WARNING! Don't play here if your short game sucks! The 13th Beach Short Course

We’ve played the 13th Beach Ocean and Creek courses previously and they are two of the finest golf courses in Australia, we’ve driven past the short course and always thought we should give it a try, well with the recent floods in Victoria we were left with few other options, so back down to Barwon Heads we went.

Having played a few short courses before I wasn’t quite sure what to expect at 13th Beach, most of the short courses I’ve played have been 70-80-meter-long holes, which to be honest I don’t find overly satisfying and the greens are usually pretty bland.

Thankfully from the word go 13th beach bucks that trend, the first hole is 162 meters long which is a good length par 3 but it was the condition of the green that took me by surprise, it’s not the same level of quality as the green across the road at the beach and creek course but it's not far off it.

What they do well here is make the green interesting, like the peanut-shaped 3rd hole, it's not a long hole at only 145 meters but get it on a day like we did where the pin is in the narrow part of the green with slopes either side of the hole and you’re in for a challenge, I’ve been told in the past to aim for the fattest part of the green as a mid-handicapper but it’s a lesson I just can’t seem to learn.

A few of the holes like the 5th hole have bunkers around them but the course is not littered with bunkers like the beach course, that’s not to say you won’t find yourself in some of them, the 7th hole has an especially well-placed bunker to catch people trying to fly it straight at the middle of the green.

It's an interesting thing playing a par 3 short course, I didn’t realise how much I would miss hitting my driver, I’m by no means a good driver of the golf ball but I do find it helps to loosen my swing up, and brings that level of satisfaction when you go a hold of one, playing only par 3’s takes that away and really puts pressure on your short game.

Conclusion

If you don’t have a lot of time to spare and you want to play a course in great condition then this is fantastic, at $35 it's not the cheapest course in the world but compared to the Beach Course and the Creek course it’s a bargain, just make sure you bring your short game or like me you might find yourself having a frustrating time.