Mike Clayton (1)

Perhaps the best subject to kick off the discussion is Mike Clayton. Mike Clayton played the Australian tour from 1981 and the European tour from 1982 to 1996. He won the Australian amateur title in 1978, the Australian Match Play in 1992, and the Coolum Classic and the Heineken Classic, both in 1994. He is vice-president of the Golf Society of Australia, and is a director of Michael Clayton Golf Design, a golf-course design company. He writes about golf for several publications, including The Age and Golf Australia magazine.

A few years ago, PCGC hired Michael Clayton Golf Design to redesign and “modernise” the two 18-hole courses at the club. It also just so happens that Mike Clayton is good friends with Gary Richardson, the General Manager of the club, but more on conflicts of interest at a later time.

Let me just say up front that I’m not a huge Mike Clayton fan. Many of the changes he made and opportunities for change he didn’t make leave a lot to be desired, in my opinion. Opinion at the club seems quite diverse regarding Mike Clayton’s changes, but I’ve heard anecdotally that his work at other clubs is also not hugely admired by all.

So why am I not a fan of his work? Well, let’s go through the major changes, starting with :

1 South.

I think the water hazard Mike Clayton introduced near the green is way too punitive. For the average golfer, a decently hit 5 or 3-wood will generally run down the steep slope into the hazard. Mike Clayton would no doubt say that one should either layup with the tee shot or ensure it is hit to the right half of the fairway, preferably with a bit of slice (for the RH golfer). That’s fair enough, but I think a water hazard (which will generally cost you a stroke if you enter) should mostly only punish poor shots, not good shots hit out of the middle of the club, but a few degrees left of where you intended. If the hazard only caught big duck hooks, then no problem.

Also, the hazard virtually abuts the green on the right hand side. Way too close. Again, too punishing for a slightly badly hit approach shot. I’ve seen good looking approach shots land on the left hand side of the green, then sling off the ridge in the middle of the green into the hazard. Hardly a fair reward for a pretty decently hit shot.  And I’ve seen people putt into the hazard from the green! And they're not such bad golfers.