FEATURE
coolum.regency.hyatt.com
When it comes to golf, Hyatt has the lot
IT’S not the home of the Australian PGA Championship for nothing. So when you learn that Hyatt Regency Coolum offers the best-ranked resort golf course in the country, it’s hardly a surprise. Created by renowned course designer Robert Trent Jones Jr, it offers 6137m of challenging fairways set between Mount Coolum and the white sandy shores of the Pacific Ocean. Having welcomed champions like John Daly, Fred Couples, Adam Scott, Geoff Ogilvy, Stuart Appleby and Robert Allenby, the par-72 course is also a favourite for the thousands of amateurs and holidaymakers who play each month. The course is also a major drawcard for corporate groups, social clubs and event organisers, taking advantage of the luxury accommodation and meeting facilities. First opened in 1988, Hyatt Regency Coolum recently enhanced its course with six new holes around the Vine Forrest, replacing existing holes to create a new front nine. Again designed by Robert Trent Jones Jr, the new holes blend with the natural landscape and create a subtle drama in the length and orientation of the fairways. Throughout all 18 holes, the course makes the most of the local sub-tropical environment, weaving around coastal bushland, native forest and landscaped grounds and lakes. The course is supported by Australia’s leading golf education centre, offering under-cover tuition and the very latest technology in biomechanic analysis to help refine swing and technique. The centre offers one-on-one coaching sessions with its team of PGA professionals as well as complimentary group clinics each weekday covering everything from putting to psychology. Other golf facilities at Hyatt Regency Coolum include a 260m flood-lit driving range, practice putting and chipping greens and a well-equipped pro-shop that offers a five-star club service, allowing players to order custom clubs perfectly balanced in length, weight and grip.
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Hyatt Regency Coolum offers a range of golf packages for pairs, couples or groups, combining luxury accommodation with unlimited golf and extras such as breakfast and spa access. But it’d not just the golf that stands out at Hyatt Regency Coolum. Spread across 150 hectares of prime Sunshine Coast bushland between a white sand beach and the dramatic outcrop of Mt Coolum, Hyatt Regency Coolum boasts 324 guest rooms that include spacious suites and self-contained villas designed to make the most of their bushland, golf course or lake-side setting. A separate enclave offers exclusive Ambassador Villas and Residences. The resort is superbly equipped with other sports and leisure facilities, including nine swimming pools, a tennis centre, a gym and fitness centre and a beach club. It also offers activities like cycling, archery, canoeing and fishing. Hyatt Regency Coolum is also known for The Spa, the largest complex of its type in the Southern Hemisphere with separate his and her wings providing an indulgent selection of massages, treatments and relaxation facilities. Dining is a speciality at Hyatt Regency Coolum, with the Village Square providing a lively collection of indoor/outdoor eateries including The Pizzeria, the Asian-inspired Noodles, and the contemporary Italian restaurant Bruschetta. Nearby, the signature restaurant Eliza’s offers sophisticated dining celebrating the finest produce and seafood from the region. For information and bookings, contact Hyatt Regency Coolum on (07) 5446 1234. Also see www.coolum.regency.hyatt.com
ASK respected PGA coach Peter Heiniger how his club fared during Queensland’s natural disasters recently and he’ll simply quip: ‘What’s all the fuss about?” That’s because Heiniger escaped his beloved home of Hyatt Regency Coolum on the Sunshine Coast to watch his son’s exploits on the cricket field down in Canberra while much of the Sunshine State was being inundated with flood water then smashed by Cyclone Yasi weeks later. But Heiniger soon returned to a course that was virtually left untouched by the wrath of Mother Nature, much to the relief of his staff at the world class resort course. “I missed everything, but when you look at the courses north, south and west of us that were damaged by the floods and cyclone, we were extremely fortunate here at Hyatt Regency Coolum,” Heiniger told Golfer Pacific. And it’s this uncanny knack Coolum has of avoiding inclement weather that has Heiniger and his team preparing for another bumper year holiday visitors and tournament golf. Hyatt Regency Coolum will host is 10th Australian PGA Championship in the very year the tournament celebrates its centenary, according to Heiniger. “It’s arguably the most important year in the club’s history with our 10th Australian PGA Championship,” Heiniger said.
“But with our facilities in immaculate order, including the course, driving range and the resort’s accommodation and facilities, Hyatt Regency Coolum really is the perfect place for a golfing getaway with all that is available here at your doorstep.” Heiniger takes great pride in his golf education centre and how it appeals to a broad range of holiday-makers from interstate during the chilly winter months. “We cater for everyone here and that’s part of the attraction,” he said. “Every year we get beginners coming up here to have a break and learn the game, club members looking to improve their scores and, of course, professionals seeking that something extra to give them an edge on tour. “But everyone who comes up here to stay has a great time playing golf, experiencing our beautiful beaches and enjoying the holiday lifestyle our resort offers.” And Heiniger should know the place better than most – he is now in his 22nd year at Hyatt Regency Coolum. “I love it – it’s God’s country up here. Why would I want to leave?” he said. “But more importantly, why wouldn’t you want to experience Hyatt Regency Coolum for yourself?”
)FJOJHFS T 5JQ 0G 5IF .POUI With Hyatt Regency Coolum Head Professional, Peter Heiniger Without any doubt, the biggest problem that most golfers face with their game is a chronic slice. You can play with a fade, but they haven’t built a golf course yet that can handle a chronic slice. The main reason behind a slice is a club head path that swings outside across the ball. So to correct this you need to encourage a club head path through the ball which will swing more out to in. The most effective way of achieving this is to turn your clubface in at address and swing. The shut clubface will influence your swing to change its path and swing more in to out. Then with time and practice your chronic slice will turn into a nice soft draw. Golfer Pacific March 2010 11