Projects in Mexico?s Baja California and Mayan Riviera Newest Additions to Burgeoning International Portfolio
(SCOTTSDALE, Ariz.) – Schmidt-Curley Design – the full-service golf-course architecture, master-planning and construction-management firm – today announces that it will begin construction of a four course project at Maravia Golf Club in La Paz, Mexico and is partnering with golf great Nick Faldo on a design at the Kanay Resort in Playa del Carmen, Mexico.
Construction of the first course at Maravia Golf Club begins in April. It will be named “Comillo de Coyote” (“Fang of the Coyote”) and is part of a planned golf residential community overlooking the Sea of Cortez. Located 15 minutes north ofLa Paz in Mexico’s Baja California, it’s a par 71 of 7,068 yards and will combine desert-style “target golf” with numerous spectacular ocean vistas. The layout will feature extensive, rugged, sandy waste areas with backdrops of the sea and dramatic mountains, as well as the revolutionary Seashore Paspalum grass on its tees, greens, fairways and roughs.
The Kanay Resort course, Schmidt-Curley’s seventh joint effort with Nick Faldo, lies 45 minutes south of Cancun on the Mayan Riviera and will snake through lush, primordial jungle. Plans call for an 847-room hotel as well as a residential component.
“Our work in Mexico highlights how active we are throughout the world,” says Brian Curley. “We’ve been able to leverage our significant international experience to seamlessly enter the promising Mexican market.”
Mexico is a key, emerging market in Schmidt-Curley’s global design footprint and aggressive international business model. The Maravia and Kanay Resort ventures join Amanali Golf Club in Tepeji and Ventanas de San Miguel in San Miguel de Allende as current Schmidt-Curley projects in the country, and other Mexico-based projects have been targeted and could be served by the firm’s advantageously located Arizona headquarters.
“The sites we’re working in Mexico are quite varied,” says Curley, a 30-year industry veteran. “They range from the rugged coastline of the Sea of Cortez to the foothills of the Sierra Madre and will allow us to fully capitalize on the creativity that’s a hallmark of our firm.”
Schmidt-Curley has designed more than 100 courses in 24 countries on four continents. The firm’s credits include the largest golf club in the world, Mission Hills Golf Club in Shenzhen, China; four-time Skins Game host Terra Lago Golf Club in Indio, California; and Chonburi, Thailand’s Amata Spring Golf Club, host of the PGA European Tour’s Royal Trophy andAsian Golf Monthly’s “Best New Course in Asia” for 2006.
Previous Schmidt-Curley / Faldo collaborations are Mission Hills’ Faldo Course (Shenzhen, China), Marriott’s Shadow Ridge (Palm Desert, California), Marriott’s Desert Ridge (Phoenix, Arizona), The Wilderness Club (Eureka, Montana), Katemaya Dunes (Cairo, Egypt) and Ventanas de San Miguel Golf Club (San Miguel de Allende, Mexico).
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, 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.
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. High profile, award-winning projects from Schmidt-Curley include Bali Hai and Siena Golf Clubs (Las Vegas), Amata Spring Golf Club (Chonburi, Thailand, two-time host of the PGA European Tour’s Royal Trophy), Terra Lago Golf Club (Indio, California, site of the Skins Game from 1999 – 2002), 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 – and boasts four ASGCA members (Lee Schmidt, Brian Curley, Grant Haserot and Andy Raugust).
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. For more information, visit www.schmidt-curley.com or call 480.483.1994.
Contact:
Shane Sharp
Buffalo Communications
704.519.8381 (cell)
ssharp@billycaspergolf.com
Stephen Reynolds
Buffalo Communications
703.761.1444
sreynolds@billycaspergolf.com
