CURLEWIS golf course has been known as one of the region’s hidden gems, now it can claim to be just a gem in its own right.
The club has been rated at number 50 in Ausgolf and The Golf Course Guide’s top 100 Australian public access golf courses for 2012.
Four other layouts were rated inside the top fifty with Barwon Heads (No. 8), both Beach and Creek Thirteenth Beach courses (Nos. 9 and 29 respectively) and Torquay’s Sands course (No. 48) making the cut.
The Curlewis course has come a long way since being plagued by drought just a few years ago, manager Mathew Loughnane said.
“We have always been known as a hidden gem, now we are just a gem,” Loughnane said.
“Three or four years ago we were hit by drought and it really hurt.
“We put in a treatment plant and changed a few things and we have never looked back since. It is going to put us on the map and people are going to want to play here.”
The club received praise from The Golf Course Guide editor Selwun Berg.
“Major improvements at Curlewis and a new course at Ballarat saw them enter our top-100 list,” Berg said.
Loughnane said the club’s signature was its fantastic front nine.
“We have been told that the front nine is like the sand belt clubs in Melbourne,” he said.
“We have been regarded as one of the best designed courses in the state and now we have the condition to back that up.
“It is probably our biggest selling point. People look to play at Barwon Heads and Torquay and now getting in the top 50 means that they will notice us and play here, too.”