Globe-trotting Firm’s Imagination Exhibited by Asia’s First Triple Green
(SCOTTSDALE, Ariz.) — Schmidt-Curley Design — the full-service golf-course architecture, master-planning and construction-management firm — announces its Plantation Course at Siam Country Club in Pattaya, Thailand will host LPGA stars from around the globe, February 26 — March 1.
Two nines, the Pineapple and Tapioca, will be used for the (yet-to-be-named) tournament creating a par-72, 6,452-yard layout. Opened in February 2008 and located on the site of a former pineapple and tapioca plantation, the course’s Seashore Paspalum fairways snake around large ravines dotting the property. Significant elevation changes abound, offering several spectacular vistas of Pattaya’s beaches and the Gulf of Thailand approximately seven miles to the west.
Siam Country Club joins a growing collection of Schmidt-Curley designs selected to host professional golf tournaments. They include the Olazabal Course at China’s Mission Hills Golf Club (home of the Omega Mission Hills World Cup through 2018), Thailand’s Amata Spring Golf Club (two-time host of the PGA European Tour’s Royal Trophy) and California’s Terra Lago Golf Club (site of the Skins Game from 1999 – 2002).
The Pineapple’s 378-yard, par-4 fourth and 400-yard, par-4 ninth, and the Tapioca’s par-3, 172-yard seventh (Hole 16 on the tournament course) share a single green measuring more than 20,000 square feet (1,916 square meters). Although the clover-shaped surface is contiguous, large swales divide it into three distinct sections making it the first triple green in Asia.
“The triple green promises to buzz with activity throughout tournament week, as it creates a unique vantage point for spectators,” says Lee Schmidt, founding partner and veteran of the Asian golf design industry. “They’ll be able to watch competitors from the same spot as play progresses. Plus, it fits seamlessly within the course’s carefully-planned routing so design characteristics weren’t compromised to make the green a reality.”
Schmidt-Curley’s redesign of Siam Country Club’s Old Course hosted the Honda LPGA Thailand in October 2007. Former McDonald’s LPGA Champion Suzann Pettersen held-off charges from Laura Davies, Paula Creamer and Annika Sorenstam to claim the $195,000 first prize.
“We’re honored by our reputation as a design firm whose work is consistently considered worthy of challenging the world’s best players,” adds Schmidt.
For more information about completed and current projects, visit www.schmidt-curley.com or call 480.483.1994.
About Schmidt-Curley Design, Inc.
Founded by partners Lee Schmidt and Brian Curley with offices in Scottsdale, Arizona and Haikou, Hainan Island, China, 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 Leadbetter 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.
Contact:
Shane Sharp
Buffalo Communications
704.519.8381 (cell)
ssharp@billycaspergolf.com
www.buffalocommunications.com
Stephen Reynolds
Buffalo Communications
703.761.1444
sreynolds@billycaspergolf.com
