Voted as Australia’s most popular golf course and considered to be one of the most beautiful golf courses in the country, Bonville is also the first course mentioned when a golf tour to the Coffs Coast is on. Tucked into a forest and wedged up against the ranges, it is only 18km from Coffs Harbour. It has become the standard bearer for resort golf in the country. We can include it in our upcoming itineraries to the Coffs Coast but how does it really rate as a golfing and resort experience?
The Bonville Golf Resort History
It all started with the Big Banana. Yes that iconic tourist attraction near Coffs Harbour which local businessman Bob Johnson sold to Japanese investors in 1989. Johnson wanted to build a world class golf resort on 250 hectares of dramatically undulating, reforested land at Bonville. A previous owner of the property had been Australian Paper Mills. Ted Stirling, a former golf professional amd architect of Riverside Oaks, was commissioned to design the course. He started off with course superintendent and course builder Terry Watson walking the land. It was a rugged adventure.
The amount of landfall on the property was hard for walking but ideal for dispersing Bonville’s high rainfall and in Stirling’s imagination, he was able to use it to create holes. Sometimes though he had to wait for the lush undergrowth to be cleared before he could see anything! The course was completed in 1992 but in it’s first few years conditioning suffered as the tall surrounding trees cast long lasting shadows over the Penncross Bent greens. When current owner Peter Montgomery , a four time water polo Olympian and property developer took over in 1999, he had a big “to do list.” Fairways were widened to allow more sunlight in and also improve the playability of the course. Greens were also converted to Bermuda 328 which is more resilient to the shadowy conditions at Bonville. Also a bunker rebuild program was put in place in 2009 (and is still ongoing) where each bunker has improved drainage and matting installed for better sand retention.
He also wanted to create a world class resort where customer service is the No.1 priority and indeed he has succeeded.
Golf course review
Bonville is hilly, in fact very hilly. There is also some long distances between holes and that was the intention of the designer. He wanted to create an experience where on each hole you feel isolated from the others. Like you had the course to yourself. So taking a cart is essential. At the beginning of your round you be will given some balls where you can drive to the nearby range to hit and warm up or you can get your feel on the practice putting green.
The 1st hole is probably a strong indicator about the course. A par 4 with a broad fairway with plenty of options with an uphill approach shot over a creek to a well bunkered green. There is a lot of uphill approach shots at Bonville, so getting your stance and your clubbing right is essential. Probably the highlights of the round are the par 5’s. Although none of them are really long , they do demand precise shotmaking and strategy. The 4th goes over a rise through a chute of trees and your second shot has to traverse a huge gully (see above) to set up a third shot to the green. The 10th is a double water carry where you hit from island to island as a creek snakes through the fairway to an uphill green for your second or third shot . The 14th is probably the tightest tee shot on the course where you hit down through an avenue of gums and the 18th either gives you a blind layup 2nd shot to the valley below or a roundhouse hook to the green .If you are long enough, the decision to take on the green and the surrounding water and bunkers has to be made.
However the highlight for me was exquisite par 4 15th. At the 357m from the championship tees , it is another hole which gives you options from the tee whilst avoiding the creek that snakes around the fairway. However you are then left with a shot across water to a perched, redan green.
Bonville does finish strongly with a demanding teeshot for all you hookers out there, on the 16th. Huge gum trees guard the right side and a strong sloping fairway leads to a lake waiting for your ball on the left. I hit my best tee shot of the day and just kept it inside the gums on the right. The ball still bounced across the fairway to finish only ten metres away from the lake! Then there is uphill second shot to a well bunkered green. The 17th is a fine downhill short par 3 over a lake to an Augusta 12th hole like green. One thing to remember if you have not putted on Bermuda before is that it is grainier and breaks stronger than the Bent grass of more southern climes. Along with the big slopes that are on the greens at Bonville, you could be surprised by the breaks.
A golf course resort
The village of Bonville used to only known for it’s caravan park and a fruit stall. But the golf and hospitality operations at Bonville Golf Resort have changed the town. The rooms at the resort are twin share and are done well. All your golf needs are handled extremely professionally and if you are guest, there will be days where you feel that you have the course to yourself. The restaurant at the course “Flooded Gums” has been awarded with a chef’s hat and is first golf course restaurant in Australia to be awarded such an honour. It received rave reviews from the guests that I spoke to. That hat was also awarded for the quality of service which from my experience was first class. There are now direct flights from Canberra and Brisbane to Coffs Harbour to add to the flights from Sydney. If you like, we can organise golf tours which involve a number of days at Bonville with a day off to try one of the other fine courses in the area or to try another restaurant on your final night. Transfers all provided by the resort. Check out here our Coffs Coast Golf Packages.
However at the end of the day, Bonville is a unique experience in Australian golf.
