Airstrips and golf courses

[andrew495]

Hi everyone, not sure if this has been asked before. I was wondering if anyone knew of any airstrips at or near golf courses in Victoria. I'm from Melbourne and planning to take a couple of mates somewhere to have a game, and have found out a bit but not a whole lot. If you've got a suggestion it would be much appreciated!

[jetbrett]

I think that most main country towns in Vic that have aerodromes would prob have a golf course, eg swan hill, yarrawonga etc......but that would require a cab ride, as far as close ones or golfcourse/aerodromes i dont know of any. Just investigte town council websites, they will generally have whether the town has both or not, happy hitting JB

By the way if your psycho you could put a 172 down on any straight par5.

[andrew495]

The green could be my runway threshold, and i could do a nice heavy short fielder on it. Would love to see the greenskeepers face!:}

Thanks for your post BTW JB

[Ozgrade3]

Kyabram is s grass strip in Vic about 1 hr nth west of melbourne, right next to it is a pretty good golf course with a reportendly very good club house.

[wirgin blew]

Moorabbin Public and Capital would be within walking distance of YMMB. Not sure if James Packer will let you on Capital though.
:ok:

[andrew495]

Or i could just hop in my car and take a 5 minute drive to Wattle Park Golf Course!

A good suggestion will get my mates in the plane with me though so i can go flying somewhere as well as golf :E

Thanks for the suggestions so far, if you know of somewhere good please let me know!

[787 Captain]

G'day

There's a few i can think of but not right next to a golf course. You could try Cobram which is not more than a 10 minute walk to the golf course or town, or land at Yarrawonga and get a cab. Also, Mansfield has a coiuple of ALA's that spring to mind, but you'll need to get a cab again.

All the best.

787 Captain

[witwiw]

wattle park? mate, go for a bit of a challenge (apart from the steep hill-climb towing a buggy on the 4th!)

would require transportation, but if you can arrange it somehow, definately check out flying into Apollo Bay and playing at their golf course. its easy, but it has some of the most magnificent views along the great ocean road!

would be plenty up around the murray.
im sure if you called a few places and told them your plans, they might be able to suggest or organise/offer transportation for you?

something to really consider, is how many people AND sets of clubs are you realistically going to be able to fit into the average lightie?

[andrew495]

Thanks for the replies so far.

Witwiw, i just quickly checked out Apollo Bay a bit and it looks really good. I've done a rough weight and balance (as you were wondering) for three people and clubs (luckily we're not the biggest blokes going round!) and it would work out perfectly, might need to leave our buggies behind tho-not that much room in the back of the plane.:}

I was just wondering, does anyone have some local info or knowledge about apollo bay aerodrome? i don't have an ALA guide here, but think i remember someone saying once there's a bit of a slope? That's all i know, don't know much else about the strip, so if anyone knows can they let me know please? :ok:

[jetstar1]

You didn't say what aircraft or how far you would like to travel. Fancy a trip over the straight? Not much further than some places in vic.

http://www.barnbougledunes.com.au/

The bus should be able to pick you up from Bridport ALA (or Launy airport). You will struggle to find a better course anywhere in Australia.

Just 2 cents worth from a Tasmanian :ok:

[andrew495]

That course looks fantastic, but it would be a LLLOOOOONNNNGGG flight across the straight in a 172! I'll have to do that course one day when i have 1. Money and 2. A twin endo on something that won't take four-ish hours of s:mad: ing myself in a single engine piston over bass straight!:\

[witwiw]

dont have any APO info handy unfortunately, however if you contact the Colac Otway Shire Council, they should be able to put you in touch with someone. Tigermoth World and Cape Otway Aviation might also be able to assist you, they both operate from there.

from memory its about 700m, relatively narrow gravel with probably rough grass on the sides, and roughly northwest/southeast. seems to slope up overall to the northwestern end with a dip in the middle.
probably call it a one-way strip (almost always at least!) as the northwestern end has some higher terrain beyond it, so approaches and takeoffs are over the water to an extent.
theres probably images on the web somewhere!

[andrew495]

Yeh that sounds vaguely like something i heard from someone about a year ago - downslope towards ocean and a hill inland, so take off almost always over the drink. Thanks for your information :ok:

[airbusthreetwenty]

By the way if your psycho you could put a 172 down on any straight par5.

Didn't a QF driver try to do something similar with a 747 in BKK a while back?

:E

[Fliegenmong]

There was that QF crew that found one up in Bangkok

[Fliegenmong]

Apologies - I missed the last post:O

[B A Lert]

The golf club at Tocumwal is just a gentle put from the landing strip/s. In fact, the course was part of the aerodrome (McIntyre Field?) which during WW2 was reputed to be the largest airfield in the southern hemisphere with, I am told, more than 30 miles of runways.

Cobram-Barooga with its 36 holes is a short car ride away at Barooga on the northern bank of the Murray~ 15kms/10mins on a slow day from Tocumwal.

For the history buffs, didn't EWA find a water hazard at The Lakes in Sydney? I vagueky recall seeing photos of a DC3 feet deep in aqua during the late 1950's or early 1960's.

A photo is here: http://libapp.sl.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/spydus/ENQ/PM/FULL1?75121,I

[Grivation]

Merimbula - not Vic but only just over the border.

[andrew495]

Thanks for keeping the suggestions coming. I've been checking them all out and they all look pretty good. Can someone tell me - Cobram is off my Melbourne WAC and i don't have a VIC ALA guide here - is Cobram AD about a mile or two to the south-east of Cobram town? And is it a gravel stip? Google Earth is my only reference at the moment, coz a quick google search couldn't tell me. But Cobram golf course looks good :ok: as does Merimbula

[barit1]

A friend had just checked out in a Stearman - practiced forced landings, the lot - when he fell victim to a stuck float gage in the tank and ran it dry.

Fortunately he was right over a nice long green fairway so he put it down uneventfully - rolled up near the clubhouse in fact. He called his partners who helped him sort out the failure, and they brought out a couple cans of 80/87 to fly it out.

When he said he'd rather let the long-time Stearman pilot fly it out, he was told "Nope. YOU are the one most current on emergency procedures, YOU flew it in, YOU fly it out!"

Which he did - no sweat. (near Dayton, OH early 80's)

[yarrayarra]

There was that QF crew that found one up in Bangkok
Pilot was hit with a two stroke penalty for grounding his 747 in a bunker too!!

[yarrayarra]

Thanks for keeping the suggestions coming. I've been checking them all out and they all look pretty good. Can someone tell me - Cobram is off my Melbourne WAC and i don't have a VIC ALA guide here - is Cobram AD about a mile or two to the south-east of Cobram town? And is it a gravel stip? Google Earth is my only reference at the moment, coz a quick google search couldn't tell me. But Cobram golf course looks good :ok: as does Merimbula
Played Cobram last weekend and in excellent condition. Tocumwal a bit dry

[ausflying]

dont know if anyone has mentioned this one yet, but the best by far is Murray Downs, which is just next to Swan Hill (Only a short taxi ride from the airfield). You will struggle to find a better course in country victoria (maybe cobram/barooga [is that how you spell it?:}])

[andrew495]

Murray downs and Cobram do both look really good. I guess i'm spoilt for choice ;)

[787 Captain]

Just head up to the Murray and check out the golf courses from above and take your pick :O

[Agent86]

Not in the range of a lighty and a long way from Victoria but if you go to Cocos you land ON the golf course :) Siren sounds after you call in cct to clear the runway, Similar thing at Kwajalien (Marshall Islands) ..I suppose the long flat areas of an island need to be multi purpose.

[andrew495]

Not in the range of a lighty and a long way from Victoria but if you go to Cocos you land ON the golf course :) Siren sounds after you call in cct to clear the runway, Similar thing at Kwajalien (Marshall Islands) ..I suppose the long flat areas of an island need to be multi purpose.

Haha, that would be awesome!!! :cool:

[787 Captain]

After reading the comments in this thread, i might head up to Cobram or Yarrawonga sometime with my mates for a game of golf. The courses look pretty good, so could have a pretty good weekend away :E

787 Captain

[BOOPY BOO]

Andrew
If you are still interested in looking for a top spot to try.... try Cobden.
Its only 1 drive, 2 putts and Bob's your Uncle...get around the 18 holes and
into the clubhouse for a nice spot of tea....
Well, I guess you want to fly home.
Good meals as well.
:8

[andrew495]

G'day Boo, thanks for your input. Like the other suggestions, I will consider it and suggest it to my mates. We'll prabably do this flight in a week or two now, so we'll decide on where to go pretty soon and it should be a pretty good day! There are a lot of places to go and it will be hard to decide where to go in the end. Not that thats a bad thing obviously! And there are also plenty of options of where to go in the future as well ;)

Andrew

[witwiw]

There are a lot of places to go and it will be hard to decide where to go in the end. Not that thats a bad thing obviously! And there are also plenty of options of where to go in the future as well ;)


put them all on a list, then tick them off one at a time after each round! :ok:

[Ultralights]

Airstrips AND golf courses? shouldnt that be golf courses are............
http://Pamuva1.smugmug.com/photos/94734859-S.jpg
http://Pamuva1.smugmug.com/photos/94734873-S.jpg

[Woomera]

Ultralights

Now there's a way of encouraging GA, "dispersed golf courses" with the single holes/strips, spread about 5nm apart around the country side, using your trusty C172 as your golf cart.

Adds interest, avoids having those impatient people "playing through", they'll just have to stay in the circuit until you finish, aircraft can be used to dry out wet greens, good crosswind practise.:E

Mate; I think we are on to something here:D

[andrew495]

Ultralights

Now there's a way of encouraging GA, "dispersed golf courses" with the single holes/strips, spread about 5nm apart around the country side, using your trusty C172 as your golf cart.

Adds interest, avoids having those impatient people "playing through", they'll just have to stay in the circuit until you finish, aircraft can be used to dry out wet greens, good crosswind practise.:E

Mate; I think we are on to something here:D

Woomera, love the idea! :ok: