Murray Downs

About the club

The Murray River is the natural divide between New South Wales (NSW) and Victoria, and this border area benefited greatly during the period when gambling was legal in NSW but not in Victoria, and courses just inside NSW, such as Yarrawonga, attracted Victorians to stay and play the slot machines - "pokies" to the locals. The course at Murray Downs, considered the best along the Murray River, is one of the results of that boom, though the gambling laws have now changed. Designed by Ted Parslow in the early 1980s, here accuracy is at a premium, since hazards are placed to reward shot-making rather than length. Each hole is framed by trees and shrubs, and water both adds beauty and punishes the wayward shot. The fairways, of couch grass, are wide, and the greens are usually quick, though well protected by bunkers, and the course is always in good condition.