Tea Tree
Par: 68 (34,34) Length: 4934m
Tea Tree is out past Brighton in Tasmania’s south. It’s a fairly short course with some reachable par 4’s if the conditions are right. There are creeks winding their way through the course and a few out of bounds come into play. Depending on the time of year there may not be much water, but it pays to stay on or near the fairway wherever possible.
Overview of the course including the 9th
The greens have a fair bit of break on them and you can get caught on the wrong side of pins if you’re not careful. Most of the par 4’s only require a pitch to the green and the two par 5’s are reachable in two. There’s definitely some birdie’s to be made but don’t expect to overpower the course. The par 3’s especially require accuracy and right club selection. There are some difficult up and downs to be found from around the small, sloped greens with water ready to grab any loose shots.
Green fees were $12 whether you play the full eighteen or just nine. There are two sets of tees for most holes (unless you’re off the social tees) while the par 4 sixth and par 5 ninth play as a par 5 and a par 4 respectively on the back nine. The course is well watered and maintained so it’s good value for money as far as I’m concerned.
Tea Tree has a very similar look and feel to Elderslie and they are both better than most of Tasmania’s nine hole courses. It’s worth the short trip to play and visitors are made to feel welcome and can take part on mid week competitions. The club has some quality players in Andrew Phillips and Matthew Blackburn so I wouldn’t expect to win to many gross events out there.
Best hole:
I think the par 4 6th is a good, tough hole. The tee shot demands thought and if you use a fairway wood or hybrid off the tee then you will be left with a 140m or so into the green, which proves difficult to hit. At 390m it is a lot longer than most of the other par 4’s at Tea Tree and is similar to holes you find on metropolitan 18 hole courses.
6th hole (par 4)
Worst Hole:
I’d have to say the 117m par 3 7th was the worst. From the social tees and downwind it’s just not far enough. It’s in between a soft wedge and a hard gap wedge with trouble straight over the back. It reminded me of the little filler holes at Rosny to get you from one spot to another. Seeing as they have plenty of land at Tea Tree I think they should get rid of this one – it’s just a bunch of nothing.
The round
21 December 2009
Score: 74 (34, 40) Greens: 9 Putts: 30
I'd organised a social round with Flog (Andrew Phillips) and we were pretty much the only players on the course. Initially I couldn’t recall if I had played Tea Tree, but once there I remembered a few of the holes. I’m glad Flog was there to guide me as I would have got lost in the same was as I did on the way to the course (note to Committee – buy a bigger sign). I was also impressed with his GPS which he had entered Tea Tree’s major hole features into (note to my wife. Can I have a Sure Shot™ GPS for Christmas?).
3rd hole, par 4
I started off a bit scratchy but made easy birdie on the 3rd to get back to even par. I bogied all the par 3’s on the front nine but birdied the 8th and 9th with nice, fairly short putts to finish even at the halfway mark. I don’t know why I bothered to add up my score at this point. I over analyse things and play so much better when I’m not counting. In part due to being aware of how well I was playing, I hit an atrocious block on the 10th but managed to have a shot on the other side of the creek. I was impressed with my athleticism as I bounded across the creek using a rock as a stepping stone. I was probably more impressed that I didn’t go arse over as it is common for me to over-estimate my abilities. However, I was not impressed with the resultant double bogey.
Worst shot:
I elected to layup short of the creek on the 9th with my Hogan 1 hybrid instead of my 3 iron. I even stated before I hit it that my worst shot with this club isn’t as bad as with my 3 iron. After near-topping it about 100 metres along the ground and to the right rough, I must rethink this strategy. I’m pretty sure the club will be left out of the bag as punishment for a while.
Best shot:
The build-up - I put my 2nd shot on the 6th over the 7th tee up near the fence. I ran my third over the green from a difficult lie. In the meantime, Flog chipped in from beneath the hole for a birdie and I noted how the ball reacted on the watered green. I flew my lob wedge chip a bit further than normal and it checked nicely and it also popped in the hole for an easy par. Easy hole.
