Golf Industry Central Autumn 2013 Part Deux | Page 21

be as much fun as we had had
all weekend. As our bodies grew
wearier, the clouds parted, the
golf hotted up and our in-house
competition was decided by the
final putt of the trip. Of course this
putt was drained victoriously by
none other than Mr “two-or-threerounds-a-year”.
“So what about this place
that inspires golfers to get on
a plane and play ridiculous
amounts of golf?”
In short, it is because at Barnbougle
it is all about the golf.
Barnbougle Dunes was most
recently rated as Australia’s best
public access course, followed
closely in second place by
Barnbougle Lost Farm.
An inconspicuous entrance,
gravel car park, no golf carts, no
members, no competitions and
modest clubhouse gives the place
a rustic feel that may surprise the
wealthier set that arrive looking for
bells and whistles.

rugged, often windy and looks
perfectly natural nestled among the
huge dune formations.
It’s not that Barnbougle doesn’t
have the bells and whistles; it’s just
that they are placed into the design
of the golf course rather than in the
superficialities one might associate
with resort golf courses.
The accessibility of two such
striking, highly ranked golf
courses is rare anywhere in the
world. Consequently, we have
an environment where weekend
hackers mix with single figure
golfers on what feels like a level
playing (and paying) field.
Barnbougle is a very unique place
that brings out the passion for
the game in not just golf fanatics
but your weekend hackers, and
I wonder if there is something
Australian golf clubs can take
from this.

Adam Scott’s victory at the Masters
evoked a similar passion for the
game from more than just golf
fanatics. It shows that despite the
doom and gloom around some
clubs, the market for golf is still
there. It is just a matter of pushing
the right buttons to trigger the
passion.
We left Barnbougle in the grip of
a gorgeous, sunny day. It is no
surprise the most passionate golfers
among us were left wanting more.
But perhaps most surprising was
that even Mr “two-or-three-roundsa-year” wanted to come back and
was blocking off the dates in next
year’s calendar before we’d barely
left the golf course.
Michael Green
Avid Golf Fanatic and golf blogger
www.aussiegolfer.net

Even the most ardent critic of the
game of golf would surely marvel
at the sight of Barnbougle. It is

Golf Industry Central Autumn 2013

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