A small, hard ball being struck into a wide expanse, which can randomly bounce left or right, bound forward or pitch to a halt, depending on the shape and firmness of the terrain, is a variable no other sport can offer. It can bring absolute joy one day and heartache the next.
Legendary golf course designer Dr Alister MacKenzie once wrote: “A pleasurable golf course is not necessarily one that appeals at first sight, but rather one that grows on a player like good music, a good painting, or good anything else”. The creative genius behind Augusta National and Royal Melbourne’s West Course went on to add: “there are many bad golf courses made in an attempt to eliminate the element of luck – a mistake surely. Luck is the zest of life, as well as of golf.” Links Lady Bay certainly doesn’t fall into MacKenzie’s category of bad courses. In fact, if MacKenzie was alive today, he would probably cast a wry smile as he looked out over the layout and be moved to say “what a pleasurable course this is”. And I would have to agree … now.
I didn’t think much of Links Lady Bay the first time I saw it back in 2000, not long after the back nine was opened to complete the 18-hole layout. But, as MacKenzie states, it has grown on me, and I have found something new to like about the course each time I have been back during the past two decades.
I have come to appreciate the quality of the green complexes, the placement of the fairway bunkering and the routing, which considers the terrain and the wind direction. That said, the design still has its flaws (more on that later) but it has become easier to look past them and appreciate the design work of Jack Newton, Graeme Grant and John Spencer.
When the flag is towards the back of the narrow green on the par-4 4th, accuracy is at a premium. PHOTO: Brendan James.
Links Lady Bay is the only “from scratch” creation of the design trio. They created a terrific links course that follows the traditions of the great links of Britain and Ireland, which remain the game’s benchmark for fine, unpredictable golf courses. Two loops of nine holes stretch out in opposite directions from the front of The Lady Bay Resort. From there, each hole runs in a different direction to the previous, which challenges the golfer to become a keen judge of the breeze from all points of the compass. Strategic mounding, bunkering and the natural ebb and flow of the terrain on each hole introduces the element of luck. For this reason, as MacKenzie quite rightly points out, Links Lady Bay is an enjoyable course calling for a full repertoire of shots from a variety of lies. A round here could never be considered boring, even on windless days. Located 75km south of Adelaide’s CBD at Normanville on the Fleurieu Peninsula, Links Lady Bay is a testing layout which has been ranked in Australia’s Top-100 Courses for the past 25 years and reached its highest mark in a decade at No.68 in Golf Australia magazine’s 2024 list.
Conditioning, on the back of water issues, has been an issue at various times over the years, however, Links Lady Bay has rarely looked better than it has in recent times.
The coastal plain where the course lies – wedged between rolling hills and the waters of the Gulf of St Vincent – was rezoned from general farming to residential (golf course) in 1994. The Links Lady Bay Unit Trust, led by developer Mike Hill (who in a previous life had worked in the area as a sheep shearer), purchased more than 135 hectares of the dairy farming land later that year. The first nine was opened four years later, while the second nine took a further 18 months to complete and is now played as the outward half.
The 147-metre 6th is a fine example of creating an interesting and enjoyable hole out of featureless land. PHOTO: Brendan James.
I really like the opening hole. I am a great fan of a course which eases you into your game. At 334 metres from the White tees, there is nothing brutal about the par-4 1st. There is ample area down the dogleg right fairway to land your drive, but the “mayor’s office” – to quote Newton from his TV commentating days – is on the higher plateau left of centre of the fairway. This provides the best view and lie for your approach to the green, which is set in an amphitheatre of small dunes, separated from the putting surface by a ring of swales and hollows.
The 321-metre par-4 4th is one of my front nine favourites. Flanked by surrounding hills to the left and beyond the green, this hole runs across the highest section of the front nine and offers great views of the course and the Gulf of St Vincent. After playing a blind drive over a gentle rise, you are faced with an interesting approach shot to an L-shaped green. In my opinion, the green shape is a little too dramatic, but it does place a premium on club selection and accuracy. When the flag is towards the back, accuracy is so important, as the green narrows considerably. When the pin is forward, club selection is paramount, with a small creek and a bunker coming into play at the front of the putting surface. Leaving your approach in the wrong section of the green here is a guaranteed bogey.
As is missing the green with your tee shot at the first of four very good par-3s – the 147-metre 6th hole. This is a fine example of creating an interesting and enjoyable hole out of featureless land. The terrain between tee and green here is flat, but the slightly raised cross-shaped green and series of bunker lips and shoulders create enough movement in the landscape to present the illusion of a small putting surface. There is more than you think, but beyond the green’s fringe, there is a ring of eclectic-shaped bunkers – nine in total – alongside mounds and hollows which will gladly complicate your quest to make par.
The 10th marks the start of what I consider the best sequence of three holes on the course. PHOTO: Brendan James.
The extensive bunkering is a constant feature of a round at Links Lady Bay. Some may be critical of their number, but there is always sufficient golf course to navigate your way around them and if you want to take the risk of hitting alongside or over them, you will be rewarded.
A case in point can be found on the 10th hole, one of Links Lady Bay’s fine collection of short par-4s. It is a picturesque hole of 330 metres, where the tee shot is semi-blind over the crest of a hill to a fairway which slopes markedly down from right-to-left. Hitting a driver here to really shorten the hole is a risky proposition, as the sloping ground pushes every tee shot to the left and close to deep bunkers lining the edge of the short grass. That said, if you can manage to dodge the sand, the left side is the preferred approach angle into the elevated green, which is protected by more cavernous bunkers left, right and short.
The 10th marks the start of what I consider the best sequence of three holes on the course. The tee of the 359-metre 11th is slightly elevated above the fairway in front and, therefore, offers a sneak peek at St Vincent Gulf off in the distance, as well asthe bunkers lining the right edge of the fairway. The fairway significantly narrows and veers around two sand traps which, if found with your tee shot, are likely to result in a bogey at best. Play short of this pair or, if the conditions allow, blast a driver over the top and look for a favourable bounce to leave a short pitch onto the green, which is surrounded by six bunkers.
The fairway of the 359-metre 11th significantly narrows and veers around two sand traps. PHOTO: Brendan James.
If you were lucky enough to play the 11th downwind, you will be faced with a tough grind at the next, as you head back into the wind on the uphill 12th, which is the longest and most difficult par-4 at Links Lady Bay. Stretched to 425 metres from the tips, the 12th features a wide fairway with plenty of subtle twists and turns to influence bounce and the lie of your second shot. While your approach must be straight, to avoid one of the six bunkers surrounding the putting surface it must also be long enough to get back to the flag on what is a massive green. It is more than 30 metres long and any approach simply dribbling on the front of the green will leave an almost unmakeable first putt.
The 425-metre 12th is the longest and most difficult par-4 at Links Lady Bay. PHOTO: Brendan James.
The best par-3 at Links Lady Bay is the 197-metre (from the tips) 17th. It is a beautiful hole, which was named among the finest one-shot holes in the country by Golf Australia magazine in 2021. With the coastline off in the distance and tufted grasses shimmering between tee and green, you feel immediately transported to Ireland’s west coast. It is one of the most exposed areas of the course – so exposed that during construction, local schoolchildren were employed to hand-plant veldt grass in the dunes lining the 17th green to stop them from blowing away. Played into a strong westerly, some players might need a full-blooded drive to get home. Downwind you should bounce your tee shot in short and let it run to the flag. There are no hazards across the front of the wide putting surface, but there is plenty of sandy trouble elsewhere – namely four bunkers left, two to the right and another pair through the back. If there is one criticism to make about the 17th, it is the location of the cart path heading toward the 18th tee. It is way too close to the action, just left of the playing line and must regularly be cursed for repelling slight mishits off into the rough dune area beyond.
The best par-3 at Links Lady Bay is the 197-metre 17th. PHOTO: Brendan James.
Paths aside, the firm playing conditions at Links Lady Bay extract the best traits of the design, while improved conditioning in recent years has enhanced the experience even more.
Links Lady Bay’s fairways and greens offer many benefits, the greatest being the overall playability of the course for golfers of all standards, as length of shot becomes far less important than controlling your golf ball. And, of course, there is the unpredictability and joy a bouncing golf ball can bring. And that’s the way the great designers, like MacKenzie, believed the game should be played.
FACT FILE
LOCATION: St Andrews Blvd, Normanville, South Australia.
CONTACT: (08) 8558 0600; (08) 8558 0650 (pro shop).
WEBSITE: www.linksladybay.com.au
DESIGNERS: Jack Newton, Graeme Grant and John Spencer (2000).
PGA PROFESSIONALS: David Galloway, Sarah Douglass-Norris.
GREEN FEES: $50 (18 holes, weekdays); $65 (weekends).
PLAYING SURFACES: Mixture of Crenshaw 1020 and Penn Links bentgrass (greens), Santa Ana couch (tees and fairways).
MEMBERSHIP: Links Lady Bay offers a range of memberships including a seven-day full membership ($1,490) to six- and five-day categories, as well as nine-hole, interstate and junior memberships. Check out the website for more details.
PLAY & STAY: The Lady Bay Resort has 28 luxurious one-bedroom spa suites with a balcony, offering course and ocean views.
ACCOLADES: Ranked No.68 in Golf Australia magazine’s Top-100 Courses for 2024; Ranked No.31 in Golf Australia magazine’s Top-100 Public Access Courses for 2023.
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