A Graham Marsh masterpiece in Sydney’s west
The Twin Creeks Golf and Country Club course is a Graham Marsh-designed golfing masterpiece in south-west Sydney.
TAKE a bow Graham Marsh.
Besides being one of our best-ever touring golf professionals, you have also made you mark as one of our leading golf course designers as well.
Take the highly-rated Twin Creeks, for instance.
This marvellous layout near the centre of Sydney at Luddenham . . . and one that will soon be handy to Sydney’s second airport, also has a history of its own.
It is hard to believe that Twin Creeks Golf and Country Club, now regarded as one of the real gems on the Sydney golf scene, has been around for almost 20 years.
Amazingly, this Graham Marsh-designed masterpiece still has that new and exciting feel about it.
Marsh has had a hand in some of this country’s best golf courses, Terrey Hills, The Vines and Secret Harbour among them – and his bunkering is right up there with the likes of Royal Melbourne and Kingston Heath . . . it’s as good as anywhere in Australia’s biggest city.
There’s good news for Inside Golf readers too with the revelation that Twin Creeks is currently offering seven-day memberships as well as the much-sought-after corporate membership.
Mind you, there’s also mid-week memberships, an intermediate membership for 26-36 year-olds, another intermediate membership for the 18-25 years olds as well as both junior and cadet memberships to help foster the game.
For those unlucky enough to have missed a game at Twin Creeks, read on.
Here is a course consistently rated among Australia’s top 100 courses on a site near the centre of Sydney that offers an exceptional golfing experience across 850 acres of stunning natural beauty.
It’s hard to believe Twin Creeks is just 45 minutes from Sydney’s CBD.
It’s the perfect place to take any visitors to the city that are keen to test their golfing skills. It provides the perfect escape with world-class facilities which include a 270m driving range, practice greens and the popular Lakeview Restaurant.
It’s not completely about the golf either, Twin Creeks is proud to be one of Sydney’s most sought-after venues for weddings, private functions, and corporate events in stunning surroundings.
Still, it is the golf which is bound to draw you back.
This course is so well balanced with a delightful mix of short and long holes, some with tight and open passages, big and small targets.
Golfers can enjoy a drink, a bite to eat and great views of the 18th hole from the clubhouse terrace.
Marsh definitely gives golfers the chance to attack and defend at Twin Creeks.
And that was so evident when some of this country’s leading professionals came to town to play Twin Creeks when it hosted the 2017, 2018 and 2019 NSW Open Championships.
Those championships were won by Western Australian and European Tour regular Jason Scrivener (2017), followed by Jake McLeod (2018) and Josh Younger (2019) before the event moved to Concord two years later after not being contested due to COVID in 2020.
Marsh’s philosophy is that he doesn’t build 18 great finishing holes because he has explained that there’s no need to grab players by the throat for the entire round.
Instead, the pace is regulated with a few easy pars, several tough ones and a lot of in-between holes.
The overall challenge is distinctly Marsh-like: thorough, difficult but eminently playable for a variety of handicap levels.
Twin Creeks takes its name from the Cosgrove and South creeks, which surround the 345-hectare property.
That land is ideal for bushland golf; gentle undulations make for an exciting and dynamic routing. There are hero tee shots from elevated positions, flat holes, doglegs, straight holes and everything else that helps you remember almost every hole.
Let’s take a quick look at just a few of the standouts:
The toughest hole is the eighth, a 411m par-four that runs along Luddenham Rd.
Why is it so tough?
Well, there’s Out of Bounds down the left, long fescue grass on the right and a well-bunker-guarded green that requires an accurate (and uphill) approach shot.
What’s your best chance to notch a birdie? Maybe it’s the par-four 12th which measures just 309m.
It’s actually a driveable par-four where the green sits below an elevated tee box.
There’s a massive bunker splitting the hole offering two avenues to the green.
It is a well-guarded green but it’s also generous and a great chance for a birdie, no matter what level of golfer.
You just need that Sunday-best drive to set up your shot at a three.
The shorter play is to the right of an area aptly named ‘Marsh’s desert’, but your drive needs to be perfect to avoid long grass beside the fairway.
The third hole also rates a mention.
It is the first of the shorter par fours which will have the long hitters salivating for a crack at driving the green.
There’s a generous landing area short of the putting surface which makes the chance to go for the green in one even more enticing.
But to successfully pull the shot off you have to hit across the edge of a water hazard and then avoid the three bunkers which can catch your approach shot.
The PGA professionals available to help you find your game include John Burrough, Finlay Bellingham and Asef Hadded.
Burrough is Twin Creeks’ Director of Golf while Hadded works within the club’s environment of club operations and corporate golf.
Bellingham is the head teaching professional and is available for both group and private tuition including junior and women’s programs.
Burrough is also available for members’ lessons on request.
TWIN CREEKS FACT FILE
Address: 2-8 Twin Creeks Drive, Luddenham NSW 2745
Telephone: (02) 9670 8888
Green Fees: midweek – $65; weekends – $100 for 18 Holes.
On-line specials are also available from www.twincreeksgolf.com.au which offer discounts such as $40 for 18-holes midweek and $50 for weekend rounds.
Golf carts: $50 for 18 holes.
Hire Equipment: $35 – basic hire set. $70 – premium Titleist set.
Practice Facilities: Full length driving range with synthetic and real turf options, putting green and a short game area.
Clubhouse facilities: Includes a bistro/restaurant, multiple function and corporate spaces/rooms including capacity for 180 guests in the ball room, an outdoor private garden space for weddings and other functions, members’ bar, member and guest locker rooms and shower facilities.
Be sure to make the most of your visit and grab a drink and a bite to eat while sitting outside on the terrace overlooking the marvellous 18th finishing hole.
The pro shop stocks a generous range of products, brands, snacks and drinks and offers some club repair services as well as custom-made equipment options through the clubs fitting days with their preferred suppliers.
While Twin Creeks Golf and Country Club is a private golf club with limited access for visitors not accompanied by a member, guests and visitors are welcome seven days a week.
