67 playing blind over a mound or a dune. We could do that on every hole so we’re trying not to overdo it. But I think we’ve got the balance pretty right.” Life is not all about playing in the sand though. CDP is a distinctly global practice and Clayton’s future will include no small measure of globetrotting. This year has already included spells in the US and Europe, nurturing a growing client base. Among those is The Addington, the JF Abercromby-Harry Colt layout south of London that has long been regarded as having its true potential stif led by tree ingress. “It was a good thing that they didn’t fiddle much with the golf course, but the playing lines were clearly overgrown with trees,” says Clayton. “If they’d been properly managed over time the tree removal wouldn’t have been as extensive, but when you don’t touch trees for 50 to 60 years, of course they’re going to grow way too far across playing lines and completely dilute or change the way the original architect intended the holes to play, and what he intended you to see. “Pulling back the curtain has been great. There are so many fun holes to play and it’s a bit like North Berwick in that the golf is not really conventional, but it’s great fun, interesting and wild – a throwback to a time when architects and golfers and members weren’t so hung up on what people now say is conventional golf. All of the original great golf in Britain wasn’t particularly conventional. One of the inf luences of the pro game is that golf should be fair and predictable. The best courses show that golf is best when it’s neither fair nor predictable. The Addington is a great example of golf being great, not fair and predictable, but wild and fun.” Clayton is known for his straighttalking opinions on what makes good golf, but does he see himself as having a particular design philosophy? “I grew up in Melbourne, where [Dr Alister] MacKenzie had such an inf luence, and Royal Melbourne was the course that I always enjoyed most,” he says. “Despite being a pretty straight hitter, I always enjoy wide fairways and holes where shots from one side of the fairway are a lot different to shots from the other side. It’s hard to do that if it’s narrow, so I enjoy having space to play off the tee. “Building beautiful green complexes is a hugely important part of good golf. There are some great courses that don’t have short grass around the greens, but mostly it’s a much more interesting way to make the short game interesting; hitting difficult shots off good lies as opposed to playing what What a difference a year makes. The par-three thirteenth at The Addington in October 2021 and, inset, the same view a year earlier Photo: David Cannon Photo: CDP
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