FORMER playing peers of Matthew Goggin during his days as a talented golf professional say he was a lovely bloke off the course but extremely hard on himself on it.
“To be honest, he was hard work out on the golf course the way he beat himself up when he made a mistake,” one said. “But he always fought back doggedly.”
(It’s appropriate to mention, too, that Goggin could play. In the 2009 Open at Royal Turnberry, he was paired with Tom Watson in the final round and looked the winner with five holes to play before three bogeys in a row.)
“I reckon that doggedness learnt on tour is part of the reason he has been successful in getting Seven Mile Beach over the line when many others would have given up. His determination served him well in spite of the hurdles put in front of him along the way.”
With the official opening of the completed 18-hole course at Seven Mile Beach, Matt Goggin’s dream has become a reality. – Photo: ‘William Watt, Contours Agency’
Some 15 years ago, Goggin first shared his dream with late Tasmanian golfing great Peter Toogood and Peter’s son Anthony, current course Superintendent at Seven Mile Beach, with the build only getting the final go ahead three and a half years ago.
So, after overcoming setbacks and appeals, the 18 holes at Seven Mile Beach were to open the same day Rory McIlroy teed up in the Australian Open at Royal Melbourne – an event Goggin lost in a play-off to South African Tim Clark at Royal Sydney in 2008.
The new layout has been open since May for 11-hole preview rounds but as of the first week of December woud be fully operational.
Goggin and the Toogood’s, his long-time playing mates from Royal Hobart (Goggin beat Peter in the Tasmanian Amateur final in 1995) and many who have helped him along the way, have been waiting a long time to present the finished product.
Goggin is a man not given to hyperbole but is elated about the course being officially open for play.
“We’re very excited to welcome people to play the full 18,” he says.
“We’ve had a really positive response to preview play, and the holes still unseen are among the most visually spectacular on the course.
“I think a lot of first-timers will be surprised by the scale and beauty of the property. You only truly get a sense of its size when you’re here in person.”
Goggin praises architects Mike Clayton and Mike DeVries for doing an “amazing job.”
The spectacular Seven Mile Beach promises to be a world class golfing destination.
– Photo ‘William Watt, Contours Agency’
“The routing is brilliant. For such a large-scale site, every tee-to-green connection feels seamless. The natural features are highlighted beautifully, with shots framed by the mountain, the beach and the dunes.
“It has all the feeling of a remote golf destination, yet it’s only seven minutes from a major airport and 20 minutes from a capital city.
“That gives everyone the freedom to curate their own trip — whether that’s taking advantage of Hobart’s award-winning hotels and restaurants, or enjoying a low-key stay at a local Airbnb. The Hobart experience, coupled with the Seven Mile Beach experience, will make for one of the best golf trips in Australia,” Goggin spruiks proudly.
The project’s official opening has been eagerly anticipated.
Seven Mile Beach will complement a suite of superb courses in the region including Barnbougle and Lost Farm and King Island’s spectacular duo Cape Wickham and Ocean Dunes.
And there is due to be a sister course open for play in 2028 – Five Mile Beach – which will turn the complex into a genuine world class golf destination.
