Spring Valley Golf Club

About the club

Vernon Morcom laid out Spring Valley shortly after World War II, and many years later in 2002 champ-turned-designer Michael Clayton carried out renovations. The course is another of the Melbourne Sandbelt's less heralded wonders. It is like the highly regarded nearby Kingston Heath largely level, and is accordingly remarkable for its bunkers. Designer Vernon's father Mick was a student of Alister MacKenzie, whose influence is immediately evident in the sweeping bunkers. Indeed, Ben Crenshaw, Masters champ and 1999 US Ryder Cup Captain and now a highly regarded architect, made a special trip just to study Spring Valley. Despite the lack of relief here, shots will have to be calculated and well aimed if the player is to make or beat par. The signature hole may be the 9th, which at 412 meters requires a leftward drive to reach the green without tangling with the imposing bunkers on the righthand side.