Michael Clarke, Golf Superintendent at Yas Links, has been preparing the stage for this month’s Asia Pacific Amateur Team Championship and with 24 years experience of looking after world class courses in Abu Dhabi he has the knowledge to give the players a true test on one of the finest courses in the Middle East.
How long have you been in the UAE and Abu Dhabi for and what’s been the biggest challenge as an agronomist at both Abu Dhabi Golf Club and Yas Links?
Mike Clarke: I arrived in Abu Dhabi in 1991 for the construction of Abu Dhabi Golf with Peter Harradine. The two biggest issues faced in general over both courses would have to be water quality and drainage. These two issues have a big bearing on how the cultural and agronomical programmes are created in trying to establish a healthy root zone which leads to better playing surfaces.
How do the two courses differ from a maintenance point of view?
MC: Abu Dhabi is more of a manicured parkland type of course whereas Yas Links, being a links course, is much more of a natural and undulating site and therefore dictates slightly different machinery for the sharp slopes and also quite a differentiation in maintenance and seasonal cultural practices. There are also different grass species on both courses which can also mean slightly different agronomic treatments.
What were your first steps into the agronomy industry?
MC: I first started my career at Mt. Maunganui Golf Course which then was the regular venue for the NZPGA Championship. This involved a four year apprenticeship with the New Zealand Turf Institute and Massey University and I was honored with the prestigious Harvin Award assigned to the top student in my final year. The region has some great championship courses, which can test the best on The European Tour, but how do you set a course up like Yas for the mid to high handicapper to prevent them from denting their confidence? MC: As with the design of most golf courses these days you can play off 4 – 5 tees which offer varied distances. For example, Yas Links is set in such a way that you can play to 7,400 yds, 7,000 yds, 6,600 yds, 6,200 yds, 5,400 yds. Therefore, a mid to high handicapper can still enjoy his game without having to play from the back tees like the professionals do.
The Nomura Cup is for amateurs from various countries. Many won’t have played links golf. What will they find the most difficult?
MC: Straight hitters score well at Yas links and knowing where to play for position and where to land the ball both on the fairways and the greens is a big advantage. Any wild shots can be severely punished by hitting into the heavy rough, which really penalises wayward shots.
We are just coming out of the summer into a new season, with the Nomura Cup just around the corner, what have you and the team been doing to ensure the course is in top condition for the international amateur players this month?
MC: Over the summer months we have carried out renovation programmes including hollow tine aerification, vertical mowing and topdressing, re-establishment of weaker areas and general issues such as drainage and additional irrigation. We will start to increase the green speed with lower height of cut as we move closer to the playing season. It is a never-ending process of testing and creating favourable root zone conditions and dealing with the elements and adjusting to variations in water quality.
You’ve seen a many top players during your time in Abu Dhabi but which one has impressed you the most and why?
MC: I’ve seen so many top players but I would have to say for sheer ball striking ability I’d like to watch Rory McIlroy.
Likewise you’ve seen some of the most bizarre things on a golf course but which has made you laugh the most?
MC: Many crazy things that could not be printed but one time playing with some mates who were sharing a buggy and they had parked it on the downslope next to the edge of a lake. They were leaning over the edge of the lake trying to look for their ball in the water when the brakes somehow released and the cart rolled down the slope knocking them both into the lake and the buggy followed them into the water. Luckily, nobody was hurt, apart from the damage to the buggy. It was one of those ones incidents you wish you could have caught on camera.
Technology in golf clubs continues to evolve but how has technology changed over the past 10 years to support maintaining the golf courses in the UAE?
MC: New machinery technology has evolved through research and development and computerised advancement which has positively affected playing surfaces and is moving more towards renewable energy resources and advancements in battery technology. Irrigation systems and computer operated satellite/decoder systems have advanced incredibly over the last 10 years which enables golf courses to use water resources much more efficiently.
This years Majors have tried to test the players but would you say the links of St.Andrews and Whistling Straits were set up too easy and how can you future proof these great courses against today’s big hitting Tour pros?
MC: It’s very difficult without including more hazards, trees or additional design features. The only way is green speeds, run offs around the greens, more severe rough and tougher pin positions. Other than that they will have to start looking at the advancing technology, especially with the golf ball. By making the golf ball travel less distance may be the only way of protecting many of the world’s traditional golf courses. Some of the world’s great courses can never be used for big tournaments because they are simply too short by modern standards.
What’s the toughest hole in Abu Dhabi and why?
For me it would have to be Hole No. 9 at Abu Dhabi Golf Club. With water each side and a narrow fairway it can be quite visually daunting from the tee, especially if you are not regularly a straight hitter….hence I have found the water on both sides many times.
Which golfer has gone on to be a great golf course designer and why?
Jack Nicklaus for me because not only was he a great golfer but he has designed some fantastic golf courses around the world. He personally has a very influential input into how the design turns out and not just offering his name to be used on a layout designed by others.
OFF COURSE
If you could be any golfer for the day who would it be? MC : Jason Day on the final round at the PGA.
Best course outside the UAE? I can only say from the courses I have played and that would be Royal County Down in Ireland and the Old Course at St. Andrews because of the history that surrounds it. In saying that, there are so many modern masterpiece designs out there and it is extremely hard to choose a best.
Best golf event to watch? The Ryder Cup.
Best Major? I enjoy equally The Masters and The Open.
Which golfer has influenced the game the most? For me it has to be Tiger Woods because the impact he has had on golf globally over and above the PGA Tour and becoming probably the most recognisable athlete in the world. That has had a huge impact on the popularity of the game.
Caddyshack or Tin Cup? Tin Cup.
