COURSES COURSES
Ratho
Right: The new four holes – 15-18 designed by Crafter & Mogford Golf Strategies – at Ratho Farm Golf Links were officially opened in January. Pictured is the par three 17th
revisited
Below: From left Neil Crafter, Peter Thomson and Greg Ramsay at the opening of the restored lost six holes in 2008
Neil Crafter from golf course design company Crafter & Mogford Golf Strategies looks at the project to complete the restoration of Australia’s oldest golf course, Ratho Golf Farm Links in Tasmania
T
he Ratho Farm Golf Links is located on the grazing property ‘Ratho’ just north of the small town of Bothwell in Tasmania’s Central Highlands. The Bothwell valley was settled in the 1820’s by transplanted Scots all familiar with the pastime of golf. ‘Ratho’ was settled by Scottish settlers, the Reid family, in 1822, while Bothwell’s first doctor and Reverend were educated in St. Andrews and Reid’s neighbours came from Elie, Aberdeen and Carnoustie. These settlers left Scotland’s oldest golfing communities to begin Australia’s first. As well as the Reids at Ratho, at least four other farmers established golf courses on their new landholdings. When the Bothwell Golf Club was formed in 1902, its competitions would rotate
between the courses and the club still has good accounts of four of the five courses it used. When golf was played at Ratho Farm is not known with certainty, but a date around 1850 appears likely.
UNIQUE LAYOUT The early course at Ratho was what would have been described as ‘sporting’ and very typical for courses of the 1800s. Departing and returning from a point close to the main homestead, it went out into an open paddock for four holes before returning to circle the shearing shed and sheep yards. The layout featured several blind shots, irrigation canals and even the vegetable garden was in play! There were several forced carries over hedges, fences, stonewalls and sheds. The course was described in 1912 as having a ‘variety of bunkering’, none of which remain today unfortunately, although the outline of some are still visible and the whereabouts of others is known. The club changed its order of play of the holes occasionally and for at least 10 years during the 1930s the course was expanded to 12 holes, with six holes south of the shearing shed and six holes to the north. This northern loop was played twice to make up the 18 holes. After the club resumed play following World War II, only the original three holes south of the shearing shed were played, the first of these being lengthened to a par five in 1952.
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AUSTRALIAN TURFGRASS MANAGEMENT 19.2