Holden Scramble 2008!

The Riverhouse is vacant for the week end of the qualifying round for The Holden Scramble which is due to be played on Sunday 14 September - why not plan for a week of entertainment and relaxation.

 Enter a couple of teams (three teams can be accommodated) and have a fun filled weekend altogether.  The beauty of the Riverhouse is that it is ideally laid out for golfing groups, with plenty of entertainment room and inside storage for all your golfing apparel and off street parking for any number of cars.

 All handicap players are eligible and anyone can win.  Port Fairy Golf Club needs support for this prestigious event to retain it for the club.

'The Holden Scramble enters it seventeenth season of Australasia's largest and most successful team's event where more than 5500 local Scramble events have been contested across Australia and New Zealand with in excess of 650,000 amateurs competing for the opportunity to play alongside some of Australia and New Zealand's biggest names in golf at the Championship final on the Sunshine Coast.'

'Propelled by a new sponsor in Callaway Golf, events have already kicked off around the country with plenty of enthusiastic golfers keen to bring home the Holden Scramble Trophy after a New Zealand team won the for the first time last year. Contact your local PGA Professional or golf club to find out how you can be involved.'

Experience Golf at Port Fairy

One of the highlights to visiting Port Fairy is playing golf at one of Australia's top Links courses, this course is enjoyable and challenging at all levels of ability.  If you are a regular visitor it may be worth considering a country membership of $310 but it would be hard to beat the very low green fees of $30.

There is plenty of room at The Riverhouse to accommodate golfing nut and when making your booking make enquiries as to possible alternate bedding layouts to fit your needs.

Paul Smith the Head Professional offers top coaching and golfing equipment, you may consider booking some lessons from the pro shop at the same time you make your accommodation bookings and if you are thinking of buy so new apparel there is plenty to choose from.

It was reported in the Golf Australia magazine that Port Fairy is 'ranked at 42nd in an outstanding list of the Nations top golf courses for 2008'

The feature reports 'The depth of quality Australian layouts has never been greater as our judges found in casting their votes for the nations best 50 courses. The cream has risen to the top while some terrific layouts unfortunately have missed out'

The criteria used by the judges in ranking Australia's best courses was: Design (40 points). Conditioning (20) - how the course is generally presented. Playability (20) - how the course plays in different conditions; is it equally fair for better and higher handicapped players and how enjoyable is it to play. The 'Wow' factor (20 points) attributed to design and the course setting.

With green fees of $30 and a full membership of $385 (and for those outside the 40km radius - a country membership of $310 ) it must be said that:

 Port Fairy has again lived up to its reputation  as
'the best value golf in the world  -  without question!'

With this in mind make sure you add Port Fairy to your list when planning your golf holiday you will not be disappointed, and if it happens to be that not all your party plays the game the Riverhouse is centrally situated that you will not need a car to enjoy your break

UK Golf in Victoria

Golf at Port Fairy is typical of the great Scottish courses, such as St Andrews, Troon and Carnoustie. Golfers who have never had the experience of playing these courses should take the opportunity to visit the district for a unique experience.

Wind is a factor when you play golf at Port Fairy, and the choice of club varies from day to day. For example a 111 metre par 3 can be played on one day with a wedge and on another with a 4 iron. Generally however tees and greens have a measure of wind protection to keep the game comfortable.

Port Fairy Golf Club is a magnificent course that also doubles as one of the great coastal walks in Victoria and is just a few kilometres form one of the states most desirable seaside retreats, Port Fairy. Set in towering linksland overlooking the Southern Ocean it enjoys cult status among true golf nuts for its formidable challenge but it's difficult to get too upset about bad shots in such an awesome location.

The gently rolling sand dunes of Port Fairy Golf Club have been largely unaltered by man, only mown in order to define fairways and rough giving rise to a wonderful natural 'feel'. Golf at Port Fairy is typical of the great Scottish courses, such as St Andrews, Troon and Carnoustie.

Consistently ranked within the '25 Best Public Access Courses in Australia' this classic links style course winds its way through unspoilt sand dunes and provides spectacular views of the Southern Ocean. Those familiar with the golf course at Port Fairy will know that it is a precious and unique layout. Nowhere else in Victoria is golf played so close to the ocean or along dune land of such quality. A truly wonderful and unique experience will be had by golfers of all ability.

Port Fairy Golf Club is a public golf course offering a wide range of playing times 7 days per week. Contact either Port Fairy Golf Club or GOLFSelect for more information.

NEWS FOR MARCH 2008

Mike Clayton visit to Port Fairy Golf Club 1 - 2 March 2008

As a former touring professional and now one of Australia's leading course designers Mike Clayton has seen and played many of the worlds leading golf courses however there is still something that keeps him coming back to the links at Port Fairy. Mike was in town over the weekend and took the time to have a social round at the course to see how it's progressing.

Mike knew of PFGC from his time playing the Victorian PGA tournament at Warrnambool on several occasions back in the early 80's however his first look at the course as a golfer wasn't until about 7 years ago. He and his firm Michael Clayton Golf Design subsequently became involved on a professional level with their role as course design consultants. During this time the course has seen changes ranging from the subtle removal of trees and additional bunkering on some holes through to the more dramatic repositioning of the 15th tee.

 During his association with PFGC it is not only the golf course itself that Mike has been impressed with 'One of the biggest dangers for a golf club is a complacent membership however here at PFGC the members have been very progressive and keen to see the course improve and evolve whilst at the same time retaining its essential characters Mike said. As for the future Mike can see perhaps some areas of subtle changes however as he puts it 'the course is pretty good as it is - particularly the stretch from holes 12-16 with their magnificent ocean views'

Mike rates Port Fairy and Horsham as the best regional courses in the state and makes the point that many of Australia's leading players have come out of non-metropolitan areas.

As everyone knows Port Fairy has one of the most outstanding Golf Courses in the world.  The Committee need to be congratulated on their continual efforts on improving our golfing experience. The entire course is having a slow face lift, if you have not played there for a while you need to come back and experience the opening up of the views by the removal of many of the old stands of tea tree.

"Golf is a winter sport" so now is the time to make plans, gather together four couples take advantage of the winter specials and book into the Riverhouse which is set out with golfing holiday as a priority.

News from the Port Fairy Golf Club web site.

The tree removal has been completed along the fenceline between the 9th fairway and the road and the 8th green and the road. This has exposed a view across the 7th and 8th greens to the lough in the background which adds to the spectacular setting of the links.