Kingston Heath Golf Club
Encyclopedia
Kingston Heath Golf Club is one of the premier golf clubs in Australia
located in the world-renowned sandbelt region in the south east suburbs of Melbourne
.
The course at Kingston Heath was once rated as the premier course in Australia qualifying it as the most outstanding course in terms of layout, shot making, condition and strategy.
Kingston Heath was originally formed as the Elsternwick Golf Club in 1909 before relocating to its present location in Heatherton
in 1925 and renaming the club as Kingston Heath.
The course opened as a par 82 and at the time was the longest course in Australia. Its farsighted founders were of the opinion that it was easier to shorten the course than to lengthen it.
The design of the course was credited to Dan Soutar before advice was sought from Alister MacKenzie
who provided a suitable bunkering strategy during his visit to Australia in 1926.
Kingston Heath currently plays to a par of 72, at 6,352 metres from the Medal tees. It is approximately 100 metres longer for championships.
Kingston Heath has hosted the Australian Golf Open seven times and the Australian Match Play Championships seven times.
The club is highly exclusive with membership requiring the support of several established members, and has a considerable waiting period for membership.
Kingston Heath is the preferred Australian venue of the R&A for the staging of International Final Qualifying for the Open Championship
, held each year in January.
In 2009, Kingston Heath hosted the Australian Masters
tournament. The tournament featured the world’s best player, Tiger Woods
. Woods won the event with a 72 hole score of 14 under, two strokes clear of Greg Chalmers
. It was to be the tournament where Woods extra-marital affairs were to be uncovered.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
located in the world-renowned sandbelt region in the south east suburbs of Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
.
The course at Kingston Heath was once rated as the premier course in Australia qualifying it as the most outstanding course in terms of layout, shot making, condition and strategy.
Kingston Heath was originally formed as the Elsternwick Golf Club in 1909 before relocating to its present location in Heatherton
Heatherton, Victoria
Heatherton is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 20 km south-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Kingston. At the 2006 Census, Heatherton had a population of 2,253....
in 1925 and renaming the club as Kingston Heath.
The course opened as a par 82 and at the time was the longest course in Australia. Its farsighted founders were of the opinion that it was easier to shorten the course than to lengthen it.
The design of the course was credited to Dan Soutar before advice was sought from Alister MacKenzie
Alister MacKenzie
Dr. Alister MacKenzie was an internationally renowned, British golf course architect whose course designs, on three different continents, are consistently ranked among the finest golf courses in the world...
who provided a suitable bunkering strategy during his visit to Australia in 1926.
Kingston Heath currently plays to a par of 72, at 6,352 metres from the Medal tees. It is approximately 100 metres longer for championships.
Kingston Heath has hosted the Australian Golf Open seven times and the Australian Match Play Championships seven times.
The club is highly exclusive with membership requiring the support of several established members, and has a considerable waiting period for membership.
Kingston Heath is the preferred Australian venue of the R&A for the staging of International Final Qualifying for the Open Championship
The Open Championship
The Open Championship, or simply The Open , is the oldest of the four major championships in professional golf. It is the only "major" held outside the USA and is administered by The R&A, which is the governing body of golf outside the USA and Mexico...
, held each year in January.
In 2009, Kingston Heath hosted the Australian Masters
Australian Masters
The Australian Masters, currently known as the JBWere Masters for sponsorship reasons, is an annual golf tournament on the PGA Tour of Australasia. The tournament was founded in 1979, and was co-sanctioned by the European Tour for the first time in 2006, with a significant 20% increase in the prize...
tournament. The tournament featured the world’s best player, Tiger Woods
Tiger Woods
Eldrick Tont "Tiger" Woods is an American professional golfer whose achievements to date rank him among the most successful golfers of all time. Formerly the World No...
. Woods won the event with a 72 hole score of 14 under, two strokes clear of Greg Chalmers
Greg Chalmers
Greg J. Chalmers is an Australian professional golfer who has played on both the European Tour and currently the PGA Tour.Chalmers was born in Sydney...
. It was to be the tournament where Woods extra-marital affairs were to be uncovered.