mike clayton

CLEARY: When breakfast beers in a corporate Ambrose spawned a great revelation

CLEARY: When breakfast beers in a corporate Ambrose spawned a great revelation

Following another 31 points in a stableford competition, another four hours swimming in the viscous soup of competitive juice, I made a half-joking post-round quip to our teaching pro: mate, you don’t do psychiatry services, do you? 23 Sep 2024
Smylie's tennis ties and Clayton dossier fuel Open tilt

Smylie's tennis ties and Clayton dossier fuel Open tilt

Elvis Smylie comes from a tennis family but says it was always golf that called ahead of his Open debut in a field including five other Australians. 18 Jul 2024
Our Experts Tip the Open Championship

Our Experts Tip the Open Championship

Warning bookmakers, punters and the world's greatest golfers: Golf Australia magazine's crack stable of top experts - top stable of crack experts? Now, now, none of your cheek - have submitted their tips for this 152nd Open Championship at Royal Troon. And, let's just say, Rory McIlroy may thank us not at all. 17 Jul 2024
Feature story: This is Royal Troon

Feature story: This is Royal Troon

This week The Open returns to Royal Troon for the 10th time across its 152-year history. While not as popular with the tourists as some of the other glamour courses across Scotland, this layout’s claim to fame is the mental challenge it presents to those brave enough to take it on. 16 Jul 2024
Our Experts' Tips for the U.S Open

Our Experts' Tips for the U.S Open

Replete with Sandbelt references, the Aussie chances and the ritual writing-off of Tiger, Rory and Robert Rock, our panel of experts tip their certainties, their roughies and their day-dream believers ahead of the 124th U.S Open at Pinehurst No.2. 12 Jun 2024
Hot-Pot, a Shot or Not? Our experts' tips for the Masters

Hot-Pot, a Shot or Not? Our experts' tips for the Masters

Golf Australia magazine’s pundits were polled for their tips ahead of this lucky 88th Masters Tournament at Augusta National. The brief was: give us the winner, a roughie and a dreamer. Consider their answers for your tipping comp responsibly. 11 Apr 2024
Cleary: Pay the money, take the ride - how to make golf fun again

Cleary: Pay the money, take the ride - how to make golf fun again

Mike Clayton, as legend promulgated by his playing partners would have it, was at the famous par-3 seventh hole at Barnbougle Dunes, the one called ‘Little Devil’, when he hit a four-iron 112 metres into a howling nor-west wind and stuck it to three feet. 25 Mar 2024
Woodlands appoints acclaimed design team

Woodlands appoints acclaimed design team

Clayton, DeVries & Pont (CDP) in partnership with KruseGolf are delighted to announced they have been jointly appointed as course architectural advisors to Woodlands Golf Club, in Melbourne’s world-famous Sandbelt. 10 Jan 2024
The evolution (and future) of Australian golf

The evolution (and future) of Australian golf

The most significant thing to happen to Australian golf was not Adam Scott winning The Masters. Nor was it Peter Thomson winning five Opens in Britain or Greg Norman carrying the Australian Tour in the 1980s and 1990s. 13 Dec 2023
Morri: Sandbelt is golf for golf’s sake

Morri: Sandbelt is golf for golf’s sake

It’s not the most prestigious, most cherished or most lucrative. But among the most important? In terms of tournaments, the Sandbelt Invitational is in the conversation. 11 Dec 2023
Morri: Why we adore artists like Min Woo

Morri: Why we adore artists like Min Woo

The brilliant win by Min Woo Lee in Brisbane at the weekend reminded me of something often said by former touring pro turned course architect and fellow magazine columnist Mike Clayton. 27 Nov 2023
"We haven't used a rangefinder": Lukas Michel on a Royal Melbourne mission

"We haven't used a rangefinder": Lukas Michel on a Royal Melbourne mission

Yuta Sugiara of Japan is the top-ranked player, China’s Bo Jin was second to Harrison Crowe in Thailand last year, and Australia’s Jeffrey Guan will go into the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship at Royal Melbourne after a five-hour chipping lesson with Cameron Smith. 26 Oct 2023
L.A Story

L.A Story

It’s hard to fathom why the second-most populous city in North America, behind New York City, and one of the most famous cities in the world, has seemingly been ignored by the United States Golf Association for so long. 14 Jun 2023
The Thing About Golf Podcast #92 – Geoff Ogilvy

The Thing About Golf Podcast #92 – Geoff Ogilvy

Winner of the 2006 US Open, Geoff Ogilvy is known as one of professional golf’s best interview subjects and in this wide ranging chat with John Huggan he shows why. 10 May 2023
Elvis’ new record gives him control of The National

Elvis’ new record gives him control of The National

Budding star Elvis Smylie played one of the rounds of his young life to seize the lead in The National Tournament on Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula today. 31 Mar 2023
Morri: Rahm’s distance comments don’t measure up

Morri: Rahm’s distance comments don’t measure up

It’s an unanswerable question (aren’t they usually the best kind?) but how much attention should we pay to the game’s best players when considering topics outside the actual playing of the game? 6 Feb 2023
Review: Sun City Country Club

Review: Sun City Country Club

Ask Mike Clayton what he thinks about the quality of golf to be found in Perth and he will get straight to the point. 6 Jan 2023
Gallery: Sandbelt Invitational Final Round

Gallery: Sandbelt Invitational Final Round

The rain didn't keep the crowds or the low scores away on day four of the Sandbelt Invitational. Here are the best images from Thursday at Peninsula Kingswood. 22 Dec 2022
Opinion: It’s just the vibe of the thing

Opinion: It’s just the vibe of the thing

It is one of the quintessential moments of Australian cinema when Dennis Denuto utters the immortal line “It’s just the vibe of the thing” during the 1997 film The Castle. 22 Dec 2022
Momoka vs Goliath at the Sandbelt

Momoka vs Goliath at the Sandbelt

For much of the third day at the Sandbelt Invitational at Yarra Yarra Golf Club it looked as though Cam Davis would once again carry a multiple shot lead into the fourth and final day at Peninsula Kingswood on Thursday. 21 Dec 2022
Opinion: Royal Melbourne just gets it

Opinion: Royal Melbourne just gets it

The host venue is one of the crucial elements of tournament golf that if done well can go unnoticed. But in the case of the Sandbelt Invitational is one of the key tenets for the Geoff Ogilvy/Mike Clayton shared vision. 20 Dec 2022