Question for Mike Clayton

[Josh Stevens]

Mike

Was just looking at the RQ pics - I can recall playing it years ago and thinking it was crap, it looks like interesting work on a tricky piece of land.

You seem to be the go-to man down there now, for better or for worse.

What is the comprehensive list of your recent reno work, I have not kept up to date - I can think only of RQ, Karrinyup, the Lakes, Penisnsula, presumably I have missed a few.  They all seem to be very differnent challenges on very different parcels of land, and being reno work presumably there are different remits from each committee -  and so the finished products all look varied, but are you managing to not develop a trademark style or look - that must be a temptation or at least a trap that can be fallen into.

When are you going to get the gig to do the Australian? - there is a place screaming for a nip and tuck

[Michael Taylor]

Peninsula Country Golf Club - 36 holes
Victoria GC
Metropolitan GC
Kingston Heath GC
Spring Valley GC
Portsea GC
Royal Wellington
RACV Country Club
The Grange
Rosanna GC
Blackwood GC
Port Fairy GC
Woodlands GC
Long Island GC
Warragul GC
Cranbourne GC
Keilor GC
Rosebud CC
Curlewis GC
Clifton Springs GC
Torquay GC
Northern GC

All according to his website.

[Mike_Clayton]

Josh,

We have done some really extensive remodels in the last few years.
Royal Queesland is a new course really - the club lost 6 holes when the government decided to build another huge bridge across the 12th fairway cutting of 12,13,14,15 and 16 from the rest of the course.
The were probably the only club in the country that could lose so many holes and remain on the original site - because they had that much spare land.
Lake Karrinyup, The Lakes and the West Course at The Grange were all places where we rebuild all the greens and bunkers removed the really bad trees that had distorted the holes over time and moved tees around.
All four courses have different looking bunkers and feels although the strategies and our philosophies about what we think makes for good and bad golf would be evident to the observant golfer or anyone thinking about the architecture.
Peninsula is a 36 hole club where we did a lot of work - 10 new green on the North and 11 on the South - as well as a reasonable amount of tree removal to open up dogelgs and views of bunkers that had been lost. Almost all the bunkers on both courses were rebuilt.

One of the most interesting and challening jobs was at Healesville - a course just under 5000m that we shortened!! - but not by much - maybe 50m.It was a really poor course but with the RACV committing to making it good we had enough money to transform the course into one that is great fun.
It will be intersting to see how golfers see it - some will dismiss it as too short but that would be to miss the fun part of each individual hole and the really interesting greens.
The long par 4, 8th and the short par 4,18th may be two of the best holes in the country - but I would say that!!