Checking in on Netley Creek

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 30/08/2023 (938 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Sometimes, when you set time aside for nine holes, your game plays quicker than planned. At the end of your nine, you might find yourself wishing you could hit just a couple of more holes. Playing a full 18 might make you late, and hitting the driving range after nine seems dull.

Well, if you’re playing at Netley Creek Golf Course, you have the unique option to play an even dozen.

Near Petersfield, west of PTH 9, lies 18 holes of amazing golf. The facility has a great clubhouse, restaurant, and a very large fleet of electric carts. You can walk this course, but there are elevations and some uneven terrain. I intended to play just the front nine, but when I arrived, I noticed the mid-week green fee special for 12 holes. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to commit but when in Rome…

I would not recommend this course for beginners. Netley Creek is a popular course on any day of the week, and the holes require a player to know their game and play at pace. There is no driving range here, either; the only practice facility is a putting green near the first tee. All that said, this layout involves all sorts of enticing twists, traps, and terraces. If you are an experienced golfer, you will enjoy your experience here.

The first hole starts off with an elevated tee over Netley Creek into a fairway bending around the bush line to the right. You do need a good hit to make a strategic, short-cut lie, and that shot really needs to avoid any pull or fade. Once down onto the fairway, you find out that you’ll be going right back up in elevation once you reach the green. Hole 2 comes back in similar fashion, but the dogleg is more severe, and goes left this time. Huge oaks guard the green and if your short game is off target, you’ll get to meet them up close and personal. Hole 4 is also an elevated tee/green combination, but this one is straight. It is perhaps a bit too straight, as the fairway is narrow and unforgiving.

Seven starts off looking wide open, however, as you make your way down the fairway, you see the sloped green and one of the largest marsh water hazards on the course. Hole 8 is a par 5, and a contender for the course’s signature hole. I say contender, as there are so many picturesque holes on this set of links. You start off simply enough, but are then forced to make some decisions closer to the green. A significant elevation-drop, 150 yards ahead of the green, makes you think about laying up or going for it. Wise golfers will opt for the lay-up, as the creek comes back into play right in front of the green. If you ball goes in amongst the big rocks of the crick, you’re going to have to take a drop.

Another contender for signature hole title is No. 9. You tee off at significant elevation, and you have to hit a par 3 green that is not only guarded by heavy brush on the left, but also bordered by the creek in front and on the right. No one in our foursome hit the green, despite having what would normally be called “good” tee shots. Next time, we’ll all adjust our tee effort on this hole.

Then it’s decision time. You can either go in to the clubhouse, or continue on. If you continue, the choices continue. Should you play three more? Nine more? If you try the dozen option, you get three more holes, each a par 5, 4 and 3, in that order. Hole 10 has a bell telling waiting players that you are safely out of driving range (because they can’t see you at that point), and hole 11 gives you a great opportunity to deal with yet another large marsh hazard. Joy.

My last contender for signature hole is No. 12. It is a significantly elevated green overlooking a lovely creek valley. The green is only 130 yards away, but behind it, bush. On the right? More bush. Left? Another marsh. You need a dart from this tee or you are in trouble. If a dozen holes is enough for your day, the path back to the clubhouse runs along the campground adjacent to the course. The new, in-ground pool you’re forced to drive past may look very enticing, but alas, it is only for registered campers.

If you would like to discover the remaining six holes on the back nine, or want to give the 12-hole layout a go, give the course a shout at 204-738-GOLF or visit netleycreekgolf.com. Just a tip for when you enter the course’s drive — it is a bit rough. If you aren’t driving an SUV or a pickup, drive slowly and carefully.