The National GC - Gunnamatta
The National is a Tom Doak-designed course located on the coast of the Mornington Peninsula. Tom Doak is an American golf course architect who is known for his innovative and environmentally sustainable approach to designing golf courses. Doak's design philosophy is based on creating golf courses that are in harmony with the natural environment and that require golfers to use strategy and creativity in their approach to the game.
The Gunnamatta course features a unique blend of links-style and parkland-style holes: wide fairways, deep bunkers, undulating greens, and many natural features, including sand dunes, native vegetation, and coastal views. The course is known for its strategic design, with many holes requiring golfers to make strategic decisions to score well.
Course conditions on the day were world-class. Everything was well-manicured and just the way I was hoping it to be. The greens were right up there with the fastest I have ever played. Varying green sizes and undulation made for a real test with the putter. Wind-wise, it picked up over the course of the round but didn't get too challenging levels. My strategy for the day was to swing slow and club up.
I had a good day from tee to green but not so good around and on the greens. I drove the ball really well all day, and my iron play, although not up there with my best, was still putting me in scoring opportunities. It was around the green and on the greens where I let myself down. It was a struggle all day for me. The dreaded shanks crept into my chipping, hitting the hosel twice on 2 separate chips which knocked my confidence early and set the tone for my chipping for the rest of the day. Next was my 3 putt train. Walking off greens marking your card with bogeys when you're putting for birdies really stings the card. I have been struggling with the putter for some time now but the greens themselves I found difficult. I couldn’t get the speed or reads right, either being too short, too long or complete misread. The result of which were leaving myself with far to many testing par putts.
Although a battle out there I had many pausing and calming moments where I took in the surrounding area and design elements of this great course. Tom Doak's hit the mark with the course being strategic, creative, and stunning. I really hope I get more opportunties in the future to play the other National courses. Unforgettable experiences like this make me realise how much I love this game.
