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COURSE CARE

Our Course

Melville Glades Golf Course is situated in Leeming, Western Australia and is easily accessed by either the Kwinana Freeway or Roe Highway and access is off South Street and Karel Avenue. The Course is home to over 150 kangaroos and the layout is a natural bushland setting. The Course has been in place since 1969 when first designed by Al Howard, a highly respected Sydney Course Designer. Some recent changes were by Ross Watson, and the Club has endorsed Phil Jacobs as the designer for the future. Phil has extensive worldwide experience and in conjunction with Gary Player, has designed some of the best golf courses in the world.

To Play the Melville Glades Golf Course, our Head Professional and Golf AustraliaNational Coach - Ritchie Smith - has provided an overview on the best approach to take.

1st Hole

Championship Tee - 321 metres - Par 4

Members Tees - 312 metres - Par 4

Ladies Tee - 312 metres - Par 4

Forward Tee - 301 metres - Par 4

The opening hole is a short par four which provides a good birdie opportunity to start the round. The longer hitter can carry the bunker positioned on the left hand side of the fairway, but the ideal strategy is to hit a long iron or fairway wood short of the bunker, followed by a mid to short iron to a green which slopes from back to front.

2nd Hole

Championship Tee - 483 metres - Par 5

Members Tees - 475 metres - Par 5

Ladies Tee - 439 metres - Par 5

Forward Tee - 462 metres - Par 5

A long, slight dog leg left par five which the longer hitters can reach in two shots. A good drive followed by a mid iron lay up to the corner of the dog leg, leaves a simple wedge shot to an elevated green.

3rd Hole

Championship Tee - 371 metres - Par 4

Members Tees - 359 metres - Par 4

Ladies Tee - 343 metres - Par 4

Forward Tee - 346 metres - Par 4

The third hole is a sharp dog leg right and one of the hardest holes on the golf course. A tee shot of 210 metres to the corner, will leave a mid to long iron to a green which slopes from back to front. A par on this hole is a good score.

4th Hole

Championship Tee - 376 metres - Par 4

Members Tees - 368 metres - Par 4

Ladies Tee - 295 metres - Par 4

Forward Tee - 346 metres - Par 4

This hole usually plays straight into the afternoon sea breeze, so hitting a solid drive is very important. There is a bunker on the left hand side, which must be avoided. The long, narrow green puts a high priority on the club selection, as leaving your second shot on the wrong tier makes par difficult.

5th Hole

Championship Tee - 160 metres - Par 3

Members Tees - 144 metres - Par 3

Ladies Tee - 117 metres - Par 3

Forward Tee - 138 metres - Par 3

A short par 3 generally played with the breeze from right to left. The green slopes quite severely from back to front, so it is imperative that you leave your tee shot below the hole to give yourself the best opportunity for a birdie.

6th Hole

Championship Tee - 379 metres - Par 4

Members Tees - 366 metres - Par 4

Ladies Tee - 378 metres - Par 5

Forward Tee - 357 metres - Par 4

The ideal way to play the sixth is to hit a drive down the left hand side from the elevated tee. This line will allow you to avoid the bunkers down the right hand side and open up an attacking line at the green. The green slopes from back to front, and the greenside bunker on the front right must be avoided.

7th Hole

Championship Tee - 379 metres - Par 4

Members Tees - 368 metres - Par 4

Ladies Tee - 314 metres - Par 4

Forward Tee - 346 metres - Par 4

A long, tough par four usually played into the wind. The most important part to this hole is hitting a good tee shot, otherwise, a bogey or worse is looking ominous. After a good drive down the left hand side, you will be left with a long iron to a slightly elevated and undulating green. A four is a fantastic score on this particular hole

8th Hole

Championship Tee - 497 metres - Par 5

Members Tees - 483 metres - Par 5

Ladies Tee - 409 metres - Par 5

Forward Tee - 475 metres - Par 5

The eighth hole is a long and fairly narrow par five with an extremely tricky green. A drive down the left hand side, avoiding the bunkers on the right, will leave you with two options, a courageous second over the bunkers 40 metres short of the green or a layup short and left. A layup will leave a short pitch shot to a very narrow and awkward green. If the green is missed with either approach, an up and down is a difficult proposition.

9th Hole

Championship Tee - 198 metres - Par 3

Members Tees - 180 metres - Par 3

Ladies Tee - 152 metres - Par 3

Forward Tee - 172 metres - Par 3

A long, tough par three played with a long iron or fairway wood. The tee shot must be carried the complete distance to the green, as a short tee shot short will likely find an awaiting bunker. The slightly elevated green has a steep drop off to the right and deep bunkers to the left. A very hard hole where, once again, pars are rare.

10th Hole

Championship Tee - 376 metres - Par 4

Members Tees - 363 metres - Par 4

Ladies Tee - 340 metres - Par 4

Forward Tee - 354 metres - Par 4

The 10^th hole is a very sharp dog leg left par 4 which plays its full length due to the severity of the dog leg. A long iron or fairway wood of 210 metres will leave approximately 150 metres to the green. The green is guarded by bunkers right and left whilst the green slopes from back to front.

11th Hole

Championship Tee - 329 metres - Par 4

Members Tees - 328 metres - Par 4

Ladies Tee - 311 metres - Par 4

Forward Tee - 314 metres - Par 4

The tee shot is the most important part to the 11^th hole. Missing the fairway to the right or left, makes it difficult to run your second shot onto the elevated green. The green is 35 metres deep with a shallow tier running from left to right, making putting difficult if you mis-judge your second shot.

12th Hole

Championship Tee - 418 metres - Par 4

Members Tees - 414 metres - Par 4

Ladies Tee - 422 metres - Par 5

Forward Tee - 399 metres - Par 4

A good drive positioned over or around the left hand fairway bunker will leave a mid to long iron to a narrow and flat green. This hole plays shorter than its length as the prevailing wind is normally behind your back and also the tee is elevated.

13th Hole

Championship Tee - 486 metres - Par 5

Members Tees - 472 metres - Par 5

Ladies Tee - 419 metres - Par 5

Forward Tee - 459 metres - Par 5

With the easterly wind this hole is a reachable par 5, otherwise it is definitely a 3 shot hole. A good drive down the left hand side of the fairway, gives the player a good angle to hit a long iron as a layup. The green slopes from back to front, so a pitch shot left below the hole, enables a good birdie opportunity.

14th Hole

Championship Tee - 133 metres - Par 3

Members Tees - 131 metres - Par 3

Ladies Tee - 115 metres - Par 3

Forward Tee - 124 metres - Par 3

A tricky little par 3 where club selection is the greatest challenge. A tee shot short of the green makes for a difficult up and down, or a tee shot into the back bunker is an automatic bogey. The green slopes from back to front, so a well struck tee shot below the hole is ideal.

15th Hole

Championship Tee - 385 metres - Par 4

Members Tees - 383 metres - Par 4

Ladies Tee - 324 metres - Par 4

Forward Tee - 370 metres - Par 4

The longer hitter can take advantage on this hole with the prevailing wind behind off the elevated tee. A drive over the left hand fairway bunkers will leave a second shot of approximately 100 metres to the green. The shorter hitter will have to hit the tee shot down the right hand side and then a mid iron to a flat and receptive green.

16th Hole

Championship Tee - 375 metres - Par 4

Members Tees - 363 metres - Par 4

Ladies Tee - 262 metres - Par 4

Forward Tee - 350 metres - Par 4

A picturesque par 4 and many peoples favourite hole on the course. A slight dog leg left with an elevated second shot to a treacherous green. A perfect drive down the right hand side, will leave a 2^nd shot of 125m up the hill and generally into the wind. Judging the 2^nd shot is a challenge because hitting the ball on the wrong level will be a tough 2 putt. The 16^th is just a good, strong hole.

17th Hole

Championship Tee - 130 metres - Par 3

Members Tees - 122 metres - Par 3

Ladies Tee - 106 metres - Par 3

Forward Tee - 122 metres - Par 3

The penultimate hole is a short, downhill par 3 that can ruin a good round. The hole can play anywhere from a 7 iron to a pitching wedge as the green is long, but very narrow. A big pond sits on the left hand side of the green to penalize any errant tee shot. However, missing the green to the right leaves for a tricky little chip out of thick rough, which can be difficult to judge. The championship pin positioned in the back left corner can make a player of any level nervous, especially late in the round.

18th Hole

Championship Tee - 510 metres - Par 5

Members Tees - 499 metres - Par 5

Ladies Tee - 447 metres - Par 5

Forward Tee - 473 metres - Par 5

The finishing hole at Melville Glades is a long, dog leg left par 5. A solid drive must be hit down the right hand side to be able to see the green. The longer hitter may reach the green in two shots if the sea breeze is helping. Otherwise, a layup with a long iron or fairway wood will leave a simple pitch shot to a relatively flat green. The 18^th is a reasonably easy par 5, so if you play this hole sensibly, you will be rewarded with a par or better.

Care of the Course

Bunkers

Divot

Ball Marks

Handling the flag

Bunkers

Before leaving a bunker, a player should carefully fill up and smooth over all holes and footprints, and then place the rake outside the bunker in a position that is unlikely to have influence on following golf balls.
Bunker - picture guide (left)
1. Always enter the bunker at the lowest point and not down the bunker face.
2. Pull rake toward you as you exit the bunker.
3. If required rake other affected areas.
4. Do not pile sand at the edge of the bunker. Push back excess sand to the base of the bunker.
5. Always leave the rake outside the bunker in a position that is unlikely to have influence on other players.

Repairing Divots

The carrying of sand buckets is compulsory at Melville Glades
Divots Picture Guide (left)
1. Remove any loose turf from the affected area.
2-3. Knock in all sides of the edge of the divot with your club or your shoe.
4. Fill divot with sand, press down with foot and smooth off by brushing sole of foot across area.

Repairing Ball-Marks

Ball Marks - picture guide (right)
1. Always start at the back of the mark and push forward with the repairer.
2. Use repairer around all sides and slowly ease turf toward the centre of the mark. Do not lift the soil upwards.
3. Lightly tap down with putter.
4. Your completed repair should look like this.

Damage to Greens

Flagsticks, Bags etc.
Players should ensure that, when putting down bags, or the flagstick, no damage is done to the putting green, and that neither they nor their caddies damage the hole by standing close to it in handling the flagstick or in removing the ball from the hole. The flagstick should be properly replaced in the hole before the players leave the putting green.
Handling the flag - picture guide (left)
1. Remove the pin from the cup with a gentle twisting motion to prevent flagstick from jamming in the cup.
2. Don't drop the flagstick on the putting surface as it will cause damage.
3. Always lower the flagstick by club
4....or by hand.
5.. Avoid damage to surrounds by placing the stick in the centre of the cup.