Course of the Month - Canberra International, Canberra, Australia.

Situated at Narrabundah about five kilometres south of the centre of Canberra, the capital city of Australia, Canberra International Golf Centre Pitch and Putt Course is part of a golfing complex comprising a driving range, a ‘mini’ golf course and a large retail golf shop. The Pitch and Putt Course has also an extensive lighting system allowing for night time golf and was the venue for the second part of the first Triple Crown.

The course was established in 2002 but did not become home to the Pitch and Putt Club until 2003 when many of the players from the old Queanbeyan Pitch and Putt Club became members there. There are at present about one hundred members of the club with fifty being active in competitions which are held all year round – even though Canberra is in a cool region of Australia and suffers some heavy frosts in the winter, the weather remains mild enough to play. C.I.G.C. Pitch and Putt Course is about nine hundred metres in length with wide undulating fairways. The shortest hole is 35 metres in length with the longest being 68 metres. The three shortest holes – two of which have wooden bridges on the approach - cause the most difficulties with small greens which are not receptive to stopping the ball and are hard to read for the line of putt.

There are eleven sand bunkers on the course which can trap the unwary wayward players. Most of these are not deep bunkers but many have steep banks between the sand and the green which test a players prowess.

Men and women are equal members of the Club and three competitions throughout the week are mixed events though Tuesdays see a Men’s Competition whilst the Ladies play on Wednesdays. There are also two ‘Teams’ Events – one which has businesses sponsoring a team and providing the members with playing apparel and the other which is named for colours and have equal representation of men and women.

There are two records for the course. James Rogerson holds the Men’s Record at forty whilst Marie Hutchison is the Women’s Record holder with a forty six. Charlie and Marie Hutchison, the current Men’s and Ladies’ Captains also set the world mixed pairs record of forty three.

The Canberra International website can be found here...