The Lakes GC (Australia)

[Richard Apperly]

Richard.
Jack Newton told me the original course - pre 1970 - was fantastic and it would have been great to have seen it.
Are you any relation to the famed Eric Apperly ?

Eric was my grandfather Mike.

The stories of Nicklaus hitching up his pants and smashing it onto 16 are legendary!

Really looking forward to having a game there some time soon...

[Kevin Pallier]

Mike

Cheers for the info. re: the 14th green. What about the edges of the 13th green ? are they in the process of being softened at all ?

Course is looking fabulous. Alas, I never managed to play the first incarnation of the old Lakes GC.

Richard

Are you able to elaborate somewhat on your grandfathers original design ?

[Sean_A]

This is kind of what I envision courses with 200+ bunkers back in the day looked like with the exception of the excellent turf of course.  Mike, was this the sort of "model" you had in  mind for the redo?

Ciao

[Mike_Clayton]

Sean,

There was no real model in mind - and I think the look evolved as we went.
The front 9 trees had to be removed so it was always going to be open and we looked at the old photos of the original course - that had no trees.
Ashley Mead was in charge of the job for us and I remember him warning me not to be too shocked when I got out onto the stretch of holes from 2-8 after all the trees had been removed.Nothing prepares you for such a dramatic change to the land.
The playing model was to get the fairways as wide as we could get them and then do greens that set up best from a particular place - hardly genius stuff there.
The bunkers have a certain look - a very fashionable one these days!! - and the sandy wastes were always going to be an important part of the character of the previously much-maligned front nine.

[jonathan_becker]

Bumped for tonight's coverage.  I love that both Norman and Couples are playing.

[Scott Warren]

Couples put on a clinic to be a couple shy of the lead mid-way through the afternoon.

I'll also self-indulgently include this link for anyone curious about the course:
http://theglobalgolfer.blogspot.com/2011/05/lakes.html

[John Mayhugh]

I'll also self-indulgently include this link for anyone curious about the course:
http://theglobalgolfer.blogspot.com/2011/05/lakes.html

You should also have included some quotes from yourself in your GCA post.   

Good tour, Kevin.  This will go well with the viewing on television. 

[PCCraig]

I received an early Christmas present last night with the fantastic prime-time coverage of the Australian Open, with Tiger/Day/Scott/Kutchar, etc... playing what looks to be a really interesting and neat golf course.

Congrats to Mike Clayton and his team for a job well done.

[Michael Wharton-Palmer]

Bravo to Clayton and co...what a visual feast last night, their work looks amazing.

[Jason Topp]

I only have a vague recollection of what the course looked like before and was pleased to see this tour upon checking this morning.  The course looks fantastic on television and posed interesting dilemmas for the Tiger Woods group last night. 

Incidentally - I hope the John Daley's appearance fee was contingent on him actually finishing the tournament. 

[Kalen Braley]

I have to agree with the general sentiment of these posts.  When I first turned it on, I thought for sure there were playing in Melbourne somewhere.  The course looks fantastic and I was wondering how I had never heard of it....but I guess its a pretty new renovation.

As for Daly,

I missed that whole thing, but its too bad.  The organizers at these events work hard to bring in guys, and that's just a pity Daly had to resort to antics as usual.  I also read that he was officially uninvited for the 2nd tournament he was going to play in, in two weeks time.

[Matthew Rose]

Familiar with the previous incarnation of the course, having seen the old Holden International or whatever it was a few times in the years I spent in Melbourne. I love the way the course looks now compared to then.

One of the more compelling Aussie Opens in years, so far.

[JMEvensky]

Matthew Rose--I just noticed your signature.Are you Julius?

Golf course looks like a blast to play.Congrats to Mike Clayton.

[Matthew Rose]

No, I'm not Julius... I only wish I'd ever written anything half as funny as that critique was.