"It has become a course for the strategist, with some risk and reward holes and others that players will leave thanking the golfing gods they have made par."
Peter Stone files a Sydney Morning Herald story on Mike Clayton's total redo of The Lakes, host of this week's Australian Open.
Anyone who has not been to The Lakes since the last tournament there, in 2002 - the now defunct modified stableford ANZ Championship - will not recognise what lies before them. Firstly, the old dysfunctional, circular clubhouse is gone, replaced by a grand, modern structure that was completed in 2005.
Some have called him ''Chainsaw Mike'', and the layout barely resembles what was there before. The pines, willows and various other trees have gone, replaced by a sandy wasteland and a links land golf course several kilometres from the sea.
Anyone who hadn't seen the old Lakes would be impressed - but you look at the holes now and remember what was there before. The fairways are wider, but that sandy waste is present on almost every hole. The greens are new, with more humps and bumps.
It has become a course for the strategist, with some risk and reward holes and others that players will leave thanking the golfing gods they have made par.
There is a hole-by-hole tour on the official site, but I'm trying to locate an online gallery of before/after shots so you can see just how dramatic of an overhaul this was by Clayton and friends.
There is also this story posted on GolfAustralia.org by John Huggan.
“Over the years, the course had veered away from the early 1970s design by Devlin and Von Hagge in that it was almost covered in foliage,” continues Clayton, who recently formed a new course design partnership with former U.S Open champion Geoff Ogilvy.
“Our brief was to restore the original feel of the course. Prior to the freeway being built, it had hardly any trees on it at all. Plus, much of the bunkering and many of the greens had been altered by various architects over the years. Most importantly, however, there were too many holes where the only route to the green was from the middle of the fairway. There was only that one strategy on almost every hole. That one-dimensional quality is now long gone, replaced by a more open feel that is designed to give the players options and, hopefully, make them think."
Monday, November 29, 2010 at 07:53 PM
Reader Comments (15)
I'm no expert, but I'm pretty sure The Lakes is situated on sandy based land and that Clayton has tried to bring some of the philosophies from the Melbourne sandbelt where he grew up (given the conditions are similar). The photos I've seen (there was a big spread including before/after in Golf Australia magazine a while back) don't suggest faux links.
Huggan and I are staying together this week and we have been friends for ages.
He does a column for the Golf Australia (our USGA equivalent) website every day. We played the course together before the work started and he is in a good position to judge the work and what went on.
One of his columns naturally involved talking to the architect about the changes to the course.
It makes no attempt to be a links or anything like it - people have superficially called it a links because there are few trees and it is exposed and windy but it has no relationship to a true links, either in look or how it plays. It is just what it is.
One ot the biggest regrets of my playing career-apart from being brief and useless!-was having to withdraw from the Australian tour with back trouble.Going back to the Sand Belt etc is still very much at the top of the wish list-soon before the clubs are hung up for good!
But I can also assure you that I have no problem voicing a fault if I find one, no matter whose it may be, that said, here goes.
I was at the Lakes about 2 years ago and saw the work at about it's halfway point. I have also seen other Mike Clayton work, and it is nothing short of fantastic.
There is NOTHING more boring in golf and golf course design that not having a choice, meaning that design of a hole/course dictates how each hole is to be played. What is the point? Are you listening USGA???? Choices, meaning different avenues to attack the same hole make golf so much more fun, and more importantly, more compelling to watch to see how the different players choose to play a given hole.
I hope the Aussie Open is on the Golf Channel this week so I can watch being I am at home this week. If it is, PLEASE let it not be the same commentators from the Aussie Masters, that was pathetic, I muted it after midway through the 2nd day.
@ Jay Townsend
Australian TV golf coverage tends to be just observational chatter without a whole lot of reseach into stories behind the players or a close up examination of the course. Although, I still love listening to Jack Newton when the Golf Channel picks up coverage.
With respect to The Lakes - it is about time to change the name of the Club - "The Lakes"?!? It just does not conjure up images of golf.
The Aussie Masters guys did no research that I could hear, they did not tell me anything I could not see on my screen. From reading graphics I could plainly see to not telling me ANYTHING about a fantastic golf course that begged to have shots described. I won't name names, but it was pathetic.
BTW, in case the perpetrators are reading this, it was ME that sent you the message via the production crew about there being more than 5 non-Australians in the field, which you tried to hammer into our brains. Apparently you did not know the difference between an Australian and New Zealand flag.
I hatebthat TGC no longer carries the Aussie Open. I love watching golf on the sand belt courses.
Sorry for the cut/paste, but maybe if it is repeated the USGA might comprehend your true words, Jay.
I love seeing the sandbelt tracks: I cannot stand the announcing.....it was amatuerish at best, giggly girlish, at times.