Noosa Springs Golf and Spa Resort
Located minutes from the iconic holiday town of Noosa, Noosa Springs Golf & Spa Resort features a championship course that weaves its way through tropical bushland and waterways.
About the Club
40,000 years ago members of the Kabi Kabi tribe first set foot on the land now known as Noosa Springs. They considered the region a sacred retreat and called it ‘Nusa’ – an Aboriginal word meaning ‘shadows’ or ‘shade’, a reference no doubt to the area’s tall forests that offered refuge from the hot sun. Today, upon 53 hectares of this tropical bushland lies Noosa Springs, a 6180m championship golf course and world-class spa and resort.
Bordered by National parklands and the picturesque Lake Weyba, Noosa Springs was designed by Graham Papworth. A former civil engineer, Papworth learned his craft working alongside course architect Ross Watson and, later, the Watson and Graham Marsh partnership. He spent nine years honing his skills prior to commencing work at Noosa Springs.
Noosa Springs is situated a short drive from the iconic holiday town of Noosa. Here, you will find Hastings Street, a famous strip running parallel to one of the country’s finest beaches and brimming with outstanding restaurants and world-class shopping. Noosa Springs is the epitome of exceptional warm-climate golf experiences. In addition to the 18-hole championship golf course, the facility includes a spa, superb dining, fitness centre and pool, conference and wedding facilities, and spacious self-contained accommodation.
Beyond the 18th green, and in front of the terraced clubhouse, are the practice facilities – a large green, bunkers and a driving range where you’ll often find teaching pro Peter Heiniger, one of Australia’s most highly regarded coaches, conducting classes.
Opening in 1999, the course layout covers gently undulating terrain that winds through pockets of rainforest and small eucalypt forests before opening out onto wide fairways flanked by imposing melaleuca trees.
Several fresh and saltwater lakes provide water hazards on many of the holes, calling for strategic decision-making and accurate shot placement. The lay of the land and design also influences a players distance perception, making one second-guess their club selection throughout. However, the course was not designed to be an impenetrable golf fortress. With four tee options, players of all handicaps will delight in driving onto the Greenlees Park couch fairways, which are beautifully presented year-round (assisted by the idyllic Noosa weather). Meanwhile the Bermuda Tifdwarf greens provide a receptive, true rolling surface for players to take on their par and birdie putts..
Many people will come away from Noosa Springs remembering the stretch of holes from the par-3 4th to the par-4 7th. Water plays its part on all four holes but there is definitely a ‘safe’ and a ‘risky’ option on each.
On the back nine, Papworth’s penchant for distance deception is evident throughout the layout and perhaps no more apparent than on the 406-metre, par-4, 12th. From an elevated tee, the trouble is laid out before you. Water cuts in toward the left edge of the fairway while a shallow, but long, fairway bunker hugs the right rough and is within easy reach from the tee. Standing in the middle of the fairway about 150 metres from the green, the approach shot looks much shorter. A bunker cutting in front of the green, deceives golfers on club selection by creating a no-man’s land between its front lip and the green.
The 329-metre par-4 5th might be short but its mighty reputation makes it a standout of Noosa Springs’ many great holes.
The snaking fairway is flanked by water to the right, although longer hitters may be enticed to take on the lake, aiming for a patch of short grass just beyond the lakeside fairway trap. On this aggressive line, it is a 215-metre carry from the back to safely clear the water and find the fairway. Any slight mis-hit is headed for a watery grave.
For those playing it safe, shot position is crucial to negotiate the sharp dog-leg fairway and correct club choice on the second shot is crucial for those looking to hit the green. Too much and you are in the lake and too little may leave you sitting in one of the bunkers flanking the green.
