Saturday 7 July 2012

On Course for a Thrilling International Championship

Lake Karrinyu
Approximately $3.5million has been spent rebuilding the course since the international Johnnie Walker Classic was held at Lake Karrinyup in Western Australia back in 2003.  Holes have been both lengthened and shortened and every green and bunker has been rebuilt to enhance Lake Karrinyup's world-class reputation.

Course architect and former European Tour player Mike Clayton said the quintessentially Australian golf course had its own character and would provide new challenges to players when they arrive in Perth for Australia's richest golf event - the Perth International (18 to 21 October).

"Lake Karrinyup is a course that asks players interesting and quite obvious questions.  The answering of those questions is what makes it an enduringly interesting course to play," Clayton said.

"The course's character is distinguished by expansive fairways and holes that require the player to execute a wide variety of tee shots. Those with the skill to shape the ball to fit the hole, to fly it through the ever-present seaside winds and who hit to the best part of the wide fairways on their approach to the flag will earn the rewards and shoot the lowest scores."

Course superintendent Trevor Strachan agreed the new layout would challenge the most seasoned pros in the new US$2million tournament.

"The course is now more open and the bunkering is closer to the greens. We now have a course that requires a different type of golf to be played," Strachan said. "The surface of the greens is harder and faster and there are more subtle undulations which I think will make it tricky for players returning to the course or experiencing it for the first time.

"Spectators will have a better experience with the new layout as well.  It's easier to get around the course and there are some great new vantage points. You can see eight holes within a 500 metre walk and around the lake will be a terrific place to see a range of holes including the back of the 8th to the 11th and even the 3rd hole.  Plus there will be grandstands set up on the 12th and 17th," Strachan said.

Strachan will lead a team of 18 grounds keeping staff plus a team of volunteers in the busy lead up to the springtime championship.

"We've got to get through winter and then get the grass into place for spring, turfing out the weak areas and getting presentation right. Coming out of winter there's less growing time, so it's going to be busy."

Lake Karrinyup is widely acknowledged as Western Australia's premier private golf club and is ranked the state's number one course by Australian Golf Digest.  The course rebuild has ensured it will provide a world-class experience for the European Tour and Australasian Tour players when they land in Perth in October.

Tickets for the Perth International will be available from July.  For more information visit www.perthinternational.com

Like the Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/PerthInternationalGolf or follow on Twitter @PerthIntl.
 
For more information about Western Australia's extraordinary annual events calendar visit www.westernaustralia.com/events

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