Golf Australia April 2020

The last time I spoke with Mike Wolveridge he was his usual English chipper self. The excitement in his voice was clearly evident as he talked about coming out of retirement to oversee redesign work on the Mirage Country Club at Port Douglas – the same layout he and former design partner, Peter Thomson, created for the high-flying Christopher Skase in the mid-1980s. We talked for nearly 20 minutes. Most of the time Michael reflected on his times working alongside Thomson, the plans that lie ahead for the Mirage project and the state of the modern game. Most of which was published in a feature in this magazine last month. He ended our chat, reaffirming how good life was. “We’re all having a lot of fun. We’re involved in something…

Distant thunder rumbled in the sky as the rain began to ease. The sudden downpour had been brief, but the storm shelter found beside the 8th fairway of the Open Course at Moonah Links had been an inviting sight all the same. The Peter Thomson-designed layout on Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula was completed in 2001 and now forms one half of an impressive 36-hole complex, which has been dubbed “The Home of Australian Golf ”. The links-inspired Open Course was purpose-built to host the Australian Open, which it did in 2003 and 2005, and remains, in Thomson’s words: “A mighty and ferocious test of golfing ability, the likes of which even the top pros only occasionally experience.” The five-time British Open champion and his highly-acclaimed design partners, Mike Wolveridge (who sadly…

THE COURSE LOCATION: Peter Thomson Drive, Fingal, Victoria. CONTACT: (03) 5988 2047 (Pro Shop); (03) 5988 2000 (Resort). WEBSITE: www.moonahlinks.com.au DESIGNERS: Peter Thomson, Mike Wolveridge and Ross Perrett (Open Course 2001); Ross Perrett (Legends Course 2004). COURSE SUPERINTENDENT: Kyle Wilson. PGA PROFESSIONALS: There is a group of resident teaching professionals available upon booking for on-site lessons. PLAYING SURFACES: Bentgrass (greens); Santa Ana couch (fairways, tees). GREEN FEES: June to September, $85 (18 holes), $160 (all-day play); October to May, $100 (18 holes), $190 (all-day play). RANKINGS: Golf Australia magazine Top-100 Courses (2020) – Open Course (No.65); Legends Course (No.45). THE CLUB MEMBERSHIPS: Memberships at Moonah Links are currently under review. STAY & PLAY PACKAGES: Peppers Moonah Links Resort Mornington Peninsula offers 70 deluxe rooms and suites, all with balconies or…

Agents. Managers. Player representatives. Call them what you will – and I have many times. But like them or not – and I have mixed feelings, believe me – the men (and sometimes women) standing in the shadows behind golf’s leading practitioners are an ever-present part of the professional game. Nothing new there, of course. More than half-a-century has passed since an enterprising young lawyer by the name of Mark McCormack tapped into the vast earning potential of a charismatic and up-and-coming golfer by the name of Arnold Palmer. McCormack, whose empire evolved into the International Management Group – or “IMGreedy” in less reverential circles – wasn’t first either. The ever-inventive entrepreneur Fred Corcoran was the man behind the endearingly naïve public image of Sam Snead as far back as…

THE world continues to closely monitor the spread of Coronavirus (COVID-19). And the virus has had an effect on golf in various ways already, including the potential postponement of the Olympics in Tokyo, where golf will be part of the Games. At the time of writing, the following measures had been taken by various organisational bodies around the world awaiting further information and potential spread of Coronavirus. The PGA Tour issued a statement in March that said beyond “establishing additional protocols to promote the health and safety of all participants and fans at our tournaments” there would be no schedule changes beyond those already implemented on the PGA Tour China, where qualifying events have been postponed and the start of the season delayed by two months. With a greater number…

After a successful run of two tied thirds and losing a play-off, BRAD KENNEDY broke through for his second New Zealand Open title. The 45-year-old Queenslander fired an eight-under 64 in the final round to beat Lucas Herbert by two strokes and later revealed he is considering retirement at the end of this year. “I was looking to hang the boots up at the end of this year, I’ve been doing it for 25 years and just really wanted to make this year a really positive year to end. I’ve sacrificed a lot, but also my family has sacrificed a lot too,” he said. Heading into the final round of The Honda Classic, NBC golf analyst PAUL AZINGER questioned TOMMY FLEETWOOD’S European Tour resume and highlighted his lack of a…