The Royal Melbourne Golf Club - Well-Suited for Challenging Thinking & Head-to-Head Competition

Built in the Sandbelt of Australia, it has great terrain and excellent drainage. It compares favorably to Augusta National, St. Andrews and Cypress Point. At under 7,000 yards, it is relatively short compared to what PGA Tour players are used to and it is the oldest golf club in Australia. Founded in 1891, it moved to its current location in 1901. In the list of Top 100 Courses in the World, it ranks 12th. It is the only one in the top 20 outside of the United States, Scotland and Ireland.

It is the Royal Melbourne Golf Club which will be hosting The Presidents Cup 2011 taking place November 14 - 20, 2011. This will be the ninth playing of The Presidents Cup and the Royal Melbourne Golf Club will be the first golf club to host the overseas event twice.

Tournament History

The Presidents Cup was developed to give the world's best, non-European players an opportunity to compete in international team match play competition. Since its inception in 1994, The Presidents Cup has grown in size and stature to become one of the most eagerly awaited, highly watched events in all of golf. This golf tournament pits the top players from the United States against an international team culled from the ranks of the finest golfers outside of Europe.

The participants receive no personal compensation for playing in the event. Instead, all the proceeds from the tournament are split equally by the players who designate charities to receive the funds. The Presidents Cup has given close to $22 million to charity.

The Presidents Cup 2011 will see the return of 2009 team captains Fred Couples and Greg Norman. As first-time captains at The Presidents Cup 2009 in San Francisco, Couples and Norman each led strong teams as they competed in front of record crowds at Harding Park Golf Course. The U.S. Team retained the Cup, winning by a score of 19-1/2 to 14-1/2 to stretch their overall record in the competition to 6-1-1. The International Team's lone victory in the event came in 1998, which was also held at Royal Melbourne.

The Presidents Cup competition consists of 34 matches -- 11 foursomes (alternate shot), 11 four-ball (better ball) matches and 12 singles matches involving all players on the final Sunday. All matches are worth one point each, for a total of 34 points. In a change inspired by the events of The Presidents Cup 2003, if the match is deadlocked at the end of singles play, the competition will be deemed a tie and the teams will share The Presidents Cup.

Course History

Considered the gem of Australian golf, the Royal Melbourne has two courses, the East Course and the West Course, both ranked in the World's Top 100. This is an extremely rare distinction that no other facility outside the United States can equal.

The legendary Scottish golf architect, Dr. Alister MacKenzie designed the West course in 1926 with the help of Alex Russell and Mick Morcom. It opened for play in 1931. Influenced by his time with Dr. MacKenzie, Alex Russell designed the East Course. It was laid out during the early 1930s with Mick Morcom in charge of construction and was ready for play in 1932.

In 1959, in order to host the first of many international tournaments, 12 holes of the West Course and 6 from the East Course were combined to create what is known as the Composite Course, which is ranked as one of the top 10 courses in the world. The Royal Melbourne's Composite Course has hosted many important tournaments, including the 1998 Presidents Cup which marks the first time this particular tournament was held outside the United States.

In an interview with Cybergolf’s Jay Flemma, Geoff Ogilvy surmised the Composite Course was being used for match play because it doesn’t require crossing a road. Otherwise, he said the West Course is the best due to its Mackenzie influence.

Composite Course Overview

If you are familiar with Dr. Mackenzie’s principles of golf course design, you’ll known that The Presidents Cup course will have many holes that have doglegs and look more difficult than they actually are. There will be holes with large greens that have big slopes like Augusta. And similar to Augusta, if you miss the green on the wrong side, even slightly, your chance of recovery is nil. If you miss on the “correct” side, you can save par.

Ogilvy remarked, “It's creative and interesting and different every time you play it, and every time you play it you find something new, which is really the true sign of a great golf course.”

The routing for this year's Presidents Cup, which plays as a 6996-yard, par 71, is as follows:

1. 3 West
2. 4 West
3. 5 West
4. 6 West
5. 7 West
6. 10 West
7. 11 West
8. 12 West
9. 17 West
10. 18 West
11. 1 East
12. 2 East
13. 3 East
14. 16 East
15. 17 East
16. 18 East
17. 1 West
18. 2 West

Notable is that there are only two par 5 holes; No. 2 at 521-yards and No. 15 at 569-yards. Because the format is match play, having opportunities to make the green in two is less of a concern. The point is to beat your opponent head-to-head. A Mackenzie-designed course is ideal for match play. He was all about thinking your way around the course. The doglegs serve a purpose where driving too far can get a golfer in trouble. Plus, the difficulties involved hitting into the green and the slopes encountered showcase the genius of a Dr. Mackenzie design. All the new technology in the world, from clubs to golf balls, can’t really help a golfer mitigate the challenges being presented.

Another thing worth noting about the layout of the course for The Presidents Cup is that it ends up at the clubhouse not only at hole No. 10, but also at No. 16, not the traditional No. 18. The reason is that for the majority of the match play matches, No. 16 is the final hole. The objective is to ensure that the crowd can be closer to the deciding action.

Composite Course Highlights

The following provides a description of what the competitors will face playing the Composite Course.

No. 1 - Par 4 (354 yards)
The opening hole offers a good chance at a birdie. However, with a green that slopes down over the back, finishing well past the pin is a strong possibility. Bunkers on the left are dangerous, but it's an open approach.

No. 2 - Par 5 (521 yards)
The first of the Par 5s, it is a tough hole that provides a birdie chance for the long-hitters. The drive goes over a hill with fairway bunkers looming for the short shot. A wood or long iron approach must be straight, as bunkers on either side of the green are trouble.

No. 3 - Par 3 (176 yards)
For this Par 3, it is all about accuracy and making the right choice of club. The green is heavily fortified with bunkers. Plus, it has a steep slope from front to back and is a tricky test.

No. 4 - Par 4 (439 yards)
The green for this hole is rated the most difficult on the course, making the shots leading up to it extra crucial. The competitors will encounter a sharp dogleg requiring their tee shots to carry a minimum of 218-yards across dense rough and fairway traps, in order to leave the ball in the right position. The elevated green slopes towards the front and produces many three putts.

No. 5 - Par 3 (148 yards)
This is a deceptively easy looking hole that features a narrow green with difficult undulations. Long putts are tough so you really have to play it wisely. The hole goes uphill from the tee, with plenty of bunkers, especially for those who overshoot the green.

No. 6 - Par 4 (312 yards)
This is a very tempting hole for the big hitters, especially if they attack the pin by cutting the corner. But that's where the danger is as the sand bunker is huge and a miss can be penalized. It's short but suits the disciplined players who go “the right way around.” Anyone who tries to drive the green will end up with an impossible shot with no chance to make a three if they miss.

No. 7 - Par 4 (455 yards)
This hole can be tempting to big hitters who challenge the fairway trap and rough on the left as they try to go direct. The second shot, to a sloping green, is a long haul and must be accurate with bunkers guarding the entrance.

No. 9 - Par 4 (439 yards)
This is a tight driving hole with a second shot to an elevated green which has some dangerous traps on the right.

No. 10 - Par 4 (433 yards)
This hole has a dogleg right fraught with danger. The drive must carry upwards and over 218 yards to present an approach shot from a downhill lie. The green appears to be well protected by bunkers. This is one of those Mackenzie “looks more difficult than it is” holes. It is said that a good eight iron lobbed nicely will pay dividends.

No. 12 - Par 4 (440 yards)
Accuracy is required for this long driving hole off the tee to navigate the dogleg and then a deceptive hill up to the hole often leaves players short. The green is guarded by bunkers along the right fairway and on the left of the green.

No. 14 - Par 3 (186 yards)
This is a long, difficult Par 3 that is well bunkered with the additional challenge of a ridge running through the middle of the green.

No. 15 - Par 5 (569 yards)
This is a hole that poses a challenge for those who play aggressively. It features the barrier of fairway bunkers which force the decision to go long twice or lay up short and approach with a sand iron. It's an open driving hole but accuracy is needed with all the emphasis on the choice of the second shot and with traps neatly placed to catch the wrong decision makers.

No. 16 - Par 4 (449 yards)
For accurate hitters, this hole offers a birdie chance. The long drivers still need a big second shot but the green is large and inviting once you pass over the fairway bunkers. Traps surround the green with some rough in front. Plus, the entry is nice and narrow.

Geoff Ogilvy said, “It is a gentle dogleg that plays from right-to-left with a green that sets up for a shot from the left-hand side, especially for a right-hand pin. You have to hit the ball close to the inside of the dogleg in order to have a good chance. Guys will still hit long to mid irons in with the Melbourne wind.”

No. 17 - Par 4 (429 yards)
A good driving hole, this presents a wide area leading up to a big green with little danger. But it's a deceptive hole with a hooked tee shot leading to danger in unplayable trees on the left. A deep trap on the right of the green, plus a grassy mound and deep rough on the left, makes it a little deceptive. It is a hard par four with very few birdies scored.

No. 18 - Par 4 (458 yards)
If a match gets this far, the competitors will face a fast sloping green that makes scoring a birdie a challenge. It is possible to drive the green with a long iron but the shot needs to carry the bunkers guarding the entrance to the hole. Hitting too far left will find some thick ti tree, heavy rough or the deep bunker.

Conclusion

It has been said that the Royal Melbourne’s West Course is one of the best preserved MacKenzie courses in the world and along with Cypress Point, perhaps the most faithful to his design ideals. The competitors in The Presidents Cup will be dealing with 12 holes from the West Course so you can be assured that the winners will be true champions in the “Spirit of St. Andrews” that imbues all of Dr. Mackenzie’s designs.

Hopefully the Golf Channel and NBC broadcasters will decide to focus on how the course is being played and the decisions being made. That is something that will benefit all golfers.