the 4th tee you are playing from a raised area over a slight gully to reach the fairway.  This 480 meter hole dog legs to the right with a large trap protecting the right side for those trying to shorten the hole.  There is quite an expansive area to land your tee shot, but landing left makes the hole a bit longer.

The damned green keeper on the 4th green who wouldn’t budge

Ok, now time for my rant regarding the green keeping staff.  This does not apply to all of the staff at the course, but seemed to be at least fifty percent.  Having played my second shot slightly to the right of the fairway I was searching for my ball.  I could see a greenkeeper coring the fourth green, but was not too phased as I was still looking for my ball.  I also noticed the 12th hole beside the 4th and some of the construction, so decided to have a look, thinking this would allow enough time for the guy to finish.  After 5 minutes I decided to return to my ball to make the approach shot.  The green keeper totally ignored my so I played it short.  Seeing this he still ignored me, so I decided to pick up and move to the next hole.  This occurred to all groups going past this green keeper on other holes as well.

When I got to the tenth, I let another couple past who were playing quicker.  The green keeper approached as we were putting out on the tenth. The members attitude was the guy could wait as he did not allow any group to play on any of the greens that he had been working on.  On a few holes green keepers could see I was about to hit the ball, yet decided to drive in front with total disregard for potential safety.

I know they are an important part of the club and without them there would not be a course to play.  I also realise that they do have work which needs to be carried out, but there should also be some courtesy shown, as they do reflect the club.  It does not take much too have a look and acknowledge that you are about to play and keep an eye out.

The 5th hole – 146 meter par 3

On this hole we get our first uphill tee shot. Add another club after looking at the distance.  This green has sand left and right and a large false front to repel anything which is slightly short.  Get it on the green or go long to ensure a chance of par.

Hole 6 – 366 meter par 4

Looking from the tee box we see a slight gully which must be carried to a hole with a slight curve to the right. It is safe to take on some of this dogleg as the fairway slopes to the left with plenty of room to run out.

The 6th green is protected on the left by two traps

Making the approach shot to the green you need to avoid the bunkers located on the left.  A small false front can be found, with the green also sloping right to left.  Any shot to the right of the green will make for a difficult chip, especially if the pin is located on the right side.

Looking down the 7th fairway

The seventh hole is a 356 meter par 4.  From the tee most of the fairway is unsighted, as the fairway falls away after 150 meters or so into a deep gully. If you drive the ball long enough you can catch the downhill slope making the approach a lot shorter.  This fairway is wide enough to have a go at reaching the downhill slope.

7th green littered with leaves – luckily I arrived before the green keeper finished coring the 4th

Two bunkers protect the front of this raised green, also presenting a false front. The putting surface is relatively flat with plenty of room to land your approach shot.  Anything long will roll away down a small slope into heavy rough.

Long narrow tees shot on the 8th

The eighth, a short par 5 at only 437 meters is an ideal hole for a birdie.  A narrowing fairway is found with out of bounds down some of the right and bunkers which are reachable on both sides of the fairway.  This generally slopes from left to right allowing any errant tee shot to the left to potentially find its way back to the fairway.

Looking up the 8th Fairway to the green

The approach shot plays up hill to a raised green.  Bunkers are located around the green, but leave the front unguarded, allowing the ball to be run in.

The long 8th green

This green is relatively long but narrow with gentle slopes, but was deceiptively fast when I played, leaving my easy two putt to become three.

A view back up the hill from the 9th tee

The last hole back into the clubhouse, is a medium par 4, measuring 344 meters.  From the tee you play downhill before the fairway slopes up to the green.  The first lot of bunkers left and right are in play, with a decent sized lake also situated right.  You notice the browning of the fairway in this photo.  This turned out to be grass clippings which had been placed over the fairway, but were starting to be cleared as I played the hole.

The widesh 9th green

Approaching the green we find traps protecting the left side.  This green has some decent slopes making the putting a little more difficult depending on the pin position.

Tee Markers helping identify distance – Pin flags with logo, but only for the practice greens

I like to take notice of things we take for granted on the golf course.  Cottesloe had plaques in place for tee markers, showing hole number and distance and were easy to read (not always the case with some tee markers).  The pin flags on the hole were standard white colour and same for every hole.  In my opinion they would be better to use those found on the practice greens which had the clubs logo.

Downhill shot from the 10th tee

Starting the back nine, we face a large decent from the tee shot.  This long 400 meter par 4, requires two accurate shots to reach the green.  It is tempting to try and cut out some of the distance by playing to the right side, but anything too far right finds tree trouble and a lot of sandy waste to play from, making the recovery quite hard (personal experience).

Another long green on the 10th hole

Playing to the 10th is not the easiest shot to a long narrow green.  On either side of the hole the ground slopes away, as well as having numerous bunkers to land in.  The green slopes significantly from back to front with a slight tier raised at the back.

Plaque at the 11th tee

The 11th tee contains a plaque commemerating the first course location at Cottesloe Beach, now knows as Sea View Golf Club.  From this tee you get a glimpse of the ocean, but not anywhere near as much as you do from the previous course.

Medium par 3 – a view from the 11th tee

This hole measures 160 meters and plays over a slight gully, which also slopes right to left.  The green is protected by a large trap to the left catching anything short, whilst a smaller bunker protects the right side, preventing players trying to run the ball of the slope.

A very narrow 11th green

The 11th green is at a 45 degree angle to the tee.  It is quite long and very narrow.  Long of the green the ground slopes away dramatically leaving an unsighted shot back.  There are a few slopes on this green making a long putt a little tricky.

Construction of four holes are being carried out – shown here is the 12th

Holes twelve to sixteen are out of play due to construction works.  This is aimed at improving the course, but also to improve play for some up coming tournaments which will be held at Cottesloe Golf Club.  I aim to come back one day to complete my round with all eighteen holes.

A short par 4 with a downhill tee shot on 16th

The 16th hole is a short par 4 measuring 288 meters.  With the down hill tee shot this is obviously playing shorter, so the green is reachable.  The fairway has a few traps located right, with the natural slope of the land feeding balls played short towards them. If your tee shot is laid up short of these you face a downhill lie for the approach.  There is room to the left to allow a layup, but this brings the green side traps into play.

Approach to the 16th Green

The natural sloping of the land around the green is right to left.  The putting area is also not overly large.  During my play there was still further construction being carried out on the fairway bunkers, not sure if they were remodelling or adding addtional traps.

Clear sailing from the 17th tee

The penultimate hole leading back to the clubhouse is a 483 meter par 5. From the tee the main danger is fairway traps located to the right.  For an wild shots right out of bounds also comes into play.

Slight angle change with the second shot on the 17th Fairway

Playing the second shot from the 17th changes a slight angle to the right. From here bunkers cover most of the right for the landing area whilst long hitters may reach the green.  Again out of bounds is located right, but playing slightly left will allow the ball to run off the hill towards the fairway.

Large 17th green

The 17th green is surrounded by traps on either side for the front section.  Long shots will run over a slight mound at the rear.  The green slopes from back to front and is quite long.

The last tee shot for the day up the 18th hole

Hole 18 is the hardest of the course.  This par 4 measures 370 meters but is all uphill making it play 20-30 meters longer.  From the tee there is a slight gully to carry but the main danger is the fairway bunkers to the right.  The hole bends to the left around this area.

From the 18th fairway the clubhouse comes into view

Ensuring the fairway bunkers have been missed makes the approach a lot easier.  From here the play is still uphill to a green with large traps to the right.  Anything slightly short may be repealed down the large slope at the front of the green.

Looking back along the 18th towards the ocean

Overall I had a good impression of Cottesloe Golf Club.  The staff were friendly and helpful, members quite willing to discuss the club and certainly the honesty of the General Manager explaining course renovations were under way were well received.  I could think of nothing worse than not being told about this before showing up to play.

I thought the course was challenging whilst also being fair to all levels of player.  From the holes I played, there was a great mixture in regards to length and directional changes. The course was in relatively good condition, although I did not really get to see the greens at true pace due to the coring that was being carried out.  I do look forward to returning after the course renovations have been completed.

Cottesloe is fully private golf club open to members only. To play you need one of the following:

1. Be invited by a member
2. Interstate or overseas visitor (must be a member of a golf club outside WA)