1st / 10th
A par 4 that rewards a straight drive. The landing area narrows considerably around 220 metres off the tee and makes it difficult to hit the fairway. Longer hitters should determine where the pin is positioned on the green before playing their tee shot. This is because an errant drive that misses the fairway on the same side as the pin is on the green, will lead to a difficult angle at the hole due to the two bunkers guarding the front left and right of the sloping green.
2nd / 11th
Affectionately known as “The Quarry” due to the large area on the left hand side of the hole that often plays as a hazard depending on conditions. It takes a good tee shot to carry the quarry. Many of the cunning locals hit 3 wood off the tee to avoid landing on the upslope of the quarry area. If you do land in this area it can make the second shot considerably more difficult. Your approach shot to the green is one of the toughest iron shots on the course with distance control being at a premium. This green is the smallest on the course and makes hitting the green in regulation difficult from most positions.
3rd / 12th
The first of the par 5’s. It is the longest hole on the course and usually plays into the wind. This is a hole where you can pull the driver out and “give it a rip”. For those who have not played the course before, do not make the mistake of heading towards the 7th / 16th green that lies to the left of the 3rd / 12th green. When approaching the green, try to avoid the bunkers that guard the front left, front right and back right of the green.
4th / 13th
This is Norfolk Island’s signature hole. It is a hole that can play in very different ways from day to day due to the exposed conditions. Even in favorable conditions a tee shot that finds its way on to the small putting surface is an excellent result. A very difficult chip awaits all players that miss the green on the left side however this is far better than going out on the beach.
5th / 14th
The second of the par 5’s. The large bank that divides the fairway makes this an interesting hole and also poses a problem for those who end up at the bottom of it. Longer hitters should consider the wind direction before deciding their course of action on this tee shot. For those who have played the course before, you will notice the newly built green (which has been in play since April ’08). The new design rewards a 3rd shot that comes into the green from the fairway rather than the left hand rough. Avoid the very deep bunker short left, and make sure you are certain of your distance if you intend aiming at the back left pin position on Thursday.
6th / 15th
A relatively easy, straight par 4 with a narrow fairway. Take the location of the pin into consideration when deciding what angle to come into the green from. Possibly the most important aspect of this hole is to control the trajectory of your ball here as it is common to play the hole into the wind. There are fewer trees on the right hand side and it is also generally a better angle to approach the green from.
*Photo
7th / 16th
An open par 4 once you are past the trees near the tee. The right hand side of the hole is generally the best angle to the green, however watch out for the little bush that lies just off the fairway about 80 metres from the green. The tier in the green can lead to some tricky pin positions and also makes it a little more difficult to chip to.
8th / 17th
It makes sense to keep your tee shot to the right on this hole as anything that heads left will either be blocked for the next shot or go out of bounds. Watch out for the bunkers around this large green but make sure that you don’t go over the back as a ball that ends up in the bush behind the green will either be a tricky chip of a sandy lie or may even need to be deemed unplayable.
9th / 18th
This par 3 looks to be relatively easy with no bunkers or water around however it has proven to be a hard green to hit in regulation. The hole plays exceptionally long from the back tees on the 18th. All shots that land short will more than likely not roll up on the green. An up and down is very much on the cards here, but be wary that if the pin is on the left hand side, and you’ve missed the green on the left it makes for a delicate chip.
