BRISBANE, golf on the sunny coasts

Where to play

Golf Hyatt has earned the enviable reputation of being "Where the pros play." Certainly it's the quality of the courses. The Brisbane Hyatt's ones are part of the most beautiful courses in the world. The championship layouts have been designed by renowned architects and each one is distinct and spectacular in the way it peacefully coexists with its natural surroundings. In Brisbane, The Pines at Sanctuary Cove is considered by the pros as the numer one in Australia and the Hyatt Regency Coolum Golf Course was home of the 2002 Australian PGA Championship. 

The Pines is unique. It was designed by the legendary Arnold Palmer and takes its name from the superb pine forest through which it meanders. Not only does the designer himself rank it as one of his best at 76, but the Australian Golf Union rates it as the toughest in the country. The Pines has hosted two Australian Skins games and many famous golfers have played it. It is private course reserved to members and hotel guests.
It's a par 77 for pros from the back tees, 74 for competition players and only 72 for "the others" as said Ron Jadach, golf manager. Anyway it is very difficult to play owns handicap what so ever it may be.
Despite its difficulties, the course is very attractive due to a charming environment of high pine trees and a lot of water holes in front, along, across, around the fairways and the greens.
What a golfer's eye detect as a big difficulty can be, in the same time at the same place, an enchantment for a poet's eye (the two eyes belonging sometimes to the same man, moreover if his ears hear the charming noise of the colored tropical birds!). In such special conditions, does the golf score really matter?
And if you are disturbed or in bad shape, pay a visit to Steve Damody in his golf academy where electronic cameras will correct your swing's defaults.

The resort-style Palms course, designed by Fred Bolton, is stimulating, challenging, fun to play and available to everyone. Its 18 holes weave through century-old cabbage palms and numerous water hazards. Kangaroos roam freely on the golf courses and can often be seen lazing in the sun in the sandy bunkers. This world-class golf course is home to British Open champion and resident touring professional, Ian Baker-Finch. The course is par 71, rating 69, with a course length of 5,663 metres.

At Coolum, the course has been designed by Robert Trent Jones Junior.
To those who know his courses it is not necessary to remind that RTJ Junior's design takes the exact shape of the natural site he has to deal with. At Coolum, he has been faithful to his principle and it is a success of harmony between sport interest and natural beauty. The scenery of this course is stunning. Each hole has its own uniqueness - rolling linksland type holes run beside the Pacific Ocean, and the woodland holes are set in groves of native melaleuca and eucalyptus trees, parkland and rainforest.
If the course begins quietly under the trees, the water holes appear on the 4th hole along an attractive flourished marshland and from the 9th to the end water is ever present with black swan and all sort of ducks slaloming between blue, pink and yellow water lilies. And on the 18TH you could meet a familiar pelican treating your ball with disdain.

Leapfrog over thewater

At Coolum,  pelican is familiar

The mount Coolum gave his name to the golf resort

Kangoroo on the course

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