Playing every golf course in Melbourne Australia Rd 13: Spring Valley Golf

This is one of the toughest courses to get access to in Melbourne. It’s Spring Valley, a Future Golf Prestige Partner, and one of Melbourne famous sandbelt courses, thirty minutes from the city centre. If you know a harder course to get on than this, tag them below, and I’ll try and sneak in for a round.

I was lucky to tag along with two fellow Irishmen, and golf professionals who were practising there for the afternoon session. And on the first hole, they must have thought I’d been faking all my video, because I got off to an embarrassing start, hitting every bad shot possible.

As you know, trees have been my downfall thus far, and I hit my drive straight into them. I followed it up by duffing my 7-iron and then, blading my pitch over the back of the green. I hacked my shot back over the green again, before I managed to steady my nerves and get up and down for a solid, double bogey start.

I put the driver away on Hole 2, a Par 4 386m, but I hit my 3-wood into the trees again. Thankfully it fell on the fairway, but unfortunately, I hooked my 5-wood back into the trees. I was never as thankful to find this ball, and I chip it greenwards. It caught the fringes and I managed to two-putt from here to save a bogey.

Hole 3 was a Par 3 150m. I hit a 7-iron and thankfully it landed on the green. I had a long putt for birdie, which went close and I was able to tap in my first par of the day.

Hole 4 is a 357m Par 4. I bombed my drive down the middle of the fairway, and didn’t hit a single tree. I hit my 7-iron to within 3 meters of the green and managed to sink a birdie putt.

Hole 5 is another Par 3 148 meters. Again, I hit the green but had a long birdie putt. It’s a decent putt and gave me a chance to save par. It dropped and I had another par on the card.

Hole 6 is a Par 4 360m. I hit my 3-wood down the middle of the fairway. And hit a lob wedge at the green. It sticks about 8 meters away for a birdie putt. It’s a decent putt that wobbles at the last second, and I tap in a par.

Hole 7 is a Par 5 482m. I hit a decent drive onto the fairway and follow it up with a 3-wood. Which I pull left and nearly end up in the bushes. After a quick check for snakes, I hit a pitch out but it runs over the back into the rough stuff. From here I catch it to clean and it runs off the back into the sand. I get it out of the sand and put it close but miss the bogey putt.

Hole 8 is a short Par 4 352m. My drive rolls into the rough and I am blocked by a tree. So, I pitch it back into play. My chip goes close and I have a 6-meter putt for par. Which falls. Thankfully.

Hole 9 is a Par 4 412m. I thought I could clear the sand at 220m, but land straight in it. My ball was a bit plugged so all I could do was chip it back on the fairway. I hit an 8-iron at the green and had a chance to save par. But I didn’t hit it and I end up taking the bogey to close.

What started off terribly, actually ended up as a great round for me. Even though I did have 2 doubles, I had 4 pars, a birdie and 2 bogeys and 21 points on a 14 HCP. It’s great to be around players who are much better than you and I learned loads by playing with the Irish golf pros. The facilities here are immaculate and I will definitely be play here again. If I get the chance. If you a better course than this, let me know in the comments, and if you made it this far, follow the page to see more of Melbourne golf courses.