Every golfer knows in his heart he is owed at least one great round for all the time and effort he has put into his game and the frustration, grief and lost bets it has cost him over the years. If there is any justice, one perfect golfing experience is his due. Talent and technique account for little. If the conditions are right, the spirit of Ben Hogan or Jack Nicklaus burning inside will find a way out. The secret is in ideal conditions. A championship course that inspires with its beauty, is perfectly conditioned, challenging and enjoyable, free of crowds and distractions, is a good start.

Bobby Jones and Steve Wynn understood this and built their own classic courses. Lloyd Williams and Peter Thomson have done the same on Melbourne's renowned Sand Belt. All of them shared their dreams with great designers and brought them to reality. They provided magnificent, comfortable clubhouses that catered to all the needs of their guests and sent them out to play relaxed and shielded from the realities of the world outside. They provided caddies who often seem to be the catalyst in a career-best round. They built lavish practice ranges with contoured fairways, bunkered target greens, practise bunkers and greens that made warming up both pleasurable and relevant to the game ahead. The result is pure, unadulterated golf.