Royal Queensland

Architect: Mike Clayton (with John Sloan & Bruce Grant)

When the local government chose to build a huge bridge over holes at the far end of the original Alister MacKenzie-influenced (but too often altered) course, Royal Queensland’s members decided to build a completely new course.

The club was fortunate to have sufficient land on the clubhouse side of the bridge to site a new 18-hole layout. Mike Clayton and his colleagues designed and oversaw its construction.

The course recently returned to the Australasian Tour when the club hosted the Australian PGA Championship. It hosted the Australian Amateur in 2020 and will host the golf tournaments at the 2032 Olympic Games.

The new layout stresses strategies based on timeless principles but adapted to the modern game. Darius Oliver, editor of Planet Golf, described it thus:
 

“What was once an unremarkable and dreary golf course, has been revitalised by Mike Clayton and his team, who turned a dull paddock beneath the Brisbane Bridge into a flat, strategic masterpiece. The bunkering style is truly unique, distinctive and strategically positioned, while the contouring of the greens and surrounding areas is first-class and will ensure that regular players remain interested in their golf for many years to come.”