It was a tough way to start, particularly for the resort visitors indulging in a bit of hit and giggle, and clogged pace-of-play from the outset. Thankfully both have reverted back to what the designer intended.Īs for the routing, I think the current version is by far the best that has been tried over the years.Ī round at Cypress Lakes used to open on a crescent-shaped par-5, not too long at 450 metres max but markedly uphill, and the drive had to clear a lake. It was also during this time that the routing was changed several times, the controversial long par-4 12th was changed to a par-3 and the uphill par-3 5th hole was converted into a short par-4. This was truly pleasing to see after watching the decline in its conditioning during the 2000s. Having attended the opening in 1992 and made dozens of return visits since, I can attest that the quality of the playing surfaces are as good as I have seen them at any stage during the past three decades. The rolling 1st fairway is punctuated by a rocky creek short of the putting surface. All of the layout’s bunkers have been renovated and some greens have been slightly tweaked as a result of that work. If you haven’t visited Cypress Lakes in recent years, you’re in for a really pleasant surprise. It was ranked the No.97 Public Access Course in Australia for 2017 by this magazine, after disappearing from all ranking lists for nearly six years. The course also made it back into national rankings. The resort, known as Oaks Cypress Lakes Resort, was named Australia’s Best Golf Hotel in 2018 and, again, in 2021. The course and the resort have been improving ever since. ![]() ![]() In every case, position is paramount, with golfers presented with the task of plotting rather than blasting – again, sipping, not quaffing.Ĭypress Lakes opened for play 30 years ago and rarely has it been presented in such good shape as it is today.Īfter several years of decline, a change of ownership in 2013 brought much needed investment into the course as well as the resort that overlooks it. With each nine boasting a distinct character – the outward half is relatively treeless, open and rolling, where the inward is more defined, with sharper falls and rises as it winds its way below the high point of the resort – the course contains a variety of hole types, from drive-and-pitch par-4s and reachable par-5s to stern, long par-3s and what was, at one point, the longest golf hole in the land. These broader horizons helped instil in Smyers an affinity for the qualities of classic, ground-game golf, like that found on British links and the Melbourne Sandbelt.Īt Cypress Lakes, he was able to turn what was a challenging site to build on and a drawn-out construction process into a good example of strategic golf. ![]() While much of his work is based in the United States, and Cypress Lakes remains his only Australian design, Smyers has travelled extensively around the golf world, and his Australian wife, Sherrin, is a former LPGA Tour pro. The course was designed by American Steve Smyers, a Florida-based architect and high-level competitive amateur who has recently held several senior positions with the United States Golf Association’s executive committee. The split-level fairway offers two playing lines into the lakeside 17th green.
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