Perth Play by Jeffrey Tsang

Perth is one of the favourite destinations of Singaporeans. Not only do we favour the capital of Western Australia as the destination for overseas studies and one of the top spots for emigrants, it is also a great destination for golf.

Golf Asia put together a team of three - Chui a low handicapper, lady golfer Agnes and yours truly – to try out five of these courses to provide a comprehensive low-down on golfing musts in this favourite city. Here we list the courses, and their comments. They will then vote and make some recommendations.



Secret Harbour Links Course
You know how golf courses the world over all have that “same look”? Whether in China, or Singapore, or the US, each golf course may be wonderful with its unique “signature”, but they just look the same.

Well, this is not true of Secret Harbour. This is the Australian golf course. It is a links course by definition, but it is so typically Australian in its flavour. Built on a beach area, the course rolls along with very little water but many undulations and a rich density of Australian vegetation and wild flowers just off the fairway.

The fragrance is intoxicating – and sometimes overwhelming – and that Aussie bush is simply unmistakable.

Araluen Golf Resort
Nick Faldo’s golfing advice with regards to Perth can be summed up with this one liner, “When playing at Araluen, remember to stop and smell the flowers.” With a recommendation like that, what holiday golfer could give this course a skip?

Even in late autumn early winter, the flowers were out with a vengeance. We are not talking about wild flowers in diminutive bushes here, but whole trees festooned with colours of solar yellow, furious orange and flaming red.

The course, high in the Darling Range outside Perth, is marked by lots of slopes. The largest vertical drop can be found in hole #16, undoubtedly the signature.

Joondalup Resort
This is likely the best-known Perth golf resort for us in Singapore, since golf-tycoon Peter Kwee of Laguna National fame is also the owner of this course. With three nines and accommodation, as well as tie-ups with several Singapore companies, most Singapore golfers who have visited Perth would have played here.

Whether it is Quarry, Lake or Dune, the course is marked with generous fairways, lots of wildlife – from kangaroos to ducks – and cliff faces from the old days when it was quarried for limestone.

The course is nice to play, of course, though we felt Dune had some exaggerated undulations and several of the holes had rather unreasonable elevation changes.

(For the complete article please refer to your August issue of Golf Asia magazine)