The Accidental 36 Hole Saturday

From St Michael’s to Royal Sydney

Jan 26, 2026

Last Saturday, January 24, was one of those days that sounds sensible when you say it quickly, but the longer you sit with it, the more ridiculous it becomes.

Thirty-six holes. In one day.

It wasn’t planned as some heroic endurance test. It just sort of… happened.

Matt Bateman and I were lucky enough to be invited to play the newly renovated Royal Sydney course as part of the Beyond Rose Bay Thank You Golf Day. It was Royal Sydney’s way of saying thanks to the clubs around Sydney who hosted their members while their course was out of action through 2025. A classy gesture, and a very classy invitation to receive.

The tee time was a 1 pm shotgun start, which led to the inevitable golfer's thought process:

“Well… if we’re not teeing off till the afternoon, why don’t we just play our normal round in the morning as well?”

And just like that, a sensible Saturday turned into a 36-hole mission.

The Morning Session | St Michael’s Golf Club

Date: January 24, 2026

Course: St Michael’s Golf Club

Tee Time: 6:30 am

Starting Hole: 1st

Players: Steve Fanale, Paul Khoury, Ross Chapman, Matt Bateman

Weather: Beautiful summer morning, cool early with blue skies

Conditions: Firm and fast. Ideal early-morning scoring conditions

Format: Stableford + Match Play (Fanale vs Khoury)

Game: 11th Game of 2026

As we were playing 36 holes today, Matt and I decided to take a cart. Smart decision. An even smarter decision to play early before the heat kicked in.

The conditions were unreal. Cool morning air, blue skies, and the course looking a treat.

I played a really solid round, finishing with 35 points, and also took out the match play against Paul 4 & 2.

Paul finished with 30 points, Ross was on fire with 37 points, and Matt Bateman posted 31 points. Good golf all round.

The match play itself had a bit of everything. I jumped out early and was 3 up after five holes, then Paul fought back hard, and suddenly I was only one up at the turn. The back nine was where things swung again. A couple of good holes on 11 and 12 gave me breathing room, and I closed it out just after the 16th, four up with two to play.

A proper contest. It always is with Khoury.

Final Scores

Ross Chapman: 37 points
Steve Fanale: 35 points
Matt Bateman: 31 points
Paul Khoury: 30 points

Match Play Result:

Steve Fanale def. Paul Khoury 4 & 2
Khoury leads 3-2 | 2026 Championship

The Afternoon Session | Royal Sydney Golf Club

Walking into Royal Sydney was something else.

The clubhouse alone is staggering. One of the most impressive clubhouses in Sydney, if not Australia. Out front, there was a relaxed festival vibe. An outdoor bar, food flowing, flags from all the participating clubs on display, and presentations underway for the morning round winners.

We were handed a welcome pack with tees, a pitch repairer, and a ball marker. I also couldn’t resist picking up a larger, very unique Royal Sydney ball marker from the pro shop.

We met our playing partners, including Tim, a Royal Sydney member and our official guide for the day, and headed to the practice greens. The putting surfaces were immaculate and fast. Rated around 11, apparently. You knew straight away it was going to be a challenging afternoon.

By 1 pm, it was hot. Steamy hot. The wind helped a little, but it was still a big ask for the back eighteen of a 36-hole day.

The Course Itself

The renovation is something special.

Because parts of the course haven’t fully grown in yet, there are sandy waste areas lining the fairways. For now, they’re forgiving enough to find your ball, but once they grow out, this place is going to be brutal.

The fairways were firm and tough, deliberately so. We were told the greens staff want the roots to properly embed, and then they can let them grow a bit, which should soften things up. It made for some super tight lies on the fairway and solid contact with the turf on each strike.

Interestingly, there were no sand buckets for divots. We just either replaced them with the divot itself, old-school style or collapsed them from the sides with your irons. Not dissimilar to how it’s done at The Australian. Not sure if that’s temporary or the long-term plan for RS.

The bunkers were immaculate and perfectly positioned. Proper risk and reward golf. You had to think hard off the tee, commit to your lines, or you will pay for it.

They’ve removed many trees during the redesign (almost 600 removed, replacing them with almost 2200 native trees), but some magnificent, what I think are Moreton Bay fig trees, still stand proudly. The balance felt right. I didn't play the old course, but from what I've heard, the trees were painful to deal with, so their removal was a welcome change.

There were also some quirky little touches. Hidden, in the ground, rubbish bins on most tees. You open with your foot, something I’d never seen before. A halfway house that cost a reported one million dollars to build. Four bathrooms, a kitchen, and food displays. Sadly closed when we went past, but still impressive.

The wind played havoc at times, but also provided a bit of relief from the heat. I ended the day with an aggressive golfer’s tan on my left arm that really needs to be addressed before the shirt comes off at the beach 🏖️ 😂

The Golf

Date: January 24, 2026

Course: Royal Sydney Golf Club

Tee Time: 1:00 pm - Shotgun start

Starting Hole: 12th

Players: Steve Fanale, Matt Bateman, Tim Marwedell, Martin Knespal

Weather: Gorgeous sunny afternoon, Hot with wind picking up

Conditions: Firm and fast. Greens were quick

Format: Stableford

Game: 12th Game of 2026

For a first look at the course, and after already playing 18 that morning, I was happy with how I played.

My Royal Sydney debut started painfully. On the first hole (12 th tee), I absolutely smoked my driver off the tee. Everyone thought it was perfect. It should have landed right near or over the right-hand bunker on the fairway.

We never found it. Wipe. First hole. Welcome to Royal Sydney.

From there, though, it settled in and became a really enjoyable round.

One thing I found a little disconcerting about the new design was the number of crossing fairways. On several holes there were moments where you were either teeing off or playing an approach shot while another group was hitting across you. At times, it felt genuinely dangerous rather than just mildly uncomfortable.
Given this was a full renovation and a rare opportunity to rethink the routing from the ground up, it felt like a missed opportunity. Everything else about the redesign feels deliberate and thoughtful, which makes this stand out more than it might otherwise. I suspect it will be something players adapt to over time, but on a first play-through, it definitely caught my attention.

Because we had a shotgun start on the 12th, we finished on the 11th and had to walk back to the clubhouse. Not a massive walk, but after 36 holes, it hurt. We returned to the outdoor bar and food setup and used our vouchers, which got us cold beers, lamb kebabs, and chicken skewers.

Perfect finish.

The whole day felt like a privilege. Amazing golf, great company, and a rare chance to see a world-class course in its first phase after a major renovation.

Huge thanks to Tim for being our guide on the day, and to the staff at Royal Sydney Golf Club for a well-planned & enjoyable day. To Tim, Marty, Byron, Robbie, and the rest of my network who are Royal Sydney members, if any of you are reading this, I am more than happy to accept another invitation. I feel like I owe that first hole a proper crack.

36 holes done. Legs sore. Spirits high. Skin tanned.

Would absolutely do it again in a heartbeat.