What an amazing opportunity for 16 golfers to enjoy three rounds of friendly competition in the Mornington Peninsula of Victoria, Australia, a region rapidly becoming known for some of the world’s best natural golf terrain.
Group Photo
What an amazing opportunity for 16 golfers to enjoy three rounds of friendly competition in the Mornington Peninsula of Victoria, Australia, a region rapidly becoming known for some of the world’s best natural golf terrain. Only about an hour’s drive from Melbourne, this coastal region seems a world away from the city. With vineyards and olive groves nearby, it is absolutely charming and reminiscent of the Mediterranean.
Organized by Apple Vacations with prizes sponsored by Emirates Airlines, it was a great and memorable golfing experience for all.
Day 1 of the competition was held at the Dunes Golf Links, an amazing golf course set amidst rolling coastal sand hills. Playing through sloping fairways meandering through undulating knolls and ridges, exposed to the full force of strong winds coming in from the ocean it was indeed a challenge to remember. Needless to say, nearly all the golfers
could not play to their handicaps! One common comment was, “There is no way you can hit a straight ball to reach the green, you need to factor in the wind, or else the ball will be swept left or right!”
Next up was the Rosebud Country Club, Mornington Peninsula’s premier play and stay destination. You get to stay in chalets right next to the Club House and golf course,
definitely a luxury. With breakfast served right up to your room, and walking out to the golf course, this is every golfer’s dream! Known as the golfing jewel in the Mornington
Peninsula, it boasts 36 holes of championship golf, having hosted two Australian PGA championships and more recently Australian Open qualifying rounds. The wide and open
fairways were a welcome change from the Dunes. We returned much better scores on this course.
However, the difficulty level went up again on Day 3 when we played at the Moonah Links Golf Course – the first ever 18 holes built and prepared for a national
championship. It was a privilege playing on this historic course which has this description in its brochure, “It is a mighty and ferocious test of golfing ability, the likes of which
even the top pros only occasionally experience. In terms of difficulty, a club-handicapped player would merit an extra eight strokes assistance to return a net par score!”
Jumping Competition 1
Jumping Competition 2
I must say that we enjoyed ourselves tremendously with lots of laughter when the putts were sunk, and sighs of dismay when the balls went astray into the very rough “rough”.
Some comments after the game were:
“Challenging but great fun!”
“Beautiful greens and such lovely surroundings!”
“Pot bunkers are so deep; the side walls are taller than me!”
“Once the ball is in the rough, you can consider it lost!”
Congratulations to Kenny Tan who emerged victorious after the three rounds, winning himself a Trophy and a return Economy Class air ticket to Dubai, UAE. Congratulations
also go to the winner of the lucky draw, Uzir, a similar return Economy Class air ticket to Dubai, UAE.
Sometimes you can go for a holiday and throw in a round or two of golf but with Apple Vacations it’s usually a few rounds of golf with a “small” holiday thrown in! Thus, when
the competition was over, we had a tour of the neighboring vineyard, drank some wine, bought some wine, drank some more wine and continued with a trip to Melbourne city on the following day.
Although one day is definitely not enough for a first-time visitor to Melbourne, we managed to fit in a scrumptious dim sum meal in bustling Chinatown and a visit to the
Harbour Town shopping centre at Docklands. Harbour Town is Australia’s home of outlet and specialty shopping with over 180 brand direct outlet and specialty stores over 2 levels of Laneway shops. There is much more to explore in Melbourne but since golf is the focus of the trip, we did well to stay away from too much shopping and museum visiting!
Check out Apple Vacations golf tours. Their motto is “Let’s travel with your golf set!”
Winners - From left Alex, Kenny, Captain Aziz, Doris
Rena is already a winner with her smile
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