Cypress Lakes Golf Course
Review of the Cypress Lakes Golf Course in NSW, Australia
Driving down from the Upper Hunter, we stopped at a couple of wineries on our way to Cypress Lakes. Our fav wines from the region are the Semillon (white) and shiraz (red) - which are both pretty special and unlike any other region in the world for the style. After a light lunch we played 9 holes at Cypress Lakes, a pretty good deal of $50 after 4pm.
Weather was great, a temperate twilight 25 degrees, wind 20km/h with 29 gusts. Pretty sunny with a few clouds.The course is a par 72, and was designed by Steve Smyers in 1992. It will host the webex players series 15-18 Feb.
Picture of Pokolbin, the nearest town in the Hunter Valley.
Kangas outside our hotel, Spicers Guesthouse
Course Review
The Stats
Condition 13.5/20
We found the condition pretty good, the fairways and greens were great, just some of the rough was a bit unkept. Tee and bunkers were fair.
Biodiversity 13.5/20
Lots of birdies flying overhead, and we spotted a few new ones we hadn't seen on this trip from the clubhouse overlooking the lake after our round - little pied cormorant, little egret, dusky moorhens, ducks and swallows. Lots and lots of lorikeets two, and bellbirds with their piercing bells. Some nice native trees, not too established, and strange, and maybe it was just us, but we didn't see any cypress? Maybe on the second nine - would need to check. Kangaroos were our spectators on nearly every hole so full marks for them! Cute young ones and joeys too.
Lovely Indigenous summer flowers.
Vistas 14/20
Stunning internal vistas overlooking water and vineyards, and the majestic Broke mountains in the background. Also overlooked a carpark and what sounded like a party venue playing strange 90s rave music - Hunter Valley Gardens maybe?
Organisation 13/20
The guy in the proshop gave some great advice on tee directions given a number of blind shots on the first nine. Was quite difficult to make a booking though, the website stalled a few times we tried and also no one answered when we called three times. So lucky we just rocked up and got in for the twilight round. There were a slowish couple in front of us but otherwise a pretty clear field.
Design 16/20
Great design (granted we only saw 9 holes). Good diversity of challenges - water (surprise left on first and third!), some deep bunkers protecting greens and a couple of fairway ones going uphill. Undulations and up / down hill holes made you think about which way to go, but the rough wasn’t too unforgiving. I thought it was well balanced but Michael said rather hard. Overall thoroughly enjoyed!
Highlights & Hazards
One surprise: hitting over the vineyards on the second hole "The Graveyard" - we both managed to clear it but not quite up the hill! And the Knoll par 3 on the fifth.
One birdie: no golf birdies, but many bird birdies - little pied cormorants we've not seen on a golf course before!
Biggest challenge: getting out of the steep greenside bunkers on the fifth (three shotted out)
Favourite hole: the second hitting over the vineyards, and the third par three with bunkers and water on the left - nearly got a birdy!
Suggestions & Strategy
Some advice: rock up before 4pm and you pay $50 for any amount of holes you want - twilight deal.
Psyc strategy you worked on? Expectations. Before shot: high expectations - believing this will be the best shot, and fully committing to my decision on what shot to hit. Post shot: totally accepting the result, and then expect the result to be challenging. For example, potentially hitting the bunker on the fifth (the Knoll) and expecting it to (it did, but I was psychologically prepared) and then on the sixth, expecting the lie to be bad, and then it wasn’t so, I was pleasantly surprised and in a positive frame for my next shot.
Review Scorecard
Overall review
Our review of the course on this specific day.
