PAYNE’S WORLD

legs, with length being added over the years to keep up with the modernisation of the game, this iconic venue possesses one of the greatest vistas of a city skyline anywhere in the world.

What did you miss the most about Aus?

I could get a little sentimental here, but the things I missed about Australia, in particular my home state of Queensland and city of Brisbane was the greenery, we have amazing corridors of green scape all through the city and outer suburbs. The smell of rain on a summer’s afternoon, cricket at the Gabba, footy at Suncorp Stadium, meat pies, my family, my mates, and of course my mother’s roast dinner on a Sunday night.

How do the courses differ between the UAE and Aus?

There is a huge divide between the courses in the UAE and Australia, the countries are so vastly different in not only size but population and more importantly golfing population, with approximately 22 courses in the UAE and some 1,500 courses across Australia. Most of the courses in the UAE have a famed golf course architect attached to them with many having a housing development bordering all boundaries of the courses, this is not so the case with many courses in Australia being standalone public courses. Additionally, the courses in the UAE all seem to have attached the moniker of Championship Course, where in Australia this term is more carefully selected.

Thoughts on LIV Golf and how would you fix the pro golf scene?

I love that fact LIV has shaken things up and ironically how the PGA TOUR has reacted. I don’t necessarily think the Pro Golf scene needs to be fixed, I do however think that with the exorbitant amounts of money now in professional sport, in particular golf, players have become more static, stayed and are less reluctant to express their true feelings, thoughts and emotions, golf needs characters again, but I think it is too late, progression is the art of moving forward as they say.

I do think that the NETFLIX Series

Full Swing paints professional golfers in a bad light, a bunch of overpaid, characterless, private jet setters with a myriad of “yes men” by their side, the only relatable guy on that series was Joel Dahman, he owned it.... “someone’s got to be the 70th best golfer in the word” TOUCHE!!!