The Lakes Golf Course
Review of The Lakes Golf Course in Sydney, NSW Australia
First stop on our NSW road trip - Sydney, we played the Lakes on a Sunday afternoon. Warmly welcomed by the two members in our four ball at 11:51am, we felt very fortunate to play with David and Amanda, who were generous with their advice and great company.
The course was founded in 1928 and designed by Mike Clayton. It has hosted 7 Australian Opens, most recently won by Mexico's Abraham Ancer in 2018. It is ranked number 17 in Australia (top100golf courses.com).
This particular Sunday was was a hot and humid 27 degrees, partly cloudy, with two or so showers to cool us down. We took cover under some majestic old eucalypts surrrounded by the all the birdies.
Course review
The Stats
Condition: 16 / 20
Everything was in really great condition - and green because of the rain. In particular we loved the diversity of rough and sandy waste areas, giving it a natural feel and extra challenge when your ball deviates from the fairway.
Biodiversity 16.5/20
A menagerie of yellow tailed black cockies, rainbow lorikeeps, black swans and pacific black ducks our spectators!
Wonderful flora and fauna given it's proximity to the biggest city in Australia. What stood out for us where the diversity and abundance of birds (yellow tailed black and sulphur-crested black cockatoo, rainbow lorikeet, pelican, black swan, swamphen, grebe, duck, swallow, willie wagtail, cormorant, maned duck, pacific black duck, eurasian coot, Australian ibis, dusky moorhen, Australasian swamphen…), a number of eastern water dragons, and stunning Indigenous flora - plants, trees and flowers. Every hole was a sight for the senses.
Vistas: 15/20
On every hole - wow. The water really made it! Not much to see outside the course though and a few buildings and a main road which was quite noisy on the first nine.
Organisation: 15/20
Our members couldn't have been more welcoming, and the staff professional and efficient. Had a short hit on the range before we teed off, and didn't have time to try the food / drink. Pace of play was fine, we only waited on three holes and I thought we played pretty fast, although the round did take us 4.5h - so there was quite a lot of walking between holes (no complaints!)
Challenge: 19/20
Have yet to play a course which has presented such a variety of holes - literally each one was different and took a couple of minutes for our hosts to explain. The water, sand, rough, slopes, greens are all used in such a way that you literally have to think before each shot. We gave it a high score for balance because it never seemed impossible - but you were faced with either taking on a hazard or being conservative: for example over the water into the wind on the 14th, or hitting straight and laying up. I think we would have lost a lot more balls if it hadn't been for David who was meticulous at explaining distances and angles. And of course the enjoyment factor was helped along by the fact that I shot a 40 stableford score!
Highlights and Hazards
One surprise: Adam Scott hit an Albatross on the 8th in 2011.
One birdie: one? Many many birdies! But sadly no birdy putts - which is unusual given my high score. Just shows you how well you can do with consistent pars.
Biggest challenge: Negotiating the water on the second nine.
Favourite hole: -s… the Lakes! Especially the second nine. And the water crossing on the 14th.
Suggestions and Strategy
Something the course taught you: don’t always take on the water, sometimes it's beneficial to take less risk and lay up. But if you feel you can make it, take a deep breath and make it happen.
Some advice: if you're lucky enough to play with members, take their advice, it makes a big difference.
Psych strategy you worked on?
Accepting without fail the outcome of a shot. Every shot. Reaching the 10th hole, I was on 23 stableford points. And my mind started thinking ahead to the final score, and what might happen if I shoot a personal best. I watched my thoughts come and go, aware that they may lead to tension or away from the great golf I’d been playing. So I was conscious in bringing myself back into the present moment, and just kept doing what I was doing and loving every shot.
It’s called the Lakes for a reason: the water on this course is spectacular. Not only does it create stunning internal vistas, but also interesting golf, especially on the second nine.
Review Scorecard
Overall review
Our subjective review on this specific day
Overall score for The Lakes Golf Course:
