If you put “that the pleb can play” as a caveat, then that might be true 
Although I have managed to play two of the big sandbelts so far. I think YY is my personal favourite, having seen Royal but having not played it (President’s Cup).
I’ve put a nice little list together with the public access top 100 though… I think I’m up to 11 now.
I’ve played most of that list (although not all recently). RM is insanely good. The only course where I felt like I’d played out of my mind and still ended up getting completely smashed (I can’t putt, so thay was a major component, I’d nail a drive and an approach to 15ft and walk off with a double). There are just places where you stand over the ball and could think of 100 ways to approach a shot and you aren’t comfortable with any of them.
KH is generally the second “highest rated” and is heaps of fun, but is also a course that I always score well on. I’m not sure it’s better than the next group. Vic, Metro, Comm, Yarra are all fantastic tracks (Comm is mid major upgrade at the moment, but has some wonderful holes). I haven’t played Huntingdale for years, but apparently it has been subject to big changes. Woodlands I have a personal hatred of, only because i have always scored poorly there. Spring Valley I’ve only walked
(And yes, I have been very lucky to have been able to play all of these over the years. Growing up at that end of the earth with a golf obsessed father certainly helped)
Just down the road is Cranbourne GC, Settlers Run and Ranfurlie as well. Cranbourne is a shithole but has some amazing courses.
The club should put on a members golf day where you can pay a fee and get grouped with a senior player/former player.
From memory, I think the Storm used to do a members golf day.
And I meant to ask, which other Sandbelt did you get a game on? Yarra Yarra now is unrecognisable from Yarra Yarra of 20 years ago …
Didn’t Essendon do one some time ago? I remember I badly wanted to play in it but had some kind of conflict.
YY was in early 2021, so it was mostly post-reno; I think there might have been one or two holes still to come.
The other one was Commonwealth and that was in 2002. I’ve been told it’s been improved a bit since then as well.
If they had, must’ve been before I took up golf as a proper hobby
Comm in 2002 would have been a day by day proposition condition wise, and I think that was just post that Cashmore work which was horrible.
They’ve gone a complete rebuild (overseen by Tom Doak) and regrass (finally going full Santa Ana couch fairways and going the same grass as Vic on the greens) which is currently halfway done as far as I know. I reckon in a couple of years it will be awesome. 16 could be the best par 4 in Melbourne.
I haven’t played Yarra post changes, but have driven past and done a triple take. One of my best friends was a member there for years and I’d played there a bunch in the old days. There have obviously been a million trees cleared out since then!
Doak’s working on Commonwealth now? I gotta see that.
I believe so. He obviously tested the place pretty highly in his book, so should be interesting.
I played Anglesea yesterday. My driving was the best it’s ever been. I think I missed 1 fairway. The rest of my game was 
unfortunately .
That’s standard golf isn’t it? Good day though?
Yeah great day. Course was fairly busy but that gave us plenty of time to take pics of the wildlife.
Yep. I wish I could just play consistent with all clubs in my bag. Last time I played, hit 6 greens with long irons which is unheard of for me. But my driving was shizen.
And we aren’t even talking about my putting.
Old man is a member down there. Can’t speak highly enough of it.
What’s everyone’s most comfortable shot?
Mine is a 100m 6 iron punch out of the trees/rough to get out onto the fairway 
Mine is an over hit bunker shot into the opposite bunker and then back again.
50 degree “U” wedge.
“recovery” shot with the 5 wood after the drive barely makes it past the front tee
