Inside The Metropolitan Golf Club Renovation on the Melbourne Sandbelt

When it comes to conversations about the best golfing cities or areas in the world, the Melbourne sandbelt in Victoria, Australia is undoubtedly in the conversation. There’s a solid number of brilliant golf courses packed into the south-eastern part of the city, all roughly within about a 30-minute drive of each other.
Among the sandbelt’s premier layouts is the one that’s closest to the city centre: The Metropolitan Golf Club. And there’s been plenty happening at Metro over the past year and a bit with the Club coming towards the end of a redevelopment of its course.
Since 2017, the Club has been executing a Course Enhancement Plan which has included a redevelopment of the 19th hole, alterations to existing bunkers, the removal of some bunkers and the addition of new ones and widening of some of the playing corridors.
The more significant changes have taken place since December 2023 when Metro began its Green Restoration Program which is being done over two stages. Stage 1 finished in the March last year and focused entirely on the front nine. Stage 2 of the project began in November last year and is all about the back nine holes.
And while every green is being restored, not all of them are being changed in terms of their contours. But a common theme on most of the greens has been to create more areas where pins can be cut, enhancing the strategic value of the golf course.
We’re still more than a couple of months away from seeing the finished result but some of the major changes on the back nine will include a complete remodelling of the 12th and 13th holes, and a significant makeover on the dogleg right par-four 16th hole is well underway.
Previously, you couldn’t see the 16th green as you stood on the tee but now the right side of the hole has been opened up creating a clear line of sight to the flag. The shortest fairway bunkers have been filled in to create a wider area for shorter hitters and the main collection of fairway bunkers have been remodelled. And like on some other holes, artificial mounding near the green has been softened.

#golfcourse #melbourne #golfclub

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