If you’ve dreamt of playing golf with some of Australia’s top sporting champions, this could be the perfect opportunity.

Pat Rafter will be hosting the 2010 Sporting Champions Golf Challenge at Barnbougle Dunes from 5-7  October

with the exclusive opportunity to play the both the Dunes and the Lost Farm with some of Australia’s most renowned

sporting heroes.

The Challenge is a 2 day, stroke play event which will determine the best golfer among our sporting champions. 

Each team  – consisting of two sporting champions and 2 corporate guests –  will play off on day one.  

Day one is a shotgun tee off team event which concludes with a dinner on 6 October for everyone to get to

meet and talk about the many shots left on the course.

The second day of play is sporting champions only, however if you would like to stay and watch the outcome

 of the tournament on Day 2, you are more than welcome to attend.

Package Includes

Accommodation –Barnbougle Dunes Golf Course including breakfast – 1 night

18 holes of golf with two (2) Sporting  Champions (6 October) on Barnbougle’s new course, Lost Farm

All Food and beverages during golf on Day 1 (6 October) including drinks and canapés afterwards

Dinner and drinks on Wednesday night (6 October) at Barnbougle Dunes

Access to 2nd days play – 7 October

If you are interested in playing and would like further information, please call Samantha Chalmers

 on 0409 487 005 or email:  sportingchampions@live.com.au

The time has come once again for us to undertake a thorough cleanse of the palate and gather our golf gear in

preparation for the annual Peter Lehmann Gourmet Golf Classic at Barnbougle.

Join us on the 27^th August for an entertaining round on course at Barnbougle followed by a degustation dinner

matched with signature wines from the Lehmann portfolio.

Once you have fully appreciated the wines from the Peter Lehman portfolio, stumble (I mean stroll) back to your

onsite accommodation just minutes from the clubhouse.

Saturday morning we will treat you to a recover breakfast in the clubhouse and we may just quietly remind you of

your rendition of Jimmy Barnes “working class man” – don’t get me wrong it has happened!

The Peter Lehmann Classic is always a fabulous event and Barnbougle is offering packages for $300 pp including:

-       18 holes of golf in the Peter Lehmann Classic on the 27^th August

-       Lunch on course

-       4 – course degustation dinner

-       Wines from the Peter Lehmann Portfolio matched to each course

-       Overnight accommodation in a twin share cottage

-       Breakfast on the 28^th August

If you are interested in attending the function or would like further information please give us a call on:

(03) 63560094 or email: info@barnbougledunes.com.au

On a recent trip to Barnbougle for the production of golfing series the 19th Holes, producer Nick Wall fell in love.

 Unfortunately for Nick, he had to leave his fair-way maiden to return home to his wife, however has graciously taken the time to review his experience of Barnbougle for me.

 Once more Barnbougle retains her dignity as “the one that got away”; capturing the hearts of men but never giving in to the temptation of running away and eloping in a foreign climate – thank goodness or I would be unemployed and out of luck (the unlikely event of a runaway golf course would surely mean something is working against me!)

Thanks to Nick for his fabulous words – enjoy!

Biz x

Three years ago  My Father played Barnbougle and has not shut up about it since, we’ve played a ton of Mornington Peninsula courses over the years and after every round it was the same…’Great course but not as good as Barnbougle’

 So you can imagine my excitement when I had the opportunity to film Barnbougle for golf show; The 19^th Hole came about.  

We flew in on Monday afternoon with Heli -Adventures Tas and proceeded to get some aerials of the course, very amusing watching a helicopter flying as low as the dunes and watching Golf Balls wizz by the chopper!

 Later in the clubhouse everyone approached us to reveal how close their ball went to hitting the chopper and our cameraman/producer Benny claimed he had tree branches hitting his feet as he filmed, half dangling from the chopper.  Suffice to say, it always helps your pictures when you have a great chopper pilot and tracking along the fairways at 100mph in and out of the dunes at 100km/h has produced some ripper pictures! I would definitely recommend a trip in the chopper to see this place from the air!

15th hole along the Forester River

 

Barnbougle was everything I had heard and more. I have played some fabulous courses around the world but Barnbougle has to be the finest layouts in pristine golfing landscapes that I have ever encountered. Not only was the course magnificent, the service and hospitality onsite has to be some of the best I have received anywhere in the world.  

For two days we filmed and played Barnbougle. On the first day I felt like we were in Scotland with overcast skies and light drizzle. The second day was a completely different experience, with beautiful sunny weather and a strong afternoon southerly.  The contrast between the 2 days was just incredible and the camera footage, awesome!

 On the final morning we woke to an early morning sea mist across the back nine. As the mist lifted and the first rays of morning sun shone onto the fairways, the view from the 16th tee was mesmerizing. 

The sight gave me goosebumps on my arms and was probably the most emotional I have felt since my wedding day – love at first sight! 

 I did ensure that the camera wasn’t rolling when I likened the feeling to the one I had when my wife was walking down the aisle on our wedding day  (I have since received a slap for comparing her to a golf course!)

Sunrise over the 18th

 

A huge thanks to the whole Barnbougle Crew down there, it literally feels like a family atmosphere everywhere you are and I am sure it will be the highlight of the show this year. Watch out if you ever play Richard Sattler though, he will lull you into a false sense of security then hit a ‘worm burner’ 140m to within 4 feet. What has been accomplished down there is a huge credit to him and his staff and I implore you to experience it yourself.  

As we finished up the last of the filming on our final day, I was perched high above the 8th Green late in afternoon filming back towards the sunset, when a group of 3 played up - one of whom was celebrity chef ‘Geoff Jansz’ .

Geoff hit an approach in to the green which trickled ever so close to the hole but unluckily caught the back downslope and ended up 30 feet from the pin.  After some heckling from us up high, he hit a textbook chip shot within inches, I yelled down ‘Can Cook….can play Golf’ . Chuckling Geoff replied

‘Well, I do make great chips’

 Touche Mr Jansz touche

8th Hole view of green to tee

St Kilda all-rounder Brendon Goddard  two-stepped across the pond for a couple of heavenly rounds at Barnbougle prior to the first bounce of the season. I touched base with Brendon for a rundown of his recent round.

Last time you played Barnbougle:

19^th – 21^st March 2010 with team-mate Nick Riewoldt

Favourite hole:

The 4th and the 7th. The 7th is a 112m par three and one of the best short par 3’s in the world – also one of the toughest. Its island-like green means accuracy is important (though debatable playing into the wind) and the front bunkers having a tendency to make a meal out of a golf ball!

Weather Conditions on the day of your round:

 North westerly winds blowing around 30/35km – the way links golf is supposed to be!

How you played:

I made the turn at 1 over and was pretty pleased to be looking at 4 under after 6 holes on the backside. Somehow I managed to drop 3 shots in 2 holes down the home stretch.

The 17^th and 18^th at Barny are two of the toughest finishing holes going around – especially with a prevailing ocean breeze! Luckily enough for Roo and I par was good enough on the 18th to take out the final hole and draw the match against the refined skill of our elite competition – the wily foxes of Sattler & Banks.

What (if anything) would you do differently next time?

I will add the following to my ‘must bring’ list:

-       Berocca

-       Bottles of water – to rehydrate after a long evening in the clubhouse

-       Earplugs – because you will never hear the end of it if you are defeated by Roscoe (or even draw with him)

-       Dancing shoes – because you just never know when the urge may hit; Tasmania does strange things to people….

I will make sure that I am able to stay longer and not have to go home (maybe ever?!) – Barnbougle is a hidden paradise.

Stay forever? Well you can’t really blame the boy – though we are not sure whether a city kid could permanently cope with all this fresh air….. But don’t take my word for it – come and experience it for yourself!

Good Golfing

Biz x

Journalist and friend of Barnbougle; Chris Santella sent through a link to some Barnbougle media coverage from Long Island, New York. Who would have thought that a remote golf course on the Island State of Tasmania would be making news next to the celebs in the Manhattan Media!

See page 16 of the link below.

Am-NY Daily

Happy reading!

Biz

If you happened to miss Mark Allen’s broadcast from Barny on Friday you can listen to it here by clicking the links below.  

SEN broadcast 19th March 

Barnbougle 

Barnbougle 2

With a flair for hitting balls around a paddock with a big stick, who better to provide some inside information on playing Barnbougle than Captain of the Tasmanian Cricket team, the delightful George Bailey.

When did you last play Barnbougle

I last played the Bougle on the 23rd December, a daunting start to the festive season.

Favourite hole

General consensus is that the 7th is special, but I am yet to set foot on the green, so I am not sure whether I can technically include it?!

Soooo I might run with the 4th. In my experience the 4th is a hole of mixed emotions; there’s the elation of driving the green in one, the hopelessness of staring up at the face of the enormous fairway bunker and then there’s the familiar ‘Bougle feeling of resignation as you reach for another ball from the dark depths of your golf bag. I have awarded additional bonus points to the 4th  for the beautiful walk between the 4th green and 5th tee – the view of the coast makes it a great place to be there no matter how well you’re hitting them.

Weather Conditions on the day of your round

Light zephyr for the front nine and a stiff breeze for the back. Someone once told me that there was a day without wind; actually it might have been Roscoe at the bar. I don’t believe it.

How you played

It was a typical golfing day in my life. Moments of unbridled brilliance; see Eagle at the 11th after a smoking hybrid. Interspersed with moments when I wondered ‘what the f*#% am I doing here’ – refer to 5-putting on the 17^th green.

What (if anything) would you do differently next time?
 I’ve leant from past experience that it’s best to play golf first and hit the bar with Roscoe afterwards – the other way round is not very effective (and the greens are tough enough without getting dizzy every time you bend over a putt!)

The Tassie Tigers are fabulous friends and ambassadors of Barnbougle and we would like to congratulate the entire team on a fabulous win in the Ford Ranger Cup. We look forward to seeing the boys on our fairways during the off season.

Biz x

I had the opportunity to catch up with the Awesome Foursome’s James Tomkins two weeks ago to have a chat about his last visit to Barny. Here is a little insight on how to play Barnbougle Dunes from one of our most entertaining Olympians.

When you last played Barnbougle

 I have played the course about 4 times, the most recent being early December 2009. We stayed onsite the night before and played the great course in the morning to try and miss the light zephyr that might come in later that day.

Favourite hole

 4th hole, never taken driver there only used 5 and 6 irons and then wedges (rated  5 in difficulty). 6th hole, love smashing it over the obelisk!!! (rated 7)  And the 17th for the sheer majesty of the views and the challenge of the drive rated 8

Weather Conditions on the day of your round

 Well, we tried to miss the breeze with an early hit off. However standing on the first it was cold and already blowing a fair bit, with dark high level clouds coming our way….and the wind was only doing one thing for certain – getting stronger!

How you played

 I played pretty well considering the draught coming off the water! I managed a birdie on the 4th, playing strategically by hitting a 5 iron and then a sand wedge in close and was very happy. On the sixth hole we had a tail wind. I smashed a driver which left me about 80m short of the green. Stuck a wedge in close…. and missed the putt, but was feeling good.

By the time we got to the 17th i was starting to become weary from Olympic-like concentration throughout the round. Took a driver and aimed at the fairway bunker and tried to let it drift back to the left, which it didn’t and I thus i had a blind shot into the green. It came up short. A pitch and two putts later and it was on to the 18th for a massive blow up!!! So much for the round i had going! 

What (if anything) would you do differently next time?

The obvious is to play it more often. However I would try and land my drive between the bunker and the right edge of the fairway on the 15th. Once I had landed the ball on the 7th green (from the tee shot naturally!)  I will try and make par!!

As you can probably tell from this heartfelt rendition of James’ round and his graphic description of the weather during the day (thanks for that mate!) this is an honest review of Barnbougle. Whatever the weather, if you are interested in writing a review on the course that could potentially be featured on our blog please feel free to email me directly: liz@barnbougledunes.com.au  

Good Golfing!

Biz x

I was most excited to receive the below review from one of our recent golfing guests; Craig Russell. Hailing from motherland – Scotland – and working for THE Royal and Ancient club, St Andrews; it was lovely to hear that the baby Barnbougle (well in golf years) lived up to all his expectations….

Course review: Craig Russell of Scotland

Date: 2^nd Feb 2010

Favourite hole 

Quite a few to choose from, but the 4^th (monster bunker), 13^th (great tee shot in front of group who let us through – not to mention the wonderful undulating green) and 15^th (tight tee shot to stick to the right hand side of the fairway – and the view from the tee) stick out in my memory.

 

 

 

Weather conditions

It was sunny and hot (high 20’s) with a bit of a breeze.  Some thought it was windy, but hailing from the East coast of Scotland, I can assure you it was just a breeze.

 

How you played it.

Considering it was my first round since mid November 2009, I played well.

 

What (if anything) you would do differently next time

Stay in the accommodation and play it a few more times – it’s a wonderful course in a wonderful location.

 

Thanks so much Craig!

 

If you would like to submit your thoughts on the course please pop me through an email with details under each of the above headings – liz@barnbougledunes.com.au

 

Biz x

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   

 

In late Jan we were pleased to welcome back renowned golf photographer and friend of Barnbougle Gary Lisbon, who hopped over the ditch to take a few snaps for us.

We were lucky enough to have a chopper present during Gary’s stay which enabled him to take flight and take some great shots of the course from above.

I thought I would pop a couple of the shots up for you to have a look at. Perhaps this is how a saintly being feels when flying over heaven? Ok, ok perhaps I am slightly bias! What do you think?!

If you would like to learn more about Gary and his work why not jump onto the GolfSelect website and have a look around.

Enjoy

Biz x