On Par – All about golf in Australia

Steve takes a swing at the $500 hole in one prize

Recently spent a fantastic weekend with friends touring the Rutherglen Wineries on the Winery Walkabout. Amongst the excellent durif, shiraz, muscat and port vineyards lies Lake Moodemere Vineyard. The small winery produces some excellent wine including the Late Harvest Biancone. Set above Lake Moodemere, great views accompany the cellar door tasting. Winemaker Michael Chambers has also setup a unique golf hole tempting the visitor with the opportunity to score a hole in one and win $500 worth of wine.

The golf hole is the ultimate island green, forget the 17th at Sawgrass, the Lake Moonemere hole has a tee perched high on the bank of the lake with a very small pontoon with a landing area the size of a dinner table moored about 110 metres away in the middle of the Lake. The hole itself is generous, a bucket. The hole has been open for a year, and the prize for a hole in one, $500 worth of wine, is yet to go off.

Balls are $1 each, or as part of the Walkabout, 3 balls were provided for participants. We all had a go, most balls going into the water, though I did manage to land a shot on the pontoon, bouncing off into the water (no hold on the synthetic turf!). Winemaker Michael was kind enough to shout a bottle of Shiraz for hitting the target!

If you are in the Rutherglen area on a golf trip, or sampling the reds, stop in at Lake Moodemere and have a crack at one of the more unique golf holes in Australia!