Playing every golf course in Melbourne Australia Rd 12: Hidden Valley Golf

This is the floating walkway to the Island green at the 18th hole of Hidden Valley Golf in Melbourne Australia. Rumour has it a local golfer regularly drives his cart onto this green, but I didn’t catch him this particular day. As you know I am playing every golf course in Melbourne, this is round 12, but it you know a more interesting hole than this let me know the golf course in the comments and I’ll check it out.
This is a course with packed wildlife, loads of water hazards, and the greens and fairway are immaculate condition as you’ll see. The lads in the pro shop are sound out as well. I playing the Nike clubs as usual and from the black tee. I will say that in a lot of golf course the black tees are usually an afterthought, but I really felt that these tee boxes were particularly well designed.
Hole 1 is a Par 4 381m. My 3-wood found the fairway and I hit a 5-iron uphill at the green. My chip was a bit short and I two putted for a bogey to start.
Hole 2 is a Par 5 515m. I hit a good drive down the middle of the fairway. I really caught my 3-wood nicely here and it just came up short of the green. I bladed my approach over the back and again I put too much juice on my chip. It didn’t go too far past the hole and I slotted home a par putt.
Hole 3 is a Par 4 405m. I pushed my drive slight right and it rolled down a hill off the fairway. I hit a 6-iron recovery and it came off well, landing centre of the green. I was thinking 2 putt par from here, but I missed second and ended up with a bogey.
Hole 4 is a Par 3 167m. I hit a 5-iron way over the back of the green. I had a tough chip back but it worked out secularly, only to be let down by a miserable attempt a putting. Such a promising recovery ending with a bogey.
Hole 5 is a Par 4 374m. I aimed at the big tree and just landed to the right of it. My 7-iron came up short and I had a chip which left me with a decent par chance. Which I dragged left and ended up with a bogey.
Hole 6 is a Par 4 405m It was 190m to clear the water and I managed to get over it. But I didn’t manage to clear the trees with my 5-wood. I clipped a branch and had an awkward 85m approach. It reached the green and I had a long putt to save par. I just came up shot and I had another bogey.
Hole 7 is a Par 4 399m. There’s water at 200m left and right. I went for it and I cleared it. It left me with a pitching wedge to the green. I hit the centre of the green and hit a long putt for birdie. It went close enough so that I could comfortably tap in a par.
Hole 8 is a Par 5 557m. There’s water all down the right side here. My drive just rolled off the fairway and I slightly pulled my 3-wood to the left. I had a 150ish to the green and I hit my 6-iron to the centre. This was a frustrating putting show from me because I misread the green so badly. To the extent that I stayed on for an hour after this round and practiced not missing putts to my left. Anyway, I took a bogey here.
Hole 9 is a lovely hole where you have to carry the 100m over a lake. It’s 118m to the centre and I hit my 9-Iron 116m, but the pin was at the back. Like the last hole my putting just wasn’t up to scratch and I had a 3-putt situation here for a bogey.
I had 7 bogeys and 2 pars on the front. That’s 43 shots which is 20 points for my handicap of 14. I really going to start focusing on my putting in the near future with the aim of converting the bogeys to par.

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Hole 10 is a Par 5 492m to start the back nine. I hit my drive straight down the middle and then hit a 3-wood at that big tree. It had a chip from 50ish yards that landed on the green. And left me with a putt for birdie. I missed it to the right had a tough putt for par, which came up short and I ended up with a bogey. Hole 11 is a Par 4 317m. My drive ran down the hill close to the green. I chipped it on from 40ish meters and left myself with a birdie chance. It looked like it might wobble in but it came up short and I tapped in a par. Hole 12 is a Par 5 470m. I hit a 3-wood off the tee and I hit it again from the fairway. It rolled down hill slightly but I was about to pitch it back onto the second shelf of the green and hit a decent uphill putt to give myself a chance to save par. Hole 13 is a Par 4 349m. I hit my 3-wood over the lake. And my 5-iron to the centre of the green. I had a long putt for birdie. It came up a bit short and I tapped in a par. Hole 14 is a Par 4. I accidently walked to the white tee box and I could be bothered going back to the blacks, so I hit from 349m. I ended up in the wet sand and completely duffed my first attempt. By all’s well that ends well because my second attempted ended up holing out for a par. Hole 15 is a Par 5 510m. I hit a good 3-wood off the tee and I thought I hit a good second shot, but I couldn’t find the ball anywhere so I had to take a two-shot penalty and a drop. I hit an 8 iron that landed on the green. This left me with a putt to save bogey, but I missed it and ended up with a double. Hole 16 is 180m Par 3. I hit a 4-iron off the tee and was really excited about how close it landed. It did give me an outside birdie attempt, which went close and I tapped in a par. Hole 17 is a 412m Par 4. I hit my 3-wood straight down the middle. But then pulled my 3-wood slightly left. I pitched it at the green but it took a bounce and rolled right off green and back onto the fairway. I chipped it from here and it gave me a chance to save par. I didn’t hit and I had to take a bogey. Hole 18 is the 166m water hole. My watch tells me I hit a 6-iron 142m to the front of the green. And then I went for a little walk, with my putter over the pontoon onto the island green for my birdie putt. It didn’t fall but I tapped in a par and that was all she wrote. I would have had a great back nine if not for the lost ball situation. But regardless my play was a lot better and I shot four over here. So, I was 11 over par over the 18 hole and that would be 40 points on a 14 HCP. I really enjoyed Hidden Valley, like I said in the intro the facilities are great and the course is really well kept. I you come here to play definitely bring a spare sleeve of balls because the chances of losing them to the water are very high indeed. So, if you made it this far, give the page a follow to see more of Melbourne’s golf courses. And if you know a better course to play, let me know in the comments.