Clayton On Royal Melbourne: "Perfection isn't always perfect"

It was a sensational first day at crispy and speedy Royal Melbourne (at least from the approaches in). While much focus has rightfully been on the players, the course really is the star.

The Composite Course’s routing and sequencing is a bit unusual for the Presidents Cup, so Golf Australia’s Mike Clayton looks at that and other minor flaws in what he sees as an otherwise flawless piece of architecture.

He addresses the bland 17th, which is actually a brilliant, Old Course-inspired opener most of the time:

With its hugely wide fairway the opening hole on the West steels from the principle of the shot off the first tee on The Old Course at St Andrews. At both it’s awfully hard to mess the drive up, allowing players the comfort of knowing they are unlikely to ruin their day almost before it has begun. 

The problem is a hole designed to open the course is the 17th this week, making it a bit like reading a book with the chapters out of order. It’s not a bad 17th hole but the 17th on the West Course (9th this week) might be the best par four in the country and the original 17th on the Composite (the 15th) is one of the finest par fives.

The very next hole, the par 5, 2nd West (the 18th) is played off the women’s tee this week as a par four. Whilst the carry bunkers wouldn’t pose a problem off the very back (par 5) tee they are too close to the tournament tee to even look ‘right’ because the scale doesn’t quite work.

A great long two-shotter is thus reduced down to a drive and a short iron and something MacKenzie wouldn’t even recognise if the measure is the clubs he wanted players to be hitting into one of the most beautiful green sites on the course.