Royal Queensland’s 17th – the calm before the storm
The par 3 17th at Royal Queensland – looking from and to the tee – images Bruce Young
The BMW Australian PGA Championship gets underway this Thursday, but on Tuesday, when so many of the field were making their final preparations, Royal Queensland’s layout and surroundings were serene.
By Sunday however that peace and calm will almost certainly be replaced by rowdy and engaged crowds, most of whom will be centred around the par 3 17th ‘party hole’ which has rapidly become a magnet for those looking for fun and excitement.
The event’s already successful staging since its move from RACV Royal Pines on the Gold Coast in 2021 has, to a large extent, been the result of increasing interaction between the players and their fans, and there is no better example of such than the amphitheatre surrounding the 17th.
In 2024 that amphitheatre or cauldron becomes even more so with the introduction of almost wall to wall seating or corporate boxes surrounding the hole.
Many traditional golf fans are split with their thoughts on the idea of the razzamatazz involved in such an initiative to widen the appeal of tournament golf.
There is little doubt, however, the attraction and talking point the stadium effect creates and on Sunday at Royal Queensland it may well be the noise from the overhead planes landing at nearby Brisbane airport that will be forced to take second fiddle to the boisterous crowd surrounding the ‘party hole’.
The 17th under normal circumstances – image Bruce Young
