Pete Dye, Olazabal Courses from Scottsdale Firm Also Honored
(SCOTTSDALE, Ariz.) — Schmidt-Curley Design today announces that Mission Hills Golf Club in Shenzhen, China — master-planned by principals Lee Schmidt and Brian Curley and featuring ten courses designed or co-designed by the firm — was voted "The Best Golf Resort in Asia" by Asian Golf Monthly magazine.
The Pete Dye and Olazabal Courses at Mission Hills were also recognized by the magazine as the "Best New Course in Asia" and "No. 2 Course in China," respectively. Schmidt-Curley collaborated with the designer-legend on his namesake credit, and are the architects of record on the Olazabal Course, which recently hosted a top-flight international field for the OMEGA Mission Hills World Cup.
On the heels of opening a new full service office in Haikou, Hainan Island, China, Schmidt-Curley was also voted the "No. 2 Golf Course Architecture Firm" in Asia by the magazine. With an established 15-year presence in the Asian golf industry, the satellite office provides enhanced professional, administrative and logistic support for its ever-increasing portfolio of overseas projects.
"Lee and I are both honored that our work in Asia, and specifically our work at Mission Hills, has once again been recognized by Asian Golf Monthly," says Curley. "Our ranking above renowned names such as Nicklaus, Player, and Norman speaks volumes about the quality of our designs and the customer satisfaction they continue to stimulate."
Working closely with Dr. David Chu and son, Ken Chu, Schmidt and Curley developed the master-plan for Mission Hills’ 12 golf courses, practice facilities and clubhouses in the 1990s when golf was in its embryonic stage in China. Over the past decade and a half, the firm has overseen the design and construction of each of the club’s vaunted layouts.
The Dye and Olazabal courses are two remarkable feathers in a rapidly expanding Asian design cap.
The Pete Dye Course, the first Dye design in Asia, offers a marked departure from Mission Hills’ other 11 designs. Dye trademarks are all present and accounted for throughout the par-72, 6,800-yard layout, including small pot bunkers, long tee-to-green waste areas, railroad ties used as sleepers and walkway steps framed by tall native grasses to provide a sharp, visual contrast.
The Olazabal Course is a par-72, 7,251-yard layout, sprinkled with nearly 160 bunkers and marked by significant elevation changes that yield numerous majestic vistas of the surrounding countryside. The signature hole is the 555-yard, par-5 15th, a right-to-left dogleg that features 26 bunkers while curling around a large lake. The 18th is also particularly strong, a 460-yard, par-4 that, like 15, has its left flank menaced by water from tee to green. A stern test, the track is slated to host the OMEGA Mission Hills World Cup through 2018.
The firm’s award-winning Asian credits also include Amata Spring G.C. in Chonburi, Thailand. Amata, named Asian Golf Monthly’s Best New Course in Asia for 2006, will for the third straight year host the Royal Trophy, a "Ryder Cup" format competition involving teams from Europe and Asia, captained by Seve Ballesteros and Jumbo Ozaki, respectively.
Other acclaimed Schmidt-Curley designs include Agile C.C. (North Course) in Zhongshan, China, named one of the top five courses in China by Golf Digest in 2004, and Chiang Mai Highlands G.C., the # 3 course in Asian Golf Monthly’s 2006 "Best New Course" ranking.
Also of great importance to the firm’s success are the contributions of its sister company, Flagstick Golf Course Construction Management.
The challenges an owner faces to construct a golf course on time, on budget, and to world-class standards are daunting, which makes Flagstick’s range of services invaluable. Flagstick’s pre-construction preparation ensures that clients will have a precise understanding of the overall construction process, which reduces the inherent risks involved in the project and maximizes efficiency and project execution, making it more rewarding for all involved. Additionally, Flagstick’s ability to manage the myriad administrative tasks associated with any golf course construction project, such as staffing, budgeting and scheduling, is unmatched.
Schmidt-Curley is presently engaged with projects in South Korea, China, Thailand, and Vietnam, the latter of which is located near the famous Cu Chi tunnels on the Ho Chi Minh Trail.
For more information, visit www.schmidt-curley.com or call 480.483.1994.
About Schmidt-Curley Design, Inc.
Founded by partners Lee Schmidt and Brian Curley and based in Scottsdale, Arizona, Schmidt-Curley is a full-service, international golf-course architecture and master-planning firm with more than 100 layouts in 24 countries, including the U.S., Thailand, China, Sweden, Vietnam, Mexico, Egypt, Sweden, and Korea. The tandem is responsible for crafting 10 of the 12 courses at storied Mission Hills Golf Club in Shenzhen, China — the largest golf complex in the world.
At Mission Hills, Schmidt-Curley teamed with long-time partner Nick Faldo, as well as Ernie Els, Jose Maria Olazabal, David Duval, Annika Sorenstam, Vijay Singh, David Ledbetter and Jumbo Ozaki to create a golf experience unlike any other globally. Other high profile, award-winning projects from Schmidt-Curley include Bali Hai and Siena Golf Clubs (Las Vegas), Amata Spring Golf Club (Chonburi, Thailand, host of The Royal Trophy), Terra Lago Golf Club (Indio, California, site of the Skins Game for four years) Twin Creeks Golf Club (Cedar Park, Texas), and Crosby National Golf Club (Rancho Santa Fe, California).
Schmidt-Curley has also worked extensively with golf’s biggest names — including Jack Nicklaus, Pete Dye, Fred Couples and Faldo on numerous high-profile projects. Producing demanding yet beautiful and enjoyable courses, Schmidt-Curley strives to create golf experiences that stir the senses and elevate golfers’ appreciations for the land and the game. By balancing classic golf course architecture with ever-changing contemporary technology, Schmidt-Curley places an emphasis on site-adaptive courses, memorable and enjoyable for all levels of play and always designed for cost-efficient maintenance and operations.
Contact:
Shane Sharp
Buffalo Communications
704.519.8381 (cell)
ssharp@billycaspergolf.com
Stephen Reynolds
Buffalo Communications
703.761.1444
sreynolds@billycaspergolf.com
