When Peter Matkovich starts talking golf and golf course design, it’s as pure and honest as the grass on the fairways. He is that rare breed who speaks with the authority of one of the world’s foremost course designers, but who is devoted in his work to capturing the heart of the ordinary golfer.

Last November, Matkovich was recognised for his immense contribution to the game as the recipient of the 2024 Golf Course Designer of the Year award at the World Golf Awards. He won in an extremely competitive category that included Gary Player, Colin Montgomerie, Ernie Els, Henrik Stenson, Nick Faldo, Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus, José Maria Olazabal, IMG Golf Course Design and Robert Trent Jones Golf Course Architects. One of his designs, the Heritage Golf Club’s stunning new La Réserve Golf Links in Mauritius (below), was also voted the World’s Best New Golf Course 2024.

But rather than the praise his work garners, Matkovich instead wants to talk about the pleasure it brings the average golfer. This is where you get to the heart of who he is as a golf course designer, and he’s as delightfully matter-of-fact as a 1-iron with his opinions.

“You know how you judge a golf course? Do the people want to keep coming back? Simple as that. I’m not interested in what a golf course rater or a golf historian thinks. I’m interested in whether the people love it. It’s for those people that I cannot wait to go out and try to improve something on a golf course I’m designing.”

In this sense, Mauritius has been the perfect outlet for Matkovich. A golf tourism paradise, the Indian Ocean island draws avid golfers from around the world who are looking for exactly what Matkovich’s courses provide – a memorable golf experience that matches their island holiday frame of mind.

“The Mauritius culture is different in that it’s so tourist driven, so their golfers are looking for a different feel as opposed to your traditional golf club experience. My greatest satisfaction has been staying in the hotels in Mauritius while I’ve been designing courses there, and seeing the same guests returning year after year to play the courses we’ve designed.”

Matkovich’s design philosophy also refuses to fit into any traditional box of description. “I’m not popular with the purists,” he says. “I suppose I’ve always broken rules. I don’t copy what’s popular. I believe it starts with the land, you listen to the land and what it gives you.

“I also never try and force anything. Trying to force something ruined my golf career; trying to be something I wasn’t. I’ve found more satisfaction in being original and showing a bit of imagination, rather than defaulting back to the old stuff or the links courses of Britain. Be yourself and be original. Don’t be a copy.

“When it came to La Réserve, we were blessed with the land there, which was a gift. Mont Choisy ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​[below] was another immensely satisfying course to design, albeit a challenging one with the amount of rock we had to work through. But there is no greater challenge in course design than trying to fit a really enjoyable golf course on to a tough piece of land.”

Matkovich has certainly won many fans for his original approach to course design, from the average weekend golfer to the professionals who play many of his courses on Tour.

“I like Peter Matkovich’s designs. I tend to enjoy the look of his courses. There’s just something about the way he slopes the greens and positions the bunkers.

“You look at a course like Mont Choisy, which is designed perfectly for the prevailing wind there. His designs are consistent, and fun to play.

“You don’t find many courses where you’ve still got driveable par fours and par fives where, for instance, you can hit 2-iron off the tee box and 2-iron in. There’s no point hitting driver there. It’s fun, rather than just hitting driver as hard as you can and then smashing a 3-wood as hard as you can,” says Sunshine Tour professional Jayden Schaper.

It's music to Matkovich’s ears. “The way I like to challenge people is to make it look difficult but play fair. That’s the true art in golf course design.”

TYRONE WINFIELD/SUNSHINE TOUR/SUPPLIED