Wentworth Falls bears the mark of the legendary golf course designer Dan Souter, whose other courses include Kingston Heath in Melbourne as well as leading Sydney courses, Concord and Pymble.
In the early 1900’s there were only a few dozen golf clubs in NSW and Wentworth Falls had one of the finest club houses in the State. The grounds were planted with ornamental trees with the idea that eventually the entire course would become a beautiful garden.
Sydneysiders would enjoy a weekend in the Blue Mountains to take advantage of the pristine air quality and indulge in a weekend of golfing and social activities.
That history of innovation and excellence lives on to this day.
Wentworth Falls enjoys the highest slope rating of all courses in the mountains at 123 for the Men’s course, and 133 for the Women’s. The slope rating being a measure of the golfing challenge (rather than the steepness of hills).
As a testament to its quality, the club has also been selected by the Jack Newton Junior Golf as host course for an annual two day JNGG tournament featuring NSW’s leading junior talent.
The facilities at Wentworth Falls Golf Course include a 150-metre long practice fairway and large, level teeing ground.
An adjoining 50 metre practice area with practice green and bunker for honing your short game; two driving nets for a quick warm up; and a large gently sloping practice green to give you a taste of what lies ahead.
Each hole has a look and feel of its own, offering a mixture of short, medium and long holes with a premium being on driving. The fairways are lined with mountain pines and large eucalypts.
Easy walking with only a couple of uphill holes, a feature of the course is the sloping contours of the putting surfaces that can bring any golfers game unstuck.
HOLE | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Out |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Blue Tees | 377 | 368 | 483 | 339 | 145 | 287 | 392 | 379 | 148 | 2918 |
Par | 4 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 35 |
Red Tees | 363 | 363 | 362 | 335 | 125 | 268 | 385 | 303 | 128 | 2632 |
Par | 4 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 37 |
HOLE | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | In | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Blue Tees | 359 | 188 | 148 | 368 | 445 | 184 | 408 | 467 | 270 | 2837 | 5755 |
Par | 4 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 35 | 70 |
Red Tees | 305 | 177 | 141 | 369 | 416 | 163 | 394 | 452 | 227 | 2644 | 5332 |
Par | 4 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 37 | 74 |
Tip: Approach to the green – be right and let the ball filter down to the hole.
A par 4 with a straight away tee shot, out of bounds on left, trees on right. With a steep uphill second shot to a small green. The green is built up from the fairway on the front and sides. Another tough golf hole to start your round.
Tip: Don’t be long with your second shot.
A slight dogleg left par 5. Downhill tee shot to fairway which slopes left to right toward the moguls and a dam on right, you don’t want to go left either as there is out of bounds all the way down the left. A good second shot can reach green or can be laid up leaving a short pitch to an elevated green. The green slopes from back to front and has a bunker front right.
Tip: A quick green from the back, leave your approach under the hole.
A slight dog leg left par 4. Downhill tee shot, with trees on the left and the right. You will need an accurate drive down the right side to open up the 2nd shot to a larger green. The green is undulating with a steep false front and is guarded by bunkers on both the left and right sides of the green.
Tip: Be right of centre on fairway and don’t be long of the green.
A tough uphill par 3, despite being the shortest par 3 on the course. You need an accurate tee shot to a green that slopes drastically from back to front that is slightly protected by a big pine tree on the right.
Tip: Make sure you are up to the green as many a bogey can be made here.
A short straight par 4. Downhill tee shot to a wide fairway. Second shot uphill to an undulating green that is protected by 2 bunkers left and right.
Tip: Get the ball under the hole on the green.
A downhill par 4 with a tee shot needing to stay to the right side of the fairway for a good look at the green. The second shot with a mid to long iron needs to be drawn in as the big conifers, that guard the left side of the green will grab balls hit left every time and the bunker on the right will catch anything bailed out to the right.
Tip: To the average golfer play as a par 5 and a 4 could come.
A straight par 4. Tee shot to a wide fairway with out of bounds on the left and trees to the right. Second uphill to a generous sized green that slopes gently from left to right and back to front.
Tip: The green has ‘hidden’ slopes.
A straight par 3. Your tee shot will move from left to right on landing on the green. The green is guarded by a bunker front left. Out of bounds to left and behind the green.
Tip: Better to be short than long.
An uphill par 4. Tee shot over dam, trees on the left and right. A hole that can intimidate you from the back. Second shot with a long to medium iron to a two tiered green protected by a deep bunker on the right front and a pot bunker at the back left. For the bigger hitters from the back you will need to play a shot with shape that will give you a short iron to the green
Tip: Be on the left of the fairway to avoid the front bunker on approach.
A demanding par 3 from an elevated tee. The green is sizeable with two levels and bunkered front, back and to the right. Par is a good score on this hole.
Tip: If short be right of centre of fairway for an easy chip shot in.
A straight par 3, with big trees either side of fairway up to green. Not an easy hole to hit in one, when you are on the green watch out for the subtle direction changes for any putt.
Tip: Have a good read of the green and be confident.
An uphill dogleg to the left par 4. Conifers and eucalypts protect both sides of the fairway gathering up any offline tee shots. Next a mid to long iron to a two tiered green protected by bunkers both left and front right.
Tip: It’s best to be right of centre on the fairway for your shot in. For the big hitters take the corner on for a short iron in.
A shortish par 5 with a slight dogleg to the right. Shape your tee shot and avoid the Out of Bounds on the right. A drive finding the middle of the fairway will give you an easy lay up or for the long hitters a shot at the green.
Tip: Can be reached in two but be on the cut portion.
A slightly downhill par 3. Trees to the left, out of bounds to the right. Bunker on front right hand side of the green. A good hole. Anything left will finish in the tree line; right possibly in the bunker.
Tip: Land short and it should roll on or hit the green having the ball with backspin.
A demanding dogleg to the right that requires a good drive up the left centre to give you a clearer shot to the green. Slightly uphill your second plays slightly longer than the yardage and is just as demanding as the tee shot with a bunker that guards front left of the green.
Tip: Tee shot should be precise if you want to hit the green for two. Watch out for big pine tree on the corner.
A special hole. A true risk reward par 5, with an easy route taking the centre line down the fairway. The hole can be navigated with a wood, a long iron, and mid to short iron third shot. The more daring among us will be tempted to drive down the left side cutting precious metres off the second shot.
A drawing second hugging the contour of the trees can send your ball hurtling toward the centre of the green for a date with an eagle putt, but be careful and don’t miss, trees and deep rough to the left with a bunker and out of bounds to the right can turn your dream eagle into a nightmare double.
Tip: for the average golfer play for 5 and a 4 will come.
A straight uphill par 4. You can be aggressive off the tee or play for the bottom of the hill. However don’t be right as you can be blocked out. Left is best. Only a short hole but beware, green slopes downhill.
Tip: A testing chip or putt from above the hole on a quick green could see adulation turn to frustration.
Wentworth Falls greens are our pride and joy – the best in the mountains and among the top greens in NSW.
Sydney golfers will appreciate the smooth roll, as our greens see less traffic than busy city courses. The greens are on the slick side and they hold hidden challenges with a variety of slopes and subtle banks. They are of a quality to savour.
For this you can thank (or curse) golf course superintendent, Chris Simpson. Out of a tough field Chris nominates the fourth green as his favourite for the hidden challenges it provides.
“It’s about 450 square meters,” says Chris. “So it is one of our bigger greens. It’s also one of the newer greens, being around 20 years old. So it’s a modern design.
“It’s very challenging, depending on the pin position. It’s got a lot of, as we say, buried elephants in it. It’s got a lot of humps. You get some massive breaks.”
“I’ve always enjoyed parting on it long before I was green keeping here, I always thought it was a fun green to put on. It is a nice one to look after because it gets lots of sun and it’s in a good position,” he says.
Adding to the challenge, the fourth green is raised at the front, on the right and at the rear so your ball can easily roll off and back down to the fairway if you’re not careful.
Above all Chris Simpson says he wants to make a great experience for you, the golfer.
“There’s a few things I’ve learned about golfers as a green keeper that I didn’t learn when I was golfing,” he explains. “As you’re walking up to the green, It’s important that it looks good.
“It is more enjoyable for the golfer if the grass is actually a real green colour rather than brown or whatever.
“It’s important that the greens roll well. And then when you actually play it, you are rewarded if you hit a good putt or you hit a good chip. And then you get a flow on.”
Chris says that Wentworth Falls’ greens are mostly bent grass (which is desirable), with some poa which is winter grass. Together they make a year round treat.
Set in the UNESCO World Heritage listed Blue Mountains, Wentworth Falls Golf Course is a wildlife haven. We share our golf course with resident blue tongue lizards; eastern long-necked & short-necked turtles in our dams; and several species of birds and ducks who have made their home in waterways dotted around the course.
Top of the list are the wood ducks. You can spot the males by their dark heads and the females with their fair colours. They gather in their dozens, sometimes waddling quietly across your fairway. Most often you’ll see them clustered around the water spots, foraging for food in the rushes and the long grass.
Twice a year they will hatch their young, high up in the branches of trees until they come fluttering down. It’s enchanting to see squadrons of chicks – up to 10 at a time – as they scurry behind the adults.
Look around and you will also see parrots of all kinds, as well as five species of cockatoos. They include the well-known sulphur crested cockatoo and maybe – if you’re lucky – the gang gang cockatoos, and the glossy black cockatoos which feed off the casuarina trees found on the course. Both species are critically endangered Australia-wide and especially in the Blue Mountains.
The Blue Mountains Bird Observers Club has documented up to 50 species on the golf course, making this patch of land a unique and important habitat.
Wentworth Falls Golf Course is located on Ngurra (Country) of the Dharug and Gundungurra peoples.