Comfort mixed with excitement is precisely what I get every time I jump in the car bound for The Vintage, a Greg Norman and Bob Harrison designed collaboration that has only improved since it opened as something of a brutal test to now sit at No.52 in the Top-100 courses in the country.
Make no mistake, the par-71 is no pushover and an examination of driving and short game skills in particular, but the Hunter Valley layout has been made more playable since it opened for play in the early 2000s.
Nestled amongst the rolling vineyards of the famed wine region (yes that might help with the aforementioned excitement), The Vintage is some of the design duo’s best work with intrinsic risk-reward qualities always presented in fine order.
It is something of a gentle start to proceedings at The Vintage, the downhill par-4 1st the first leg of a trio of two-shotters ranging from 331 to 398 meters from the back tees. The back tees are worthy of mention as something of a warning, they stretch the course to in excess of 6,300 meters and are not for the faint of heart, fortunately however, there are a range of options that reduce the total length by more than a kilometers.
Driving from the highest point of the hole, a generous fairway offering some extra roll is like the welcoming sip of a great Shiraz from the region west of Newcastle. A short-iron or flick with a wedge follows for most players to the green fronted by a small creek, with trees in the fairway potentially making things a little trickier if you aren’t precise from the tee.
The same placement theme follows at the next hole where the green is nestled in a shoot of trees before The Vintage packs its first punch of the round at the nearly 400 meter 3rd, the hardest on the course.
The split fairway of the par-4 3rd hole, which boasts a safe and risky playing line. PHOTO: Brendan James.
Turning right at the driving zone, the 3rd features a split fairway, so longer players might be best to leave the big stick under its headcover, with the safe line at the left bunker and fading while the more adventurous can challenge the traps on the right to set up a better angle.
There is nothing dramatic about the putting surface or its surrounds, just a test of approach play and a narrow green that means four is always a good score to then run to the next tee where once again you are given the chance to hit a drive that runs for days.
The collection of holes from 1 to 4 is a great example of where The Vintage’s strengths lie, holes played in a sequence challenging different parts of your game and offering equal chances to improve your score or do it significant damage.
The next such run comes once you reach the par-5 7th, a favorite of many a regular Vintage visitor.
Blind from the tee, the best line is inside the two bunkers left and, you guessed it, you will be pleasantly surprised by just how far your ball’s journey has continued along the ground.
As you make your way to the top of the hill, the narrow, two-tiered green below flanked by an enormous bunker and The Bimbadgen Estate vineyard to the left reveal themselves. Longer hitters can have a dip in two, but the prudent play is to lay back to a good yardage here to hopefully find the right level of the green or face the potential embarrassment of putting off the green… trust me.
Yardage is the name of the game at the par-3 8th (pictured above)which tops out at nearly 200 meters and snakes its way to the right around a large water hazard.
Bunkers line the left side of the slender 8th green and aren’t the worst place to miss. But for those lacking the firepower, or will, to take on the full challenge from the tee, a generous fairway area lies short left leaving a pitch straight up the multi-levelled putting surface before you head to another tough test at the uphill par- 4 9th
With two par-5s and some scoreable par-4s across the first five holes of the back nine, you can advance your cause to win a bottle of something from the area from your playing partners, before arguably the best hole on the course arrives at the par-4 15th.
Longer hitters will want to skirt the trouble right of the 14th hole to bring the green closer. PHOTO: Brendan James.
Standing on the tee, the view is dominated by water left and deep bunkering right with the fairway winding between. The right side of the green is hidden behind a large mound and combines with the water to create a magnificent risk-reward offering.
Take on the water and you will be rewarded with an approach straight up the long green that will have you thinking of a birdie, but the conservative line results in a blind short-iron or wedge to a green sloping away that will put another score starting with ‘b’ front of mind.
Once you’ve put out on 15 it is time to strap yourself in for a difficult trio to finish where it is about protecting your score rather than making it.
A long par-4 is followed by a par-3 of all water carry to the green before you make the uphill journey at the 18th that rates as the third hardest on the course.
Despite the fact that most will be coming in with a decent amount of club to the 361-metre last, the funneling edges of the green reinforce the notion that The Vintage is now a course for all rather than one leaving you pining for the adjoining Chateau Elan where spa treatments abound.
Having reconstructed its bunkers a few years back, The Vintage added another element of playability that also served to maintain its strategic bent, while regular visitors will be happy to hear the venue is currently undergoing tree maintenance with encroachment on playing lines set to no longer be an issue.
All the more reason to jump in the car and make the just over two-hour drive north of Sydney full of anticipation and comfort.
FACT FILE
LOCATION: Vintage Dve, Pokolbin.
CONTACT: (02) 4998 2500
WEBSITE: www.thevintage.com.au
DESIGNERS: Greg Norman & Bob Harrison (2004).
PLAYING SURFACES: Santa Ana couch (fairways, tees), bentgrass (greens).
COURSE SUPERINTENDENT: Martin Crowe.
PGA PROFESSIONALS: Richard Mercer (Director of Instruction).
GREEN FEES: $109 (18 holes including cart, weekdays); $134 (weekends and public holidays).
MEMBERSHIPS: A range of membership options are on offer at The Vintage to accommodate everyone from individual golfers, the family golfer and the non-golfer, who just wants to join for social events all without incurring the cost of a joining fee.
The Vintage also offers a repayment plan for your membership subscription through Pay as you Golf.
ACCOLADES: Ranked No.52 in Golf Australia magazine’s Top-100 Courses for 2022 and ranked No.27 in Golf Australia magazine’s Top-100 Public Access Courses for 2021.
© Golf Australia. All rights reserved.