Eucalypt National (2020 DT Contest Entry) - Now in PGA 2K23!
Dec 22, 2020 13:25:41 GMT -5
rod81simo and cd06 like this
Post by williamwes626 on Dec 22, 2020 13:25:41 GMT -5
Continuing viewing some of the world’s latest and greatest, I thought it was time to make the long trip to Australia for Eucalypt National. According to the Dream Team brochure – “During that historic trip MacKenzie partnered with 3 people that he trusted to carry out the works on his projects after his departure, these two men were Alex Russell, Mick Morcom and Rod Simpson. One of Simpson’s projects involved turning that site in the Dandenong Ranges into a Championship caliber facility that would become known as Eucalypt National.”
So a protégé of Alister MacKenzie designed this course named Rod Simpson. Touching down in Australia, I took a taxi to the golf course.
Amenities
This is the first clubhouse area I’ve seen with a labeled doorway entrance with a walkway to the clubhouse and parking area. I got to stay in the cozy on-course cottage next door to the clubhouse.
The mansion clubhouse looks like it’s got 50 rooms. There was a fountain area with sprinklers and flower beds, plus various flower bushes around the mansion entrance. As I checked in I noticed the pool and patio. I had a brief dip, a quick bite, tossed my garbage in my room (I need a garbage can LOL-running gag) and headed back out to the tennis courts. After using the restroom (am I getting too detailed!?), I walked back down the first class cobblestone paths with trees lining them perfectly. Plenty of people here enjoying themselves I can figure from all the cars in the lot. Some equipment trailers and vans were there to assure the course was properly maintained.
The whole scene looks so pro.
Hole Layout
Seeing the course from the onset, it’s obvious that the backstory connection to Alister MacKenzie and Augusta makes a lot of sense. The look of pine straw mixed with many clumps of tall trees look closer to Augusta than Australia – just 35 miles away from the sandbelt and it’s got none of the sandbelt’s inspiration - that makes sense as someone may want to play a different style. I thought there was a lot of decisions and options to handle off the tee and on approaches. I was doing many draws and fades off the tee. The trees are used to detour so there were rarely easy drives. Loved the par-3 3rd hole that required a draw, the 7th had me fading off the tee and then drawing around water for the approach. The par-5 9th has a big fat crazy bunker deterring 2nd shots. Both the 9th and 10th holes were fun tee shot downhill – both could be done with straight drives but a fade and a draw help – it never feels forced.
13, 14 and 15 are The Prayer Corner of Eucalypt National. 13’s triple tiered green is creative and the approach over the river is great-especially when we turn around and again play over water-the pond part for the heavily-florist influenced par-3 14th. The 15th is a total temptation and you got me fighting myself deciding if I should sneak thru the chute of trees and water to reach the drivable par-4 green or if I should lay up- then how far back. I went for it with a driver fade and birdied the first time. The second round I played I laid up and parred it. 16 had some devastating greenside bunkers I barely avoided – but I like that some of the bunkers are sneaky deep but most are average. When I saw the 2nd tree in the line of fire on the final hole I was glad to see the fairway sloped away from it so it’s just there for intimidation factor. Shot a 70 (-2) then I rushed through to see it one more time and shot 74 (+2). Can’t rush through this course and I can tell it affects the score if the golfer is not strategizing.
Highlights
Once adjusted to the look of the course, part of the highlights come from the great strategy and some from the visuals. The 3rd hole short downhill par-3 by water towards the flower bunch tree bases but is fabulous but intimidating. Sometimes the most beautiful holes have the most bite. I like the look of mixed green and purple bushes over pine straw.
It was a crowded day on the course with so many people loving Eucalypt National. By the 4th hole, things were backed up so I went to the bathroom to the left of the hole LOL. I even had time to get another snack while I waited for the slow players ahead of me. Great pinching of the fairway on the 4th hole dogleg right. The lighting took a step up on 5. Into the sun can be a great look and the tree framing is cool. Great logic on teebox placement making only the back tee shot blind and most difficult angle dogleg left. I can see the water tower from here too. This plays like Pink Dogwood with a tiered green. With water right of the green, there’s more pressure to get the draw left enough for less yardage on the approach. Glad you put wide open fairway-green transition.
Back to the flower beds there too and on the great 7th hole. A dogleg right around a huge pond. It was so relaxing there I sat on the bridge and soaked my feet while I looked out at the water and flower beds. Then a marshall yelled at me to keep it moving. 8 had fine planting, 9 has that big crazy bunker hanging out in the fairway and it was nice seeing the clubhouse area again.
13, 14, 15 – those holes are your “corner”. You should nickname them. The ‘Prayer Corner’ or the ‘Eucalyptus Corner’. LOL The signature hole looks like the par-3 14th that has two bridges framing it with flowers growing towards the bunker. The 15th is the best strategic hole. All 3 holes are highly entertaining, stunning visually, and have the best strategic qualities. The planting looks great all around though I see those tree clusters by the first and last hole don’t have much planting compared to the other pinestraw areas.
17 and 18 are wow holes on a lot of courses and I thought there was some wow factor like the steep downhill tee shot on 17 and the steep uphill par-5 18th which had great bunkering.
Experience
Overall, it was a superbly grand time. I was treated like a king and got to really get a satisfying weekend in whether it was playing the great golf, tennis, swimming, lounging with a pina colada (yeah no pina coladas in the game - I'm playing pretend here he he), ate some grub. The golf was high quality strategy – it’s one of those sneaky tough courses where there are these little tweaks and twists that I thought I could handle a lot more easily than I did. It was a pro job all around. With each of these Dream Team courses, I’m learning a little more on how to create my own work, but I try to find something in each that could have been better. The only things are personal preference – with many doglegs, I would have liked 1 or 2 straight holes, and those green and purple bushes on pine straw was a great look and I would have liked to see that combo on more holes since the trees, grass and bushes were similar greens. Rod, since you’re a protégé of Alister you must be like 120 years old (he he) but you did a great job with the course, I will be back to Australia and we’ll go at it for a round, jet lag or not, for an overall terrific and fulfilling experience.
So a protégé of Alister MacKenzie designed this course named Rod Simpson. Touching down in Australia, I took a taxi to the golf course.
Amenities
This is the first clubhouse area I’ve seen with a labeled doorway entrance with a walkway to the clubhouse and parking area. I got to stay in the cozy on-course cottage next door to the clubhouse.
The mansion clubhouse looks like it’s got 50 rooms. There was a fountain area with sprinklers and flower beds, plus various flower bushes around the mansion entrance. As I checked in I noticed the pool and patio. I had a brief dip, a quick bite, tossed my garbage in my room (I need a garbage can LOL-running gag) and headed back out to the tennis courts. After using the restroom (am I getting too detailed!?), I walked back down the first class cobblestone paths with trees lining them perfectly. Plenty of people here enjoying themselves I can figure from all the cars in the lot. Some equipment trailers and vans were there to assure the course was properly maintained.
The whole scene looks so pro.
Hole Layout
Seeing the course from the onset, it’s obvious that the backstory connection to Alister MacKenzie and Augusta makes a lot of sense. The look of pine straw mixed with many clumps of tall trees look closer to Augusta than Australia – just 35 miles away from the sandbelt and it’s got none of the sandbelt’s inspiration - that makes sense as someone may want to play a different style. I thought there was a lot of decisions and options to handle off the tee and on approaches. I was doing many draws and fades off the tee. The trees are used to detour so there were rarely easy drives. Loved the par-3 3rd hole that required a draw, the 7th had me fading off the tee and then drawing around water for the approach. The par-5 9th has a big fat crazy bunker deterring 2nd shots. Both the 9th and 10th holes were fun tee shot downhill – both could be done with straight drives but a fade and a draw help – it never feels forced.
13, 14 and 15 are The Prayer Corner of Eucalypt National. 13’s triple tiered green is creative and the approach over the river is great-especially when we turn around and again play over water-the pond part for the heavily-florist influenced par-3 14th. The 15th is a total temptation and you got me fighting myself deciding if I should sneak thru the chute of trees and water to reach the drivable par-4 green or if I should lay up- then how far back. I went for it with a driver fade and birdied the first time. The second round I played I laid up and parred it. 16 had some devastating greenside bunkers I barely avoided – but I like that some of the bunkers are sneaky deep but most are average. When I saw the 2nd tree in the line of fire on the final hole I was glad to see the fairway sloped away from it so it’s just there for intimidation factor. Shot a 70 (-2) then I rushed through to see it one more time and shot 74 (+2). Can’t rush through this course and I can tell it affects the score if the golfer is not strategizing.
Highlights
Once adjusted to the look of the course, part of the highlights come from the great strategy and some from the visuals. The 3rd hole short downhill par-3 by water towards the flower bunch tree bases but is fabulous but intimidating. Sometimes the most beautiful holes have the most bite. I like the look of mixed green and purple bushes over pine straw.
It was a crowded day on the course with so many people loving Eucalypt National. By the 4th hole, things were backed up so I went to the bathroom to the left of the hole LOL. I even had time to get another snack while I waited for the slow players ahead of me. Great pinching of the fairway on the 4th hole dogleg right. The lighting took a step up on 5. Into the sun can be a great look and the tree framing is cool. Great logic on teebox placement making only the back tee shot blind and most difficult angle dogleg left. I can see the water tower from here too. This plays like Pink Dogwood with a tiered green. With water right of the green, there’s more pressure to get the draw left enough for less yardage on the approach. Glad you put wide open fairway-green transition.
Back to the flower beds there too and on the great 7th hole. A dogleg right around a huge pond. It was so relaxing there I sat on the bridge and soaked my feet while I looked out at the water and flower beds. Then a marshall yelled at me to keep it moving. 8 had fine planting, 9 has that big crazy bunker hanging out in the fairway and it was nice seeing the clubhouse area again.
13, 14, 15 – those holes are your “corner”. You should nickname them. The ‘Prayer Corner’ or the ‘Eucalyptus Corner’. LOL The signature hole looks like the par-3 14th that has two bridges framing it with flowers growing towards the bunker. The 15th is the best strategic hole. All 3 holes are highly entertaining, stunning visually, and have the best strategic qualities. The planting looks great all around though I see those tree clusters by the first and last hole don’t have much planting compared to the other pinestraw areas.
17 and 18 are wow holes on a lot of courses and I thought there was some wow factor like the steep downhill tee shot on 17 and the steep uphill par-5 18th which had great bunkering.
Experience
Overall, it was a superbly grand time. I was treated like a king and got to really get a satisfying weekend in whether it was playing the great golf, tennis, swimming, lounging with a pina colada (yeah no pina coladas in the game - I'm playing pretend here he he), ate some grub. The golf was high quality strategy – it’s one of those sneaky tough courses where there are these little tweaks and twists that I thought I could handle a lot more easily than I did. It was a pro job all around. With each of these Dream Team courses, I’m learning a little more on how to create my own work, but I try to find something in each that could have been better. The only things are personal preference – with many doglegs, I would have liked 1 or 2 straight holes, and those green and purple bushes on pine straw was a great look and I would have liked to see that combo on more holes since the trees, grass and bushes were similar greens. Rod, since you’re a protégé of Alister you must be like 120 years old (he he) but you did a great job with the course, I will be back to Australia and we’ll go at it for a round, jet lag or not, for an overall terrific and fulfilling experience.
